Abstract

Silvia Cristina Cerini Trevisan, Aline Pereira Paes Menezes, Sandra Maria Barbalho*, Élen Landgraf Guiguer

ABSTRACT

Among several plants, Mentha piperita is one of the herbs most widely used worldwide, with a long history of safe use in medicinal preparations. Its leaf is used as a remedy for common cold, inflammation of the mouth, pharynx, liver, as well as disorders in the gastrointestinal tract such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, flatulence and dyspepsia. This plant possess polyphenols that are highly effective antioxidants and are less toxic than the synthetic ones. This property makes it of great interest to the Food Industry, since the phenolic compounds retard the oxidative degradation of lipids improving the quality and nutritional value of food. The aim of this review is to show that several studies have demonstrated the presence of many different chemical compounds in Mentha piperita and their pharmacological effects. This plant has demonstrated the presence of a wide variety of bioactive compounds that represent a rich resource in phytochemicals of great interest to treat several pathologies. Some of the benefic biological effects show that this plant may play an important role as anti-oxidant, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-carcinogenic, antiviral, anti-allergic and antitumorigenic, indicating its utility in the prevention or treatment of several diseases. Furthermore, we may say that Mentha piperita is a promising plant that may offer low-cost alternative strategy for the use in Medicine and in food industry.