The history of the introduction of peppermint (Mentha × piperitaL.) in Imperial Russia

Olga V Shelepova,Elena V Golosova,Ekaterina V Tkacheva,V.V Chepinoga,K.P Ma

doi:10.1051/bioconf/20213800115

Olga V Shelepova, Elena V Golosova + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1051/bioconf/20213800115

Copy DOI

Abstract

Peppermint (Mentha × piperitaL.) has been and remains one of the most widely used herbs for medicinal purposes since its discovery. It is used in cosmetics, personal care products, food and pharmaceutical products both because of its taste and aromatic properties. In addition, mint is used for non-medical purposes, which makes its cultivation economically feasible. Information about the introduction of peppermint in Russia since the beginning of the XVIII century is scattered and / or incomplete. The purpose of this work is to provide an extensive descriptive overview of the introduction to the cultures of this species in imperial Russia (from the beginning of the XVIII century to the October Revolution). Archival and historical documents on the cultivation of medicinal herbs and the development of peppermint culture in Imperial Russia, virtual herbariums of the V.L. Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University were studied.

Highlights

Representatives of the Mentha genus (Lamiaceae family) have long been used by mankind in folk medicine and cooking [1, 2]
The first attempt at a botanical classification of the mint plant was undertaken by Pedanius Dioscorides (c. 40–90), a famous Greek physician and herbalist, whose teachings were considered classical from ancient times until the Renaissance [3]
Most peppermints have been known to mankind since ancient times, the first description of peppermint was made in 1696 by the English botanist John Ray (1627-1705) and published in the second edition of his Synopsis Methodica Stirpium Britannicarum [8]

Summary

Introduction

Representatives of the Mentha genus (Lamiaceae family) have long been used by mankind in folk medicine and cooking [1, 2]. The first attempt at a botanical classification of the mint plant was undertaken by Pedanius Dioscorides The classification of mint was carried out several centuries later by Karl Nilsson Linnaeus (1707–1778) in his work "Plant Species", published in 1753 [4]. In the 20–21 centuries, the classification of the genus was improved on the basis of genetic relationships between species [5]. From the point of view of pharmacognosy, the therapeutic value of mint lies in the aerial parts of the plant, which can be dried and ground into powder or used fresh, as well as used to obtain essential oil [2]. The genus name Mentha was probably coined by the Greek philosopher Theophrastus (371–287 BC), who described several plant species from a botanical and agricultural point. The purpose of this work was to make an extensive overview of the introduction and development of the culture of growing peppermint in imperial Russia (from the beginning of the 18th century to the October Revolution)

Materials and Methods

Results and Discussion

35. Moscow Digital Herbarium