Plant description- Yerba Buena means "good herb" in Spanish. It is a herb of the mint family.
Additionally, it is an Aromatic, prostrate, glabrous, somewhat hairy, branching plant used
worldwide as a herbal remedy. It is reproduced using terminal cuttings and is cultivated across
the Philippines. This perennial's growth ranges between 0.6 to 1 meter. It has elongated leaves
and produces little white or purple flowers in the summer.
Distribution- On the San Francisco Peninsula, yerba buena thrived. San Franciscans introduced
the abundant herb to Spanish missionaries, who dubbed it yerba buena, or "good herb."
Cultivation became wide to some extent in all parts of the Philippines. Furthermore, it thrives
well at high elevations but rarely flowers in lowlands.
Constituents - The plant yields a volatile oil (0.22%) containing pulegone, menthol, menthene,
menthenone, and limonene. Phytochemical screening of powdered plant samples (root, stem, and
leaves) yielded alkaloids, polyphenols, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, cardiac glycosides, and
diterpenes. A study showed that the shoot leaf gave the highest oil yield, 0.62%, while the stems
had negligible yield. Menthol was the major component of all the oils. Other oils identified were:
B-caryophyllene oxide, a-phellandrene, terpinolene, limonene, menthone, and pulegone. The
study evaluated different parts of M. arvensis for volatile constituents of essential oils. Shoot leaf
yielded the highest oil (o.62%), while stems yielded negligible amounts (0.02%). Menthol was the
highest component of all oils, with the shoot stem yielding the highest percentage (78.16%) and
the stolon (runner) stem yielding the lowest (43.7%). ß-caryophyllene oxide was present in the
shoot oil of stem and leaf, while a-phellandrene and terpinolene were identified in stolon (stem
and leaf) oils.
Properties
- Carminative, stimulant, stomachic, aromatic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, sudorific,
emmenagogue.
- Oil is rubefacient and stimulant.
- Tops and leaves are carminative.
Parts used
 Leaves and stems.
Actions:
Anticargiogenic
Antidepressant / Antioxidant
Anticancer
Anti-Gastric Ulcer
Anti-Allergic / Anti-Inflammatory
Antifungal Activity
Preparations:
• Wash fresh Yerba Buena leaves in running water. Chop to size for dried leaves,
crush) and boil two teaspoons of leaves in a glass of water. Boil in medium heat for 15 to 20
minutes.
• As an analgesic, take a cupful every 3 hours.
• For toothaches, pound the fresh leaves, squeeze the juice out, apply on a cotton ball, and
then bite onto the aching tooth.
• Yerba buena leaves may be heated over a fire and placed over the forehead for
headaches.
Uses:
• Drink as a tea for general good health.
• Mouth wash
They are cultivated as a cooking spice.
They are flavors in confections, beverages, and mint-flavored foods.
Folkloric claims
Leaves are crushed to treat insect bites, fevers, toothaches, and headaches.
For dizziness, crushed fresh plants or leaves are inhaled.
Used for persistent vomiting during pregnancy
when bruised, used as an antidote for poisonous insect stings.
- Mint is utilized for neuralgic diseases, renal calculus, and vesical calculus.
- Used to treat digestive weakness and diarrhea.
- Decoction and infusion of leaves and stems are used to treat fever, abdominal pain,
dysmenorrhea, and diuresis.
Studies:
 Adsorptive removal of chromium ions from synthetic effluents by Mentha arvensis
biomass: kinetic and equilibrium modeling
 Antibacterial Activity and Mode of Action of Mentha arvensis Ethanol Extract against
Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii
 Influence of the leaf extract of Mentha arvensis Linn. (mint) on the survival of mice
exposed to different doses of gamma radiation