Horsemint (Mentha longifolia L), is wild-growing species, widespread in Eurasia and Africa. The review focuses on its potential utilization as a preservative and flavoring in the food industry based on the polyphenolic and terpenoid composition. Several phenolic antioxidants were detected in horsemint, among which rosmarinic acid may have a key role. Nineteen other acids, and fifty-five flavonoids (six which are de novo) were also identified. The antiradical efficacy in horsemint extract has not yet been adequately justified. Similarly, systematic screening of the flavonoid composition of the species is lacking. Horsemint essential oils possesses an outstandingly wide variability in composition which may serve as basis of special flavoring or antimicrobial agents. The efficacy of horsemint volatiles have been demonstrated against more than twenty microbes. As current literature of horsemint lacks comparable results, the present review provides the broadest and therefore, a critical overview, on its most important secondary compounds and the factors influencing their accumulation.

薄荷（Mentha longifoliaL）是野生生长物种，广泛分布于欧亚大陆和非洲。综述集中在其基于多酚和萜类成分的食品工业中作为防腐剂和调味剂的潜在用途。在薄荷中检测到多种酚类抗氧化剂，其中迷迭香酸可能起关键作用。还鉴定出其他19种酸和55种黄酮类化合物（其中6种是从头开始的）。在薄荷提取物中的抗自由基功效尚未得到充分证明。同样，缺乏对该种类黄酮成分的系统筛选。薄荷香精油的成分具有非常广泛的可变性，可以用作特殊调味剂或抗菌剂的基础。薄荷挥发物对二十多种微生物的功效已得到证实。