Comparison on menthol content of cultivated Peppermint at different regions of Iran

Peppermint with scientific name of Mentha piperita from Lamiaceae family is one of the medicinal and aromatic plants that its essentiol oil uses widly in medicinal, food, cosmetic and health industrials. Peppermit cultivated by different companies or persons in different regions of Iran. This research done for identification and selection of suitable cultivation region and effect of climate on essential oil and menthol content of peppermint dry herb. At suitable time, shoots of peppermint harvested and dried, then volatile oil was extracted by steam distillation method. Volatile oil was analyzed by G.C methods for identification and determination of menthol percent. Result shown that Essential oil and menthol content varied by variation on climatic conditions.