An Overview of Insecticidal Properties of Mentha longifolia L. in Iran

Introduction: The excessive and repetitive application of chemical insecticides has been associated with environmental and health issues. Nowadays, the use of medicinal and aromatic plants, as natural resources of each country, has been developed significantly in herbal medicine. Many studies have been carried out towards the application of essential oils. Among the medicinal plants, Mentha longifolia belongs to the family Lamiaceae, is one of the most common herb which grows wildly in wet plains like riversides and even in the water. Various therapeutic effects and biological activities have been reported for some species of Mentha such as antibacterial, antifungal and insecticidal. The oils of M. longifolia consist of chemical mixtures involving pulegone, alpha terpineol, menthone, menthofuran, 1, 8 cineol, cis iso pulegone, cineol, piperitenone, piperitenone oxide, cis piperitenone epoxid, eucalyptole, and thymol. Herein, we review insecticidal efficacy of Mentha in Iran. Methods: The selection of studies referenced in this review was based on searches in Pubmed, Medline, Magiran, SID, Google Scholar and Civilica databases, from 2007 to 2018. Results: After the initial search, a total of 47 articles were found. Which led to the selection of 9 studies by employing the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Based on the results, LC50 is relatively low in comparison with other plants, indicating a higher toxicity for insects, and a 96.6% insect mortality rate for Mentha longifolia. Conclusions: Nevertheless, further studies on application of Mentha longifolia to control of grain pests and vectors are still needed.