Allured Books

The actual date in which peppermint was introduced into the United States is unknown; however, commