There are a number of mint varieties, such as: peppermint, spearmint, lemon mint, apple mint and even chocolate mint. Each one is named for its distinctive smell. Mints like moist, rich soils and are cultivated indoors and out all over the world. The plants are perennial, and have pink cone-shaped flowers. The active component in all mints is menthol, which is often used in aromatherapy to combat headaches and fatigue. Spearmint is a little milder than peppermint when used this way. As an herbal tea, mint is well known to ease an upset or nauseous stomach.
Using in rituals
As mentioned above, there are many different varieties of mint, and they also have unique magickal properties. I think the two most common ones are spearmint and peppermint. Because they are so similar, much of the information available is mixed between the two and can be difficult to get a solid idea of which correspondences go with which variety.
Magickally, mint is used for healing and protection. Travel spells often include mint as well. Its association with Venus makes mint a traditional aphrodesiac, and I have always had success using mint in prosperity magick.
The name Mentha comes from the Greek nymph of the same name. Mentha was pursued by the God of the Underworld, Pluto. But his wife, Persephone was jealous of her. She turned Mentha into a plant so that she could stomp on her. Pluto could not undo the magick, but instead gave Mentha a lovely scent.
Planet: Venus
Element: Water (spearmint) and Air (peppermint)
Deities: Hecate
