Unless your name is Rip Van Winkle, you have no doubt heard of ‘magic mushrooms’ … the fungus that has a way of changing how we see the world. You may, however, be less familiar with what I will refer to as ‘magical mints.’ Lamiaceae, the botanical name for mints and related plants, is a large family with about 7,000 species, grouped into 236 genera — meaning that this family constitutes roughly one and a half percent of all living land plants. And yes, I describe them as ‘magical mints’ because, like psilocybe mushrooms, a number of species in this family are psychoactive.
Before discussing those that affect the human psyche, we might take a moment to appreciate all of the bounty offered to us by mints and related plants. Taxonomists are still sorting out the number of true species in the Mentha genus, but it appears to be somewhere between 25 and 30. They can be found in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and North America and, because the various species readily cross with one another, numeous hybrids have been developed or have emerged spontaneously in nature.
If there is one thing that people immediately think of when they hear the word mint, it is probably the strong, refreshing smell and the sharp, sweet taste that we associate with popular varieties such as spearmint (Mentha spicata) or peppermint (a hybrid). Others boast fragrances and taste sensations that evoke or…
