Minthostachys mollis
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID643fe38737b54915231271 |
| Scientific name | Minthostachys mollis |
| Authority | (Kunth) Griseb. |
| First published in | Abh. Königl. Ges. Wiss. Göttingen 19: 235 (1874) |
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!Common products:
The principal commercial product is essential oil obtained from the aerial parts. A food-grade oleoresin (ethanol extract) is produced in Peru for flavoring applications. Natural pesticide formulations based on the essential oil or extract are used for post-harvest protection and stored-product management.
Industrial and craft applications:
Essential oil and oleoresin serve as the active aromatic components in insect-repellent and insecticidal products targeting stored-product pests (e.g., Sitophilus spp., Tribolium castaneum) and agricultural applications, typically in micro-encapsulated or emulsion forms.
Food and beverages (non-medicinal):
Leaves, whole aerial parts, and derived essential oil/oleoresin are used as flavoring ingredients in processed foods, seasonings, confections, and beverages. Typical roles include minty top notes, spice aromatics, and masking of off-flavors in meat and cereal-based products. Historical commercial use includes standardized extracts for ice cream and other dairy analogues.
Colorants and tanning:
No documented uses.
Wood and fiber:
No documented uses.
Fragrance and cosmetics:
The essential oil is used as a fragrance raw material, particularly in fine fragrance and toiletries, to impart cooling, minty, and herbaceous notes. Inclusion levels are often limited due to pulegone and menthone content; global fragrance regulatory databases include muña oil (M. mollis) with applicable restrictions on use levels for leave-on and rinse-off applications.
Properties relevant to use:
Essential oils are dominated by pulegone and menthone, typically accounting for 40–80% of the oil and imparting strong minty-cool and herbaceous characters. The high oxygenated monoterpene fraction supports insect-repellent/insecticidal activity demonstrated against stored-product and agricultural pests, and the sharp, cooling sensory profile makes the oil suitable as a fragrance and flavor carrier. Extracts are rich in phenolics contributing to antioxidant and sensory attributes relevant to food applications.
Sustainability and sourcing:
Commercial supply is wild-harvested from Andean ecosystems across Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. The increasing demand for muña oil and oleoresin has raised concerns about overharvesting and habitat pressure. Certified organic supply chains and cultivation initiatives exist, but remain limited; the development of agronomic protocols and certification is under ongoing efforts to improve supply reliability and environmental management.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Mentha mollis | (Kunth) Benth. | Labiat. Gen. Spec. : 182 (1833) |
| Bystropogon mollis | Kunth | Nov. Gen. Sp. 2: 317 (1818) |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| Spanish | bystropogon canus |
| Spanish | bystropogon mandonianus |
| Spanish | bystropogon pavonianus |
| Spanish | bystropogon reticulatus |
| Spanish | bystropogon confertus |
| Spanish | bystropogon tomentosus |
| Spanish | muña |
| Spanish | bystropogon mollis |
| Spanish | mentha mollis |
| Persian | مینتستاچیس مولیس |
| Chinese | 软薄荷穗 |
| Chinese | 穆纳叶 |
| Chinese | 穆納葉 |
Varieties (abbr. var.) Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Minthostachys mollis var. hybrida | Schmidt-Leb. | Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 98: 63 (2008) |
| Minthostachys mollis var. mandoniana | (Briq.) Schmidt-Leb. | Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 98: 64 (2008) |
| Minthostachys mollis var. mollis | Unknown |
Germination/Propagation Top
Suggest a correction or add new data!
No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
-
Southern America click to expand
-
Northern South America
- Venezuela
-
Western South America
- Bolivia
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Peru
-
Northern South America
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000244767 |
| Tropicos | 17605024 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:451957-1 |
| The Plant List | kew-128636 |
| Open Tree Of Life | 304976 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 260606 |
| IPNI | 451957-1 |
| iNaturalist | 704436 |
| GBIF | 7306778 |
| Freebase | /m/03c2nlv |
| EPPO | MINMO |
| EOL | 5379071 |
| USDA GRIN | 403480 |
| Wikipedia | Minthostachys_mollis |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
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Phytochemical Profile Top
Add a new one!
Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
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| Name | PubChem ID | Canonical SMILES | MW | Found in | Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Monoterpenoids / Acyclic monoterpenoids | |||||
| beta-OCIMENE, (3E)- | 5281553 | Click to see | 136.23 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02901380 |
| beta-Ocimene, (3Z)- | 5320250 | Click to see | 136.23 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02901380 |
| Myrcene | 31253 | Click to see | 136.23 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02901380 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Monoterpenoids / Bicyclic monoterpenoids | |||||
| (+-)-alpha-Pinene | 6654 | Click to see | 136.23 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02901380 |
| Beta-Pinene | 14896 | Click to see | 136.23 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02901380 |
| Sabinene | 18818 | Click to see | 136.23 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02901380 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Monoterpenoids / Menthane monoterpenoids | |||||
| (+-)-Piperitone | 6987 | Click to see | 152.23 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02901380 |
| (+)-Menthyl acetate | 62335 | Click to see | 198.30 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02901380 |
| (+)-Neomenthol | 439263 | Click to see | 156.26 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02901380 |
| 2-[5-Methyl-2-(propan-2-yl)cyclohexyl]acetic acid | 19913496 | Click to see CC1CCC(C(C1)CC(=O)O)C(C)C | 198.30 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02901380 |
| Isomenthone, (+-)- | 6432469 | Click to see | 154.25 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02901380 |
| Limonene, (-)- | 439250 | Click to see | 136.23 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02901380 |
| Limonene, (+/-)- | 22311 | Click to see CC1=CCC(CC1)C(=C)C | 136.23 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02901380 |
| Menthol | 1254 | Click to see | 156.26 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02901380 |
| Menthone | 26447 | Click to see | 154.25 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02901380 |
| Menthyl acetate | 27867 | Click to see | 198.30 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02901380 |
| Neoisomenthol | 19244 | Click to see | 156.26 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02901380 |
| Npc168552 | 19243 | Click to see | 156.26 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02901380 |
| p-Menthan-3-one | 6986 | Click to see | 154.25 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02901380 |
| Pulegone | 442495 | Click to see CC1CCC(=C(C)C)C(=O)C1 | 152.23 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02901380 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Sesquiterpenoids | |||||
| Caryophyllene | 5281515 | Click to see CC1=CCCC(=C)C2CC(C2CC1)(C)C | 204.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02901380 |
| Humulene | 5281520 | Click to see | 204.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02901380 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Steroids and steroid derivatives / Estrane steroids / Estrogens and derivatives | |||||
| Ethinylestradiol | 5991 | Click to see | 296.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02901380 |
Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |