Korean Mint Essay

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Introduction: Agastache rugosa is native to Korea, China, and Japan, and has been used as a culinary herb and medical remedies for generations. Most know it by its common name, the Korean mint. Korean mint is not your typical mint and is mostly propagated and harvested in Korea and China. In Korea, it is called 방아잎 (bangannip). While in China it is called Huo Xiang. This wonderfully stunning beauty is a non-invasive mint with intensely vivid purple flowers that borne atop 5’ tall anise-scented plants, the blue flowering clusters are held in dense, short spikes on multi-branching stems, 3’ to 4’ tall, best in mid summer and have an amazing licorice flavor (Weyerstahl, Marschall, Manteuffel, & Huneck 1992). This is a perennial herb that has many cultivated applications; it is great for teas, used in foods, cosmetics, many medical uses (volatile oils), and specific stews such as Bosintang, Chu-eo-tang. This fully hardy perennial herbaceous plant will flower for most of its growing season. The Korean mint is a long-lived deciduous perennial that is winter hardy down to at least to 20 degrees Fahrenheit. This plant grows well in semi-shade and direct sun, and prefers medium levels of water. The flowers are papilionaceous shaped, which is a flower that consists of a large upper petal, called the standard or vexillum, two lateral petals called alæ or wings, and two intermediate petals forming a carina or keel (Pool 1999). High drought tolerance is also an advantage this plant has developed. Autumn and summer is when the blooms look the most developed and colorful. This is also great for attracting pollinators such as butterflies to your yard. This plant is commonly cultivated in backyard herb gardens. It is hardy, easy to grow, and bears attractive flowers. It is the young leaves that are the most commonly used part of the plant because they are edible and have a

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