Mentha spicata

Pudina or Mint is a herb widely cultivated the world over. Mention of mint dates back to at least the 1st century AD. Findings of early versions of toothpaste using mint in the 14th century suggest widespread domestication by that time. It is widely known to be good for the stomach. It is actually native to Europe to the Himalayas to China. In India it is widely used in cooking, garnishing and in drinks. It is an erect herb, 1-2 ft tall, usually less, purplish, hairless. Leaves are stalkless or almost so, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 2-3 × 1.2-2 cm, papery, base rounded to shallow heart-shaped, surface crinkled, margin toothed, tip pointed. Flowers are borne in spikes at the end of branches, 2.5-3 cm long, about 1 cm wide, continuous or interrupted at base. Flowers are purplish, about 3.5 mm, hairless, tube about 2 mm, petals nearly equal, tip notched. Sepal cup is bell-shaped, about 1.5 mm, nearly hairless, glandular, obscurely 5-veined; minute teeth triangular-lanceolate.