Wikipedia

Mentha royleana

Mentha royleana, is a species within the Mentha (mint) genus, native to eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Himalayas and Kashmir.[1] A polymorphic perennial herb, M. royleana has seen diverse uses in traditional medicine.[2][3]

Mentha royleana
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Mentha
Species:
M. royleana
Binomial name
Mentha royleana
Synonyms
  • Mentha longifolia subsp. royleana Col.
  • Mentha sylvestris var. royleana Benth.

Name

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Mentha royleana is known by the English common name of Royle's mint, named for British botanist John Forbes Royle.[4][5] In Pakistan, it is referred to as Jangli podina[6][7] or simply podina or pudina.[8] Other attested regional names include:

Description

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Mentha royleana resembles other Mentha species, in particular Mentha longifolia. Like other mints, M. royleana is a perennial plant, reproducing via rhizome, and shares the pungent mint aroma of most of the genus.[2]

It is distinguished from its close relatives by its narrowly oblong-elliptic mostly petiolate leaves, which tend to be discolored.[14] Other authors attest the leaves can occasionally be sessile.[1] Its spikes are more slender, with separated verticillasters and calyces measuring 1.5 to 2 millimeters.[14] Its flowers are small and whitish in color.[4] According to a 2011 study, M. royleana contains a mean 179.2 milligrams of caffeic acid, 46.93 milligrams of rosmarinic acid, 41.76 milligrams of ferulic acid per 100 grams of plant material.[15]

Classification

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The Mentha species in general demonstrate a large amount of genetic variation and ease of hybridization, which has made taxonomic distinctions a fraught question.[16][17] In a 2018 analysis, samples of M. royleana from different geographic regions of Pakistan demonstrated the greatest amount of genetic variability among the studied Mentha species.[18] As a result, several varieties have been defined. A 1992 study identified two varieties: var. glabra and var. gilgitica.[16] Botanist Karl Heinz Rechinger recognized three varieties in 1998: var. royleana, var. detonsa (Briquet) and var. afghanica (Murata).[14] A 2018 comparison of random amplification of polymorphic DNA markers differentiated three varieties of M. royleana: var. afghanica, var. royleana, and var. tugidus.[19]

The similarity of M. royleana to other mints has led some authors to even assign it as a mere varietal of M. longifolia.[20][14][2] However, it is currently accepted as a distinct species by authorities such as Plants of the World Online.[21] Studies of populations of M. royleana and M. spicata determined they were genetically distinct enough to justify their separate species classifications.[22] Recent literature continues to call for further investigation to establish M. royleana's true taxonomic status.[23][17]

Distribution and habitat

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While Mentha royleana's native distribution is in the region of the Himalayas (including India, Pakistan and Nepal), it is now established throughout Northwest Asia and Europe.[9] It has also been intentionally cultivated in parts of China.[2] It is frequent in wet places, principally at elevations from 9000 to 11000 feet[24] (11,000 or 12,000 feet in another source [25]). Some authors have described it as common,[13] or indeed even "the commonest mint" in Pakistan.[14]

Use

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Mentha royleana has been assessed as a plant with a "high use value" in traditional medicine.[26] It has been used to treat a variety of ailments. It is said to be used as a treatment for vomiting, diarrhea, dysentary, and cholera, as well as a general carminative.[27][3][28]

In the Margalla Hills, part of the Himalayan foothills, it is ground with the fruit of Zanthoxylum armatum and combined with salt as a stomach ache cure.[7] Herbal medicine practitioners in Batakundi mixes the leaves of M. royleana into green teas, with cooling and gas relief properties.[8] In Parachinar, the leaves of the plant are sewed into cloth pads and wrapped around babies' chests to relieve flus and chest problems.[10] In the Haramosh valley in Gilgit District, M. royleana is combined with pomegranate, ginger and garlic to produce a juice intended to treat diabetes and heart issues.[29] Combined with Thymus linearis (Himalayan Thyme), it is used to treat high blood pressure and abdominal worms.[29]

Aside from medical use, M. royleana is used to freshen the breath and in the preparation of sauces and salads.[30] The floral shoots of M. royleana are also used in religious ceremonies in Hinduism.[31]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Shinwari & Chaudhri 1992, p. 102.
  2. ^ a b c d Magura, Julie. "Royle's Mint". Cornell Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  3. ^ a b Jasbeen et al. 2009, p. 779.
  4. ^ a b c "Mentha royleana - Royle's Mint". Flowers of India. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  5. ^ 日本メディカルハーブ協会 (2021-01-14). "ミントの植物学と栽培". 日本メディカルハーブ協会 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  6. ^ Bibi et al. 2014, p. 356.
  7. ^ a b Jasbeen et al. 2009, p. 775.
  8. ^ a b Khan et al. 2013, p. 7.
  9. ^ a b c Abbasi et al. 2011, p. 143.
  10. ^ a b Ajaib et al. 2014, p. 79.
  11. ^ Rahman et al. 2019, p. 3.
  12. ^ Tahira et al. 2011, p. 144.
  13. ^ a b Akhtar 2014, p. 37.
  14. ^ a b c d e Nasir & Ali 1990, p. 263.
  15. ^ Tahira et al. 2011, p. 145.
  16. ^ a b Shinwari & Chaudhri 1992, p. 97.
  17. ^ a b Shinwari, Sultan & Mahmood 2011, p. 1435.
  18. ^ Ahmad et al. 2018, p. 9.
  19. ^ Ahmad et al. 2018, p. 8.
  20. ^ Kletter & Kriechbaum 2001, p. 59.
  21. ^ "Mentha royleana Wall. ex Benth". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  22. ^ Shinwari, Sultan & Mahmood 2011, p. 1434.
  23. ^ Ahmad et al. 2018, p. 6.
  24. ^ Henderson, Hume & Forsyth 1873, p. 331.
  25. ^ Stewart 1870, p. 213.
  26. ^ Bibi et al. 2014, p. 352.
  27. ^ Rahman et al. 2019, p. 7.
  28. ^ Ajaib, Khan & Zikrea 2014, p. 13.
  29. ^ a b Abbas et al. 2019, p. 106.
  30. ^ Ajaib, Khan & Zikrea 2014, p. 18.
  31. ^ Pandit 2002, p. 114.

