Mint belongs to the family Lamiaceae, Subfamil Nepetoideae, Tribe Mentheae, genius Mentha and species Mentha spicata L. English name is Mint. The aromatic plant gets its name from the Greek mythological figure, Minthe, a nymph who is believed to have transformed into the fragrant plant after an affair with the god of the underworld, Pluto. The word "mint" descends from the Latin word mentha or menta, which is rooted in the Greek words mintha, minthē or mintē meaning "spearmint". The plant was personified in Greek mythology as Minthe, a nymph who was beloved by Hades and was transformed into a mint plant by either Persephone or Demeter. This, in turn, ultimately derived from a proto-Indo-European root that is also the origin of the Sanskrit -mantha, mathana (premna serratifolia). References to "mint leaves", without a qualifier like "peppermint" or "apple mint", generally refer to spearmint leaves. In Spain and Central and South America, mint is known as menta. In Lusophone countries, especially in Portugal, mint species are popularly known as hortelã. In many Indo-Aryan languages, it is called pudīna. The taxonomic family Lamiaceae is known as the mint family. It includes many other aromatic herbs, including most of the more common cooking herbs, such as basil, rosemary, sage, oregano, and catnip. As an English colloquial term, any small mint-flavored confectionery item can be called a mint. In common usage, other plants with fragrant leaves may be called "mint", although they are not in the mint family. ndian names of Mint are Pudina Patta (Hindi), Puthina/Pudhinaa (Tamil), Pudina (Telugu), Pudina (Kannada), Pudina (Marathi), Hara Pudina (Punjabi), Fudino/ Phodina (Gujarati), Putiyina/Pudhinaa (Malayalam), Pudyanu (Kashmiri), Pudina (Bengali), Pudina (Punjabi), Pudina (Urdu), Pudina, Putiha (Sanskrit). Mentha is an industrial crop that is widely cultivated for its essential oil, the major constituent of which is l-menthol, a monocyclic monoterpenic alcohol. The essential oil, menthol and other chemical constituents of Mentha are used for a variety of purposes in the food, perfumery and pharmaceutical industries. Japan started commercial production of mint around 1870 AD. During that time, the product was called Japanese mint and Japan was the only commercial producer. After the Second World War, Brazil started producing mint commercially as it was found in the country’s forests. Later on, the production of mint spread to other South American countries. The cultivation of mint also began in other countries such as China and India in around 1960. Initially, India was an importer of menthol but, after the green revolution in 1986, mint took off as an agricultural commodity. Later developments and improvements have made the cultivation of mint more economical. There are several varieties of mints which include different species, hybrids and special selections that are grown all over the world. In this review article on Origin, Taxonomy, Botanical Description, Genetic Diversity, Breeding and Cultivation of Mint are discussed.
