Current research on the environmental impact of Mentha spicata in the Great Lakes is inadequate to support proper assessment. While mints are sometimes classified as invasive or noxious due to their rapid spread, very little research has been done on M. spicata in terms of its negative environmental impacts. Mentha spicata may hybridize with native wildmint (M. arvensis) to form gingermint, Mentha x gracilis.
There is little or no evidence to support that Mentha spicata has significant socio-economic impacts in the Great Lakes.
This species does not appear to have significant effects on the health of native species, nor does it alter the physical components of the ecosystem in any significant ways. Mentha species, including M. spicata, are known to carry or be susceptible to more than 20 plant viruses, including viruses such as strawberry latent ringspot viris (SLRSV), alfalfa mosaic, cucumber mosaic, tobacco mosaic, and tomato spotted wilt, which are pests on other crops (Tzanetakis et al 2010), but the potential for M. spicata populations to transmit these diseases to these other susceptible crops is unknown.
Mentha spicata has a high beneficial effect in the Great Lakes.
Mentha spicata is a valuable commercial species grown as an essential oil crop in the Great Lakes region. In the United States, the cultivated area for mint is about 50,000 ha, with spearmint (M. spicata and M. gracilis) representing 20% of the production area and the crop value. Oregon and Washington are the largest producers followed by Idaho, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan (Tzanetakis et al 2010b). The USDA (2008) estimates the direct value of the spearmint oil crop at $24 million. The essential oil is used as a flavoring in gum, candy, and toothpaste and is sometimes added to shampoos and soaps (New Mexico State University). The leaves of spearmint are edible raw or cooked and most often used as a flavoring or brewed as tea.
Mentha spicata is a popular garden plant, often naturalized as a ground cover in moist informal areas such as pond/water garden margins or low open woodland areas.’ (Missouri Botanical Garden 2013). Its flowers attract many different kinds of bees and butterflies (Ohio State University 2013).
Mentha spicata has historically been used as a strewing herb. It has been shown to repel rats and mice (Plantlife.org 2013), ticks (El-Seedi 2012) and to act as a larvicide to several mosquito species (Govindarajan 2012). The essential oils are proving to be effective anti-fungal agents (Nosrati 2011, Lixandru 2010)
Mint has been used for thousands of years for anything from medicinal wraps to talismans that scare away demons (Ohio State University 2013). In traditional medicines, spearmint has been used to treat fever, headache, digestive disorders, and colic (PlantLife.org). Today, menthol (in cough drops and syrups) is among the most common medicinal uses of spearmint extracts. Recent research is exploring the potential of Mentha spicata extracts in the treatment of hirsutism (Akdogan 2007), gout (Hudaib 2011), cancer (Begnini 2012), and as an antiemetic (Tanyarani-Najaran 2013).
Spearmint (Mentha spicata) extracts contained a compound that induced co-metabolism of a PCB (Gilbert and Crowley, 1997) and the plant may be useful in remediation of PCB contaminated sites.