lamiaceae

Lamiaceae

[‚lā·mē′ās·ē‚ē]

(botany)

An equivalent name for Labiatae.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

mint

mint

The mint family has over 7,000 species! And they are all edible. They become pretty easy to recognize after a while. Square stems, tiny hairs on stem, vertically stacked crunched flower bundles usually light purple, white or pink on top of stem or in several clusters along the vertical stem, usually where leaves are. Used for colds, flu, fever, indigestion, gas, headache, diarrhea, colic, sore throats, stomach aches. Whole plant is edible. Mint has strong oils. It is advisable not to take while pregnant. Important- make sure the plant looks and smells like mint. Some plants look like mint but don’t smell like it, or smell like mint but don’t look like mint- stay away! MINT Downy Woodmint (Blephilia ciliata) Soft fur on underside of leaves. Whitish blue purple flowers. Tea used for indigestion, colic, coughs, colds, chills and fevers. Make warm poultice with leaves for sinus headache. Chewing fresh leaves kills bacteria in the mouth and is good for teeth and gums.

Edible Plant Guide © 2012 Markus Rothkranz