Peppermint’s Phony Pharaonic Past

Abstract

On the internet and in medical, pharmaceutical, and scientific papers and books, there are numerous references that state that peppermint (Mentha × piperita L.) was found in the Egyptian pyramids from 1000 BCE and that peppermint was prescribed as a curative measure in the Ebers Papyrus. This article sets out to disprove the connection between peppermint and ancient Egypt as it was neither found in any Egyptian pyramid or tomb, nor was it prescribed in the Ebers Papyrus or other Egyptian medical texts. We demonstrate that these false connections came about because late 19th century Egyptologists and botanists misidentified plant remains from an Egyptian tomb as peppermint or mistranslated certain words from medical papyri as peppermint.