Calamintha Essential Oil from Natural Health Crafters

Calamintha

Calamint Calamintha officinalis belongs to a genus closely related to both the Thymes and to Catnip and Ground Ivy. Originally from Great Britain and the continent it was been introduced to North America and now grows wild throughout the Eastern United States. It is an erect, bushy plant with square stems, rarely more than a foot high, bearing pairs of opposite leaves, which, like the stems, are downy with soft hairs. The flowers bloom in July and August, and are somewhat inconspicuous, drooping gracefully before expansion: the corollas are of a light purple colour. It is also known as Mill Mountain. Mountain Balm. Basil Thyme. Mountain Mint. The plant grows by waysides and in hedges, and is not uncommon, especially in dry places. It may be cultivated as a hardy perennial, propagated by seeds sown outdoors in April, by cuttings of side shoots in cold frames in spring, or by division of roots in October and April.

Calamint is similar in action to other mints, such as Spearmint and peppermint, being used primarily for mild stomach upset and flatulence. In the past, Calamint was used as a brain tonic, to cure jaundice and cholera, and to expel worms. Calamint was also used to help regulate menstrual cycles and as a mild diuretic. Today, Calamint is used mostly as a digestive aid and as an expectorant.

A poem attributed to Orpheus states that Basil Thyme (Calamint) was once a tall fruit tree, until it offended Mother Earth and was shrunk to it's present form as punishment. The name Calamint comes from the Greek name Kalaminthe which means "beautiful mint".

Calamint has a warm peppery smell, similar to peppermint. Calamint is an expectorant, anti flatulant, and when used as a medicinal tea relieves colic. Modern herbalists recommend a decoction of Calamint for inducing prespiration to break a fever. It is used as an anodyne, diuretic, odontalgic, rubefacient, and stomachic. In addition, it is used for sciatica, neuralgia, toothache, fever, jaundice, snake bite, and insect stings. Catmint is current in the British Pharmacopoeia as a specific for flatulent cholic in children and for the common cold.

Diaphoretic, expectorant, aromatic. The whole herb has a sweet, aromatic odour and an infusion of the dried leaves, collected about July, when in their best condition and dried in the same way as Catmint tops, makes a pleasant cordial tea, which was formerly much taken for weaknesses of the stomach and flatulent colic. It is useful in hysterical complaints, and a conserve made of the young fresh tops has been used, for this purpose

In a recent scientific study from Dipartimento Farmaco-Biologico, Sezione Microbiologia, Facolta di Farmacia, Universita di Messina, Italy, the following conclusions were reached.

AIMS: This study was focused on the preserving properties of Calamintha officinalis essential oil, a plant known for its diaphoretic, expectorant and aromatic properties.

METHODS AND RESULTS: The commercial aerial parts of C. officinalis Moench were hydrodistilled and the essential oil analysed by Gas chromatography/Electron impact mass spectrometry (GC/EIMS). The inhibition efficacy of this essence, alone (0.5 and 1.0% v/v) and in combination with 2.0 mM EDTA, was assayed, in culture medium and in cetomacrogol cream, using preservative efficacy testing against standard microrganisms (E. coli ATCC 25922, Ps. aeruginosa ATCC 9027, Staph. aureus ATCC 6538P, C. albicans ATCC 10231 and A. niger ATCC 16404). C. officinalis essential oil in cetomacrogol cream with EDTA showed long-lasting antimicrobial activity, satisfying the European Pharmacopoeia Commission (E. P.) criteria.

CONCLUSION: C. officinalis essential oil could have a potential for a future use as a cosmetic preservative.

IMPACT OF THE STUDY: To find natural compounds with antimicrobial activity which could be alternatives to the synthetic chemical preservatives.

And also

Methods and Results: The 1·0 and 2·0% (v/v) C. officinalis essential oil was assayed for its preservative activity in two product types (cream and shampoo). The microbial challenge test was performed following the standards proposed by the European Pharmacopoeia Commission (E.P.) concerning topical preparations using standard micro-organisms and in addition wild strains, either in single or mixed cultures were used. The results clearly demonstrated that the C. officinalis essential oil at 2·0% concentration reduced the microbial inoculum satisfying the criterion A of the E.P. in the cream formulation and the criterion B in the shampoo formulation. Standard and wild strains showed a behaviour similar, both in cream and in shampoo formulation, with no significant difference (gerarchic variance, P > 0·05).
Conclusion: C. officinalis essential oil confirmed its preservative properties but at higher concentration than that shown in previous studies on cetomacrogol cream.
Significance and Impact of the Study: The nature of the formulation in which an essential oil is incorporated as preservative could have considerable effect on its efficacy.

The LESSER CALAMINT (Calamintha nepeta) is a variety of the herb possessing almost superior virtues, with a stronger odour, resembling that of Pennyroyal, and a moderately pungent taste somewhat like Spearmint, but warmer. It is scarcely distinct from C. officinalis, and by some botanists is considered a sub-species. The leaves are more strongly toothed, and it bears its flowers on longer stalks. Both this and the Common Calamint seem to have been used indifferently in the old practice of medicine under the name of Calamint.