Mint & Yerba Buena (Clinopodium douglasii & Mentha spp.)

About Mint & Yerba Buena

In the Philippines, two distinct groups of plants are called "mint" — and understanding the difference is important for both medicinal and culinary use. The first is yerba buena (Clinopodium douglasii, formerly Satureja douglasii), the native Philippine mint and one of the DOH's ten approved herbal medicines. The second group includes common mints — spearmint (Mentha spicata), peppermint (Mentha × piperita), and their many cultivars — which are popular worldwide for cooking and drinks.

Yerba buena is a small, creeping herb that hugs the ground, spreading through trailing stems that root at every node. Its small, oval, slightly serrated leaves (1 to 2 centimeters long) have a mild, pleasant minty scent — less intense than common spearmint but distinctly refreshing. It naturally grows as an understory ground cover in Philippine forests and thrives in shaded, moist environments.

Common mints, by contrast, grow upright to 30 to 60 centimeters tall with larger, more aromatic leaves and a more aggressive spreading habit via underground stolons. Spearmint adapts best to Philippine lowland conditions, while peppermint prefers the cooler elevations of Baguio, Benguet, and Tagaytay. Both types of mint are valuable additions to Philippine urban gardens — yerba buena for its proven medicinal properties and common mint for its culinary versatility.

History & Discovery

Yerba buena has been used in Philippine folk medicine for centuries, long predating Spanish colonization. Indigenous healers prescribed the leaves for headaches, body aches, and digestive complaints — uses later validated by scientific research on the plant's analgesic and anti-inflammatory compounds. The name "yerba buena" is Spanish for "good herb," adopted during the colonial period when Spanish friars documented local healing practices.

Clinopodium douglasii was taxonomically described and has undergone several reclassifications — it has been placed under Satureja, Micromeria, and most recently Clinopodium. The Department of Health included yerba buena in its list of ten recommended herbal medicines under Republic Act 8423 (Traditional and Alternative Medicine Act of 1997), officially endorsing its use for pain relief and as a carminative.

Common mints (Mentha species) arrived in the Philippines through trade and colonial-era botanical gardens. Today, spearmint and peppermint are commercially cultivated in the Cordillera highlands and in small-scale urban gardens across Metro Manila, used primarily for beverages, desserts, and garnishes.

How to Plant Mint in the Philippines

Both yerba buena and common mint are propagated almost exclusively from stem cuttings or root divisions. Seeds are unreliable, especially for yerba buena. Here is how to start growing mint in Philippine conditions:

1. Take stem cuttings. Cut 10 to 15 centimeter stems from a healthy plant, choosing green non-woody growth. Cut just below a leaf node. Remove the lower 2 to 3 pairs of leaves, keeping the top leaves intact.
2. Root in water. Place cuttings in a clean glass jar with 3 to 5 centimeters of water covering the stripped nodes. Set in bright indirect light and change water every 2 days. Roots emerge in 5 to 10 days.
3. Prepare the container or bed. Fill a pot (20 centimeters minimum diameter) with well-draining mix — equal parts garden soil, compost, and rice hull ash. For garden beds, choose a partially shaded spot. Important: mint spreads aggressively. Use containers or buried barriers to prevent it from taking over your entire garden.
4. Transplant rooted cuttings. Once roots are 3 to 5 centimeters long, plant cuttings 2 to 3 centimeters deep. Space 20 to 30 centimeters apart. Water gently. For yerba buena, lay stems along the soil surface — it naturally creeps rather than growing upright.
5. Provide shade and moisture. Keep soil consistently moist for the first two weeks. Provide 50 percent shade using a net or tree canopy. Both mint types prefer partial shade in Philippine heat.
6. First harvest. Begin picking leaves 30 to 45 days after transplanting. Harvest in the morning when essential oil concentration peaks. Regular harvesting encourages bushier growth.

Care Guide

Sunlight

Mint performs best with 4 to 6 hours of morning sunlight followed by afternoon shade. In Metro Manila, east-facing balconies and spots under mango or santol tree canopies provide ideal dappled light. Full midday sun during the dry season (March to May) causes leaf scorch, wilting, and reduced oil production. Yerba buena is naturally a shade-loving ground cover and tolerates lower light levels than common mint.

Watering

Keep soil consistently moist — water every 1 to 2 days during the dry season, or when the top centimeter of soil feels dry. Mint has shallow roots and wilts quickly in dry conditions. Unlike the succulent oregano, mint is not drought-tolerant and needs regular moisture. During the rainy season, ensure pots have adequate drainage to prevent waterlogging, which causes root rot.

Soil

Mint thrives in rich, moisture-retentive but well-draining soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0. A mix of garden soil, compost, and coco peat in a 2:1:1 ratio provides the moisture retention mint prefers while preventing waterlogging. Add a thin layer of mulch (dried leaves or rice hull) to keep roots cool and soil moist during the Philippine summer.

