Title:Mentha Pulegium: A Plant with Several Medicinal Properties
Volume: 24
Issue: 3
Author(s): Smail Amtaghri, Miloudia Slaoui and Mohamed Eddouks*
Affiliation:
- Team of Ethnopharmacology and Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques Errachidia, Moulay Ismail University of Meknes, BP 509, Boutalamine, Errachidia, 52000, Morocco
Keywords:
Mentha pulegium L., ethnomedicinal use, medicinal properties, therapeutic uses, biologically active compounds, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, essential oils.
Abstract: The species Mentha Pulegium L. (M. pulegium L.) belongs to the family Lamiaceae,
native to Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, and the genus Mentha. It has been traditionally
used in food, cosmetics, and medicines. It is a perennial, fragrant, well-liked, herbaceous plant that
can grow up to half a meter tall. It is extensively used as a food flavoring, particularly for Moroccan
traditional drinks. Chewing mint and M. pulegium, a relaxing and refreshing plant, can be used to
treat hiccups and act as an anticonvulsant and nerve relaxant. Pennyroyal leaves that have been
crushed have a pungent, spearmint-like scent. Pennyroyal is used to make herbal teas, which, while
not proven to be harmful to healthy adults in small doses, are not recommended due to their liver
toxicity. Infants and children can die if they consume it. Pennyroyal leaves, both fresh and dried,
are particularly effective at repelling insects. Pennyroyal essential oil should never be taken internally
because it is highly toxic, even in small doses, it can be fatal. This plant is used in traditional
Moroccan medicine to treat a wide range of conditions, including influenza, rheumatism, migraine,
infertility, ulcer, pain, gastrointestinal problems, fever, diabetes, obesity, mental and cardiac disorders,
constipation, respiratory ailments, and cough. M. pulegium is a great candidate for contemporary
therapeutic usage since it contains a wide variety of biologically active compounds, including
terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, and saponins in all its parts. Among the different
parts used are the whole plant, the aerial part, the stem, and the leaves. More interestingly, the
entire plant contains a variety of compounds including Pulegone, Isomenthone, Carvone, Menthofuran,
Menthol, 1,8-Cineole, Piperitone, Piperitenone, Neomenthol, -humulene, and 3-octanol.
Eriocitrin, Hesperidin, Narirutin, Luteolin, Isorhoifolin, Galic acid, and Rosmarinic acid are found
in the leaves. p-hydroxybenzoic acid, Ferulic acid, Caffeic acid, Vanillic acid, Syringic acid, Protocatechuic
acid, Cinnamic acid, Phloretic acid, o-coumaric acid, p-coumaric acid, Catechin, Epicatechin,
Chrysin, Quercetin, Naringenin, Carvacrol are all found in the areal part. Alterporriol G,
Atropisomer, Alterporriol H, Altersolanol K, Altersolanol L, Stemphypyrone, 6-O-methylalaternin,
Macrosporin, Altersolanol A, Alterporriol E, Alterporriol D, Alterporriol A, Alterporriol B,
and Altersolanol J are also found in the stem of fungus. Pulegone, Piperitone, p-Menthane-1,2,3-
triol, β-elemenene, guanine (cis-), Carvacrol acetate, and Phenyl ethyl alcohol are all components
of this plant's essential oils. Moreover, the study also sought to investigate and document all currently
available evidence and information on the nutritional composition and therapeutic uses of
this plant ornamental. Its pharmacological applications include antimicrobial, antioxidant, antihypertensive,
antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, antifungal, anticancer, burn wound
healing, antispasmodic, and hepatotoxicity. Finally, toxicological studies have revealed that while
low doses of extracts of the plant M. pulegium are not toxic, however, its essential oils of it are
extremely toxic. In order to evaluate future research needs and investigate its pharmacological
applications through clinical trials, the current assessment focuses on the distribution, chemical
composition, biological activities, and primary uses of the plant.
