MINT

in botany, any fragrant, strong-scented herb of the Mentha genus, comprising about 25 species of perennial herbs, and certain related genera of the mint family (Lamiaceae, or Labiatae) and including peppermint, spearmint, oregano, marjoram, rosemary, and thyme (qq.v.). Native to Europe, Asia, and Australia, mints are naturalized in North America and are widely distributed throughout the temperate and subtropical areas of the world but principally in the temperate regions of the Old World. Many are used as flavourings for foods, but, in cookery, the term mint usually refers to peppermint or spearmint. True mints belong to the Mentha genus. They have square stems, opposite, aromatic leaves, and small flowers usually of a pale purple, pink, or white colour arranged in clusters, either forming separate whorls or crowded together in a terminal spike. All Mentha abound in volatile oil, contained in resinous dots in the leaves and stems. Oils of mints are used as scents in perfumery and as flavouring in candy, liqueur, gum, dentifrices, and medicines. The mint of the Bible is presumed to be Mentha longifolia because it is extensively cultivated in the Middle East; it was one of the bitter herbs with which the paschal lamb was eaten. This plant has hairy leaves with silky undersides and dense flower spikes. The water mint, Mentha aquatica, grows in ditches and has rounded flower spikes and stalked, hairy leaves. Pennyroyal, Mentha pulegium, has small oval, obtuse leaves and flowers in axillary whorls and is remarkable for its creeping habit and pungent odour. It has been used in folk medicine to induce perspiration and menstruation. Other members of the family Lamiaceae are also called mints: Monarda, the bergamots, are called horsemint; Pycnanthemum is called mountain mint; Nepeta cataria is called catnip, or catmint; Cunila origanoides is called stonemint, or Maryland dittany; Prostanthera, tender Australian shrubs, are called mint bushes. in economics, a place where coins are made according to exact compositions, weights, dimensions, and tolerances, usually specified by law. The first state mint was probably established by the Lydians, an Anatolian people, in the 7th century BC. The Greeks of the Aegean Islands soon followed their example, and the art spread into Italy and other Mediterranean countries, as well as to Persia and India. The Romans, who probably began coining in the 4th century BC, laid the foundations of modern minting. Coining originated independently in China in the 7th century BC and spread into Japan and Korea. In medieval Europe, mints proliferated as commerce revived, and every feudal authoritykings, counts, bishops, and free citiesexercised the mint privilege; there were more than 50 mints in 13th-century France alone. The result was a wide variation in coinage that often handicapped commerce. In the 16th century, mints were set up by the Spaniards in South America and Mexico to coin the gold and silver mined there. Most modern countries operate only one mint. In Great Britain, however, the mint at Llantrisant, Wales, produces the vast bulk of coinage, while the London mint at Tower Hill is largely an administrative centre. These mints are under the direction of the Royal Mint, a government agency that reports to a minister in the Treasury. There have been eight coinage mints in operation at various times in the United States. Of these, only four were active in the late 20th century. The mint in Philadelphia, Pa., was founded in 1792 and still produces the majority of the coins used in daily circulation in the United States. The mint in Denver, Colo., founded in 1906, also produces general coinage. The mint in San Francisco, Calif., founded in 1854, discontinued making general coinage in 1955; but it was reestablished in 1965 to make proof sets of coins for collectors. The mint at West Point, N.Y., is now used primarily for gold minting. These mints are under the direction of the U.S. Mint, which is a branch of the Department of the Treasury. Countries in which the demand for coins is not sufficient to make a national mint economically feasible have their coins struck in foreign mints. The British mint has struck coins for other countries since the 16th century. Many mints perform functions other than minting, notably refining precious metals and manufacturing medals and seals. For treatment of the technology of minting coins, see coin: Techniques of production.