Humidity & Temperature

Mint prefers moderate temperatures of 20°C to 30°C. Philippine lowland temperatures above 33°C stress most mint varieties — provide shade during heat waves. Yerba buena is more heat-tolerant than common mint. High humidity (70 to 85 percent) is acceptable if air circulation is adequate. In Baguio and other highland areas, mint grows with almost no special care year-round.

Fertilizer

Apply diluted liquid organic fertilizer (fish emulsion or seaweed extract) every 2 to 3 weeks during the growing season. Compost tea is an excellent alternative. Mint is a moderate feeder — it needs consistent but not heavy fertilization. Avoid high-nitrogen synthetic fertilizers, which promote rank growth with reduced essential oil concentration and increased pest susceptibility.

Pruning

Regular harvesting is the best pruning for mint. If the plant becomes leggy or starts flowering, cut it back to 5 centimeters above soil level — it regrows rapidly. Remove flower spikes as they appear, since flowering reduces leaf quality and signals the plant to slow vegetative growth. For common mint, cut off any runners escaping from the desired growing area.

Growing Medium Options

Edible & Medicinal Uses

Mint serves dual roles in Filipino households — yerba buena as a trusted herbal remedy and common mint as a versatile culinary herb.

Medicinal Uses — Yerba Buena (DOH-Approved)

The Department of Health endorses yerba buena for the following uses:

• Pain relief (analgesic). Headache, toothache, muscle and joint pain — take as a warm decoction.
• Carminative. Relief of gas, bloating, and mild stomach cramps.
• Cough and colds. Decoction of fresh leaves for mild respiratory discomfort.
• Topical pain relief. Crushed fresh leaves rubbed on the temples for headache or applied to insect bites.

Standard DOH preparation: wash a handful of fresh yerba buena leaves (10 to 15 leaves), boil in 2 cups of water for 10 to 15 minutes, strain, and drink warm. Take up to 3 times daily.

Note: Yerba buena is a traditional herbal supplement. Consult a physician for severe or persistent pain.

Culinary Uses — Common Mint

• Refreshing drinks. Mojito, mint lemonade, and iced tea — muddled fresh leaves with calamansi and honey.
• Salads and spring rolls. Whole leaves added to Vietnamese-style fresh rolls and chopped into ensalada.
• Desserts. Garnish for halo-halo, chocolate desserts, and fruit salads.
• Sauces and condiments. Mint chutney for grilled meats; chopped into yogurt dips.
• Filipino soups. Added to some versions of sinigang and tinola for a cool, herbal finish.

Nutritional Profile

Mint leaves are exceptionally rich in iron and folate relative to their weight. The essential oils — menthol in peppermint, carvone in spearmint, and pulegone in yerba buena — provide the distinctive cooling sensation and medicinal properties.

Air Quality & Oxygen

Mint plants release pleasant volatile compounds (menthol, carvone) that naturally freshen indoor air. While not included in NASA's Clean Air Study, the aromatic oils have documented antimicrobial properties in laboratory settings — meaning a windowsill pot of mint contributes to a more pleasant and potentially healthier indoor atmosphere.

The menthol released by mint leaves may provide mild respiratory relief in enclosed spaces. Placing several pots of mint near bedroom windows or living areas creates a subtle, natural fragrance that many people find calming and conducive to restful sleep. Mint's rapid growth and dense foliage also contribute meaningfully to oxygen production in small-scale urban gardens.

Toxicity & Safety

Common Pests & Diseases in the Philippines

Mint's aromatic oils deter many pests, but Philippine growing conditions can introduce several issues:

• Spider mites. Tiny red or yellow dots on leaf undersides during hot, dry weather (March to May). Leaves develop yellow stippling. Spray with a strong water jet or apply neem oil. Increase humidity by misting or grouping plants.
• Aphids. Small green or black insects clustering on new growth and shoot tips. Spray off with water, apply diluted soap solution, or introduce ladybugs. Usually worse during the dry season.
• Rust fungus (Puccinia menthae). Orange-brown pustules on leaf undersides during humid rainy months. Remove and destroy affected leaves. Improve air circulation and avoid overhead watering. Severe rust may require cutting the entire plant back to ground level.
• Root rot. Wilting despite wet soil — caused by waterlogged conditions and poor drainage. Ensure containers have adequate drainage holes. Let the soil surface dry slightly between waterings during the rainy season.
• Leaf miners. White, winding trails visible inside leaves where larvae feed between leaf surfaces. Remove affected leaves. Damage is cosmetic in light infestations but reduces harvestable leaf area.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources & References

• Plants of the World Online — Clinopodium douglasii (Benth.) Kuntze. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. powo.science.kew.org
• Stuart, G.U. (2024). Philippine Medicinal Plants — Yerba Buena. stuartxchange.org
• Department of Health (Philippines) — Ten Recommended Herbal Plants. doh.gov.ph
• USDA FoodData Central — Spearmint, fresh. fdc.nal.usda.gov
• Republic Act 8423 — Traditional and Alternative Medicine Act of 1997. Philippine Official Gazette.
• ASPCA — Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants for Pets. aspca.org