The Antibacterial Activity of Mentha

Abstract

The topic of this chapter is the antibacterial activity of Mentha against several pathogenic bacteria. Some aromatic plants are recently being studied for their anti-bacterial properties, such as citrus essential oils, Armoracia rusticana, etc., showing inhibition against bacteria, fungi and yeasts. This chapter highlights the antibacte-rial characteristics of Mentha piperita (peppermint) and other Mentha sp. that are used daily as folk remedies and in food industry too. Mentha acts as counterirritant and analgesic with the ability to reduce pain and improve blood flow to the affected area. For these reasons, mint essential oils are well studied due to their antibacterial activities against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive ones and can be useful as a substitute to some antibiotics and combat the antimicrobial bacterial resistance.