Peppermint flowers are large nectar producers and honey bees as well as other nectar harvesting organisms forage them heavily. A mild, pleasant varietal honey can be produced if there is a sufficient area of plants.
Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is a fast spreading, perennial and winter hard plant. Peppermint flowers from July till September with small violet flowers. The leaves are mint green and stand crosswise opposite each other on the stem. The leaves are elongated, oval and have saw tooth shape and a striking menthol smell.
Peppermint is a well-known example of a plant that offers numerous values to improve the quality of human life. Its medicinal uses including treating ailments of the respiratory , digestive , circulatory , integumentary, and nervous system . Human creativity has developed numerous commercial uses for peppermint, including using in tea, toothpaste, ice cream, candy, and cosmetics. In addition, peppermint offers ecological values, including providing nectar for organisms such as honeybees .
Peppermint on its own is used as a strewing herb because it is loathsome to rats and mice and repels insects, making it useful in times when hygiene was not as it is in most countries now. It is used to make medicine more palatable for children and in oral hygiene product such as mouth wash. It is also found in chest rubs, as the essential oil of peppermint contains menthol. It is used both in the pharmaceutical industry and the food industry and also in the perfume industry. The essential oil found in the leaves has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties.
