Podina (Mentha arvensis): Transformation from Food Additive to Multifunctional Medicine
Mohd Nauman Saleem1, Mohammad Idris2
Citation :Mohd Nauman Saleem, Mohammad Idris, Podina (Mentha arvensis): Transformation from Food Additive to Multifunctional Medicine ARC Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 2016,2(2) : 6-15
The use of herbal drugs is as old as human beings. Podina or Mentha arvensis Linn (MA) belonging to the family Lamiaceae is a common edible and aromatic perennial herb which is cultivated throughout India. It is widely used in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and flavoring industries. Unani physicians had described a number of types of Podina. They extensively used it for various human ailments as is evident from ancient Unani classical literature. In recent times a lot of scientific studies have been performed on MA namely phytochemical, physicochemical, pharmacological and clinical studies. In this review, an effort has been made to provide information on medicinal properties of MA mentioned in Unani classical literature as well as those which have been validated in the light of recent scientific studies and supports the potential of MA as a promising health promoting herbal plant. Hence, more researches can be done to exploit the unexplored potentials of MA which have already been mentioned in Unani classical literature