Food for Thought Mickayla Hosking
Spearmint
Spearmint is a smaller growing evergreen, native to Europe and western Asia. Sitting around 70cm high, the bright foliage is highly aromatic. Its thumb length leaves are serrated and spear shaped, with square stems common to the Mentha family. When in flower, you may see small pink-y white flowers. You may recognise this mint from some alcoholic beverages such as the Mojito, or lemonade; or perhaps from a refreshing salad at a cafe. Spearmint, similar to peppermint, is a stimulant thereby increasing alertness and cognition, likely due to its rosmarinic acid content. Yes, that name does come from the rosemary plant as that is where the substrate rosmarinic acid was first identified. Traditionally, the herb spearmint has been used to soothe upset stomachs, headaches and minor bites. This is due to its actions as a carminative and antispasmodic for the digestive tract, which is due to the menthol content. Menthol is one of the components that all plants in the mint family share. This is also the component that gives you the cooling feeling. Spearmint also contains phenolic and flavonoid contents which boost the antioxidant content (hello, anti-aging!). There are so many cool things that plants do, but one study used spearmint to see how it impacted memory in those with the natural memory impairment that comes with old age (not Dementia).
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Herrlinger, et al (2018 ) gave 90 people either 900mg, 600mg or 0mg of spearmint extract for ninety days. The group of 30 people receiving the 900mg of spearmint reported improved sleep onset, improved working memory, with a resulting improvement in mood regulation.