References

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  • Abbas, Qamar; Hussain, Adeeb; Khan, Sher Wali; Hussain, Alamdar; Shinwari, Shehla; Hussain, Azhar; Ullah, Asad; Zafar, Muhammad; Ali, Karamat (2019). "Floristic Diversity, Ethnobotany and Traditional Recipes of Medicinal Plants of Maruk Nallah, Haramosh Valley, District Gilgit, Gilgit Baltistan". Proceedings of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences: B. Life and Environmental Sciences. 56 (3): 97–112. ISSN 2518-4261.
  • Abbasi, Arshad Mehmood; Khan, Mir Ajab; Ahmad, Mushtaq; Zafar, Muhammad (2011-12-15). Medicinal Plant Biodiversity of Lesser Himalayas-Pakistan. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-1-4614-1574-9.
  • Akhtar, Naveed (2014). "Exploring Patterns of Phytodiversity, Ethnobotany, Plant Geography and Vegetation in the Mountains of Miandam, Swat, Northern Pakistan" (PDF). Göttingen, Germany: University of Göttingen. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  • Ahmad, Israr; Khan, Sami Ullah; Khan, Aziz; Amjad, Muhammad Shoaib; Abbasi, Fozia (2018). "Reassessment of Mentha Species from Kunhar River Catchment Using Morphological and Molecular Markers". Anadolu. 28 (1): 6–12.
  • Ajaib, Muhammad; Haider, Syed Khalil; Zikrea, Annam; Siddiqui, Muhammad Faheem (2014). "Ethnobotanical Studies of Herbs of Agra Valley, Parachinar, Upper Kurram Agency, Pakistan". International Journal of Biology & Biotechnology. 11 (1): 71–83.
  • Ajaib, Muhammad; Khan, Zaheer-ud-din; Zikrea, Annam (2014). "Ethnobotanical survey of some important herbaceous plants of District Kotli, Azad Jammu & Kashmir". Biologia. 60 (1): 11–22.
  • Bibi, Sadia; Sultana, Jawairia; Sultana, Humaira; Malik, Riffat Naseem (2014-08-08). "Ethnobotanical uses of medicinal plants in the highlands of Soan Valley, Salt Range, Pakistan". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 155 (1): 352–361. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2014.05.031. ISSN 0378-8741. PMID 24882732. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
  • Henderson, George; Hume, Allan Octavian; Forsyth, Thomas Douglas (1873). Lahore to Yārkand: Incidents of the Route and Natural History of the Countries Traversed by the Expedition of 1870, Under T. D. Forsyth. L. Reeve.
  • Jasbeen, Asma; Khan, Mir Ajab; Ahmad, Mushtaq; Zafar, Muhammad; Ahmad, Farooq (2009-03-06). "Indigenous uses of economically important flora of Margallah Hills National Park, Islamabad, Pakistan". African Journal of Biotechnology. 8 (5): 763–784.
  • Khan, Shujaul M.; Page, Sue; Ahmad, Habib; Shaheen, Hamayun; Ullah, Zahid; Ahmad, Mushtaq; Harper, David M. (2013-01-10). "Medicinal flora and ethnoecological knowledge in the Naran Valley, Western Himalaya, Pakistan". Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 9 (1): 4. doi:10.1186/1746-4269-9-4. ISSN 1746-4269. PMC 3570439. PMID 23302393.
  • Nasir, Eugene; Ali, S. I. (1990). Flora of West Pakistan. Nazeer Print. Works.
  • Pandit, Ashok K. (2002). Natural Resources of Western Himalaya. Valley Book House. ISBN 978-81-86592-11-3.
  • Rahman, Inayat Ur; Afzal, Aftab; Iqbal, Zafar; Hart, Robbie; Abd-Allah, Elsayed Fathi; Hashem, Abeer; Alsayed, Mashail Fahad; Ijaz, Farhana; Ali, Niaz; Shah, Muzammil; Bussman, Rainier W.; Calixto, Eduardo Soares (2019). "Herbal Teas and Drinks: Folk Medicine of the Manoor Valley, Lesser Himalaya, Pakistan". Plants. 8 (12): 581. doi:10.3390/plants8120581. PMC 6963793. PMID 31817913.
  • Shinwari, Zabta Khan; Chaudhri, Mohammad Nazeer (1992). "A Taxonomic Revision of the Genus Mentha in Pakistan". Acta Phytotaxonomica et Geobotanica. 43 (2): 97–110. ISSN 0001-6799.
  • Shinwari, Zabta; Sultan, Sidra; Mahmood, Tariq (2011-06-01). "Molecular and morphological characterization of selected Mentha species". Pakistan Journal of Botany. 43.
  • Stewart, J. L. (1870). "Notes of a Botanical Tour in Ladak or Western Tibet". Transactions of the Botanical Society. Vol. X. Edinburgh.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Tahira, Riffat; Naeemullah, Muhammad; Akbar, Fazal; Masood, Muhammad Shahid (2011). "Major Phenolic Acids of Local and Exotic Mint Germplasm Grown in Islamabad". Pakistan Journal of Botany. 43: 143–146.
  • Kletter, Christa; Kriechbaum, Monika, eds. (2001). Tibetan Medicinal Plants. CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-8493-0031-8.
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