Background: Mentha arvensis L., also known as Mentha arvensis L. var. javanica (Blume) Hook. f, is a commonly
used culinary plant in Vietnam, yet the scientific exploration of its biological activities remains relatively uncharted. This study seeks to address this gap by systematically examining the morphology of the plant. It then
meticulously investigates optimal parameters for the distillation process, examining the chemical compositions,
and evaluating the potential biological activities of the extracted essential oil from this particular plant.
Methods: In this study, the anatomy of the plant was first examined by alum-green iodine staining method,
followed by the extraction of essential oils by steam distillation. The subsequent phase involved the determination of chemical compositions by Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC–MS), free radical resistance by
1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) choice and antibacterial by paper plate method.
Significant findings: The GC–MS results revealed the predominant chemical components in the essential oil, with
limonene constituting the highest proportion at 74.16 %. Other notable constituents included carvotanacetone
(6.79 %), β-pinene (1.13 %), isocaryophillene (0.26 %), and menthol (0.17 %). In term of antimicrobial activity,
the essential oil exhibited varying degrees of inhibition against different microorganisms. The strongest inhibitory effect was observed against Aspergillus niger (40.0 mm ± 0.3), followed by Listeria innocua (12.0 mm ± 0.1),
Escherichia coli (11.0 mm ± 0.2), Enterococcus faecalis (11.0 mm ± 0.1), Bacillus cereus (11.0 ± 0.1), Staphylococcus aureus (9.0 mm ± 0.2), Bacillus subtilis (9.0 mm ± 0.3). The weakest resistance was observed against
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (6.0 mm ± 0.0). Additionally, the essential oil displayed a promising level of antioxidant
activity, as indicated by its IC50 = 244.3 ± 0.32 µg/mL in the free radical scavenging assay. These findings hold
significant promise for potential applications of the Mentha tree, particularly in limonene extraction, cosmetics,
and pharmaceuticals.