Spearmint
Koru Essential Oils Spearmint
Notes From The Koru Oils Lab™ -
Koru's Spearmint oil has a softer, sweeter, and more gentle aroma than Peppermint essential oil. If you're a fan of Spearmint gum, mints, candies, or Spearmint juleps, you will find comfort in the aroma of this oil. This bright and aromatic essential oil comes from the beautiful Mentha spicata grown in the Willamette Valley of Oregon and is distilled by a second-generation family ran distillery. Spearmint essential oil has a wonderfully refreshing, sweet, and minty aroma due to l-carvone, which is what you smell when you rub a fresh Spearmint leaf between your fingers.1 L-carvone is a ketone that bears no potential toxicity, for this reason Spearmint is often preferred for aromatherapy use over Peppermint, especially for children. Tisserand refers to M. spicata as non-toxic, non-sensitizing, and non-phototoxic.2 Spearmint, much like Peppermint has digestive indications, but the two oils have different chemical structure, so it is not an appropriate replacement.3
Name : Spearmint (Mentha spicata)
Origin : USA
Cultivation : Conventional
Extraction Method : Steam Distilled
Plant Part : Leaves
Aroma : Minty, penetrating, sweet, cool, green, somewhat herbaceous
Appearance : Colorless to light yellow, transparent liquid
Primary Constituents : Carvone, Limonene, Myrcene
Precautionary Advice : Keep away from eyes and mucous membranes. Keep out of reach of children. If pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition consult your doctor. External use only. Always dilute. A skin patch test should be performed before use for those with sensitive skin.
1. http://www.bojensen.net/EssentialOilsEng/EssentialOils27/
2. Tisserand, R. & Balacs, T. (1995). Essential Oil Safety: A guide for healthcare professionals. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, 210.