The pure oil itself, as well as extracts of the oil, are widely used as food flavorings. Most of us have encountered the cool, refreshing aroma and flavor of peppermint essential oil in chewing gum, candy, breath mints, toothpaste and mouthwash. Peppermint belongs to the labiatae family of plants, along with other well-known herbs like lavender and rosemary. Although up to 600 kinds of mints have been classified, most are probably variants and hybrids of around 25 well-defined species.
Mint plants are popular as ornamentals, often cultivated as fragrant herb garden plants.
They tend to spread rapidly via underground stems to the point that some gardeners considers them invasive weeds.