Minthostachys mollis
Minthostachys mollis is a medicinal plant restricted to the South American Andes from Venezuela to Bolivia. It is the most variable and widely distributed species of the genus Minthostachys. It is known by the common names muña, tipo, tipollo, or poleo.[1]
| Minthostachys mollis | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Lamiaceae |
| Genus: | Minthostachys |
| Species: | M. mollis |
| Binomial name | |
| Minthostachys mollis | |
Medicinal uses
In the indigenous medicine traditions of the Andes, the plant is made into tea and used medicinally as a carminative and aphrodisiac.
Etymology
Its common name "muña" comes from Quechua.
Chemical characteristics
The principal components of essential oil are as follows:
- pulegone
- menthone
- menthol
- (−)-β-pinene
- (−)-α-pinene
- limonene
- isomenthone
- piperic acid
- eucalyptol
- carvone
In the flowering tops 19 compounds were identified in the essential oil, predominantly 29% neomenthol, 24% menthone, 20% menthol, and 8% piperitone.[1]
References
- Alkire, Ben (1994). "Tipo, Minthostachys mollis (Lamiaceae): an Ecuadorian mint". Economic Botany. 48 (1): 60–64. doi:10.1007/BF02901380.
External links
- "Minthostachys mollis". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
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