# please help



## greenboy (Sep 5, 2005)

MY brother in Law believe this plant is a kind of mint, and he is making tea out of it and drinking it. I think is not a mint plant, smell like kind of cinnamon if you ask me, my mother used the leaves when I was a child for headaches but not for tea. she will spread vicks vapor rub on your forehead and them will apply the leaves that was amazing. Please ID the plant for me please. Thanks.


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## Fennick (Apr 16, 2013)

Not easy to identify from that picture but I think it is some kind of mint. 

Mints (proper name is mentha) are members of the lamiaceae family, of which there are just under 8,000 lamiaceae species, and there are 18 specific menthas (mints) in the lamiaceae family. 

All real mints have square stems, oppositionally growing leaves, scalloped leaves and all are strongly aromatic. Many of the mints can smell and taste like other common spices or even some kinds of fruits. So it's possible your mint as pictured really does taste or smell like cinnamon to you. 

Many other plants in the lamiaceae family can look like some kind of mint but are not really mints - for example there are nettles, dead nettles, lamia, horse mint, lemon balm and bee balm are all lamiaceaes that look like mints but are not.

In your picture those deeply scalloped leaves are mint green, they grow in opposition to each other and they do look like they have other characteristics that would identify them as some kind of mint, but which one of the 18 is hard to tell. 

Look for a square stem with leaves growing opposite to each other. If it has a square stem it is certainly some kind of lamiaceae and probably one of the mints.


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## Ellendra (Jul 31, 2013)

If the stem is square, it's in the mint family. Exactly which type is hard to tell from that photo, and they cross at the drop of a hat. There are some that smell like cinnamon.

If you could verify the stem is square, then he'll be fine. If it's not, then we'll do more digging.

If it's any comfort, the leaves do not look like any of the more toxic plants I'm familiar with.


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## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

Does the plant bloom?


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## ticndig (Sep 7, 2014)

what you have is most likely Perilla mint . look it up and you'll see IF that's what you have it is very good for you . many many health benifit and used for thousands of years in Asia . IT WILL KILL cows and horses .


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