Mentha arvensis var. javanica; Oduthalan (ඔඩුතලං)

Mint is a herbaceous perennial plant generally growing to 10–60 cm (4–24 in) and rarely up to 100 cm (40 in) tall. It has a creeping rootstock from which grow erect or semi-sprawling squarish stems. The leaves are in opposite pairs, simple, 2–6.5 cm (3⁄4–2+1⁄2 in) long and 1–2 cm (1⁄2–3⁄4 in) broad, hairy, and with a coarsely serrated margin. The flowers are pale purple (occasionally white or pink), in whorls on the stem at the bases of the leaves. Each flower is 3 to 4 mm (1⁄8 to 5⁄32 in) long and has a five-lobed hairy calyx, a four-lobed corolla with the uppermost lobe larger than the others and four stamens. The fruit is a two-chambered carpel.It grows in moist places, especially along streams.

• Uses

The leaves have been made into tea to treat colds or aid digestion.They can also be eaten raw. Chemical substances that can be extracted from wild mint include menthol, menthone, isomenthone, neomenthol, limonene, methyl acetate, piperitone, beta-caryophyllene, alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, tannins and flavonoids.Mint extracts and menthol-related chemicals are used in food, drinks, cough medicines, creams and cigarettes.Menthol is widely used in dental care, as a mouthwash potentially inhibiting streptococci and lactobacilli bacteria.

Mentha arvensis var. javanica is part of the catalog of ayurvedic medicinal plants of Sri Lanka.