Long-leaved mint - fragrant and healthy herb in your flower bed

Tell us what long-leaved mint is. I love to add fragrant leaves to tea. Before, I always bought dried mint, and then a neighbor would plant hers and give me a sapling. I heard that this plant is also medicinal. And what exactly does it heal?

It can be found in the forest, along the road, and near the swamp, and even in the beds or flower beds with cultivated plants. Long-leaved mint is a versatile plant. Thanks to its pleasant aroma and an increased amount of essential oils, it will come in handy both in the kitchen and in the home medicine cabinet.

Characteristics

Representative of the family of lacustrine, mint has up to 40 species, but most often you can find it long-leaved. It grows in the form of a branchy bush, the height of which, depending on the habitat, can be either 30 or all 100 cm. You can recognize the plant by the fragrant leaves of an oblong-lanceolate shape with a jagged edge. If you grind them, you can clearly smell the metol. The leaf plate is slightly thickened, gray-green on top. On the reverse side, it is covered with a grayish downy. The leaves sit on erect branched stems, while the branches are tetrahedral, also pubescent.

All summer mint blooms, dissolving small lilac-pink flowers on the tops of twigs. They form small spike-shaped inflorescences, and at the end of flowering - seeds in the form of small brown nuts.

The root system of the bushes is creeping, horizontal, deeper than 15 cm, does not penetrate into the soil. Mint grows quickly, completely filling the free space. For this reason, the main way breeding plants - dividing the bush. Fragrant shrubs prefer moist soil and open, well-lit areas.

Mint will survive in a shady place, but in such conditions it often loses its lower leaves. In addition, the content of essential oils in them is significantly reduced.

Long-leaved mint - where the plant is applied

Slender bushes look beautiful not only during the flowering period. They retain their decorative effect until the very frost, therefore mint is often planted in flower beds. But its benefits are not limited to this. Fragrant leaves, in addition to oil, contain many other useful substances. Long-leaved mint is widely used in the following areas:

1. Ethnoscience. Medicinal infusions are prepared from the twigs. They will help with stomach ailments, have a mild analgesic effect and serve as an antiseptic. Infusions can also be used as lotions or added to the bath. In addition, a healing peppermint oil is made from mint, which is effective for neuralgia and rheumatism.
2. Cooking. Mint leaves are a great spice, harvested before flowering. At this time, the foliage contains the maximum amount of essential oil. The leaves can be added fresh or dried to drinks, salads, soups, sauces, marinades.

Collecting long-leaved mint - video