The distinctive aroma is due to carvone which comprises 40-80% of the extracts of this herb. Other active compounds include caffeic acids such as rosmaric acid, flavonoids including thymonin, and volatile oils. These molecules provide spearmint with antimicrobial and insecticide activity (72).
This herb applied topically produced a statistically significant decrease in oxidative damage and tumor promotion as it decreased thymidine uptake. It is used for mucocutaneous inflammation, arthritis, neurogenic pain, urticaria and pruritis (22).