Peppermint is one of the oldest medicinal herbs and its main constituent, menthol, has a vasodilatory effect on skin and blood. Various combination of BAP, Kn and NAA were tried for in vitro multiplication of both nodal and shoot tip explants. MS media supplemented with NAA and Kn produced maximum number of shootlets. Roots were induced by the addition of IBA and IAA. The number of shootlets was increased manifold when the MS medium was supplemented with NAA + BAP + Kn using nodal explants.

Mentha piperata of the family lamiaceae (labiatae), commonly known as paparaminta (Sanskrit) and pudina (Hindi), is a perennial herb that grows up to one feet height and is cultivated in three major Indian states—Maharashtra, Kashmir and Punjab. The important medicinal properties of this species include spasmolytic, carminative, diaphoretic, aromatic, peripheral vasodilator with a paradoxical cooling effect, cholagogue, local antiseptic, antiparasitic, analgesic and antipruritic (Jain, 2003; Das and Kumar, 2005; Choudhury et al., 2006; and Khare, 2007).

Micropropagation is used for large-scale multiplication and preservation of important medicinal and aromatic plants. Earlier reports indicated that comparative evaluation of its active constituents from natural and in vitro propagated plant using various growth regulators has not been carried out in this species (Phatak and Heble, 2002; and Zapata and Fernández, 2011).

Hence, this study was undertaken to estimate and evaluate the active constituents in naturally propagated as well as in vitro propagated plant by various sensitive methods like Ultraviolet (UV) and High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC).

Genetics & Evolution Journal, CEL-I Endonuclease, Heterozygous Mutants, Homozygous Mutants, Biological Processes, Plant Mutants, Solanum Lycopersicon, Microcentrifuge Tubes, Homozygous Plants, Plant Genes, Cross Pollination, Heteroduplex Formation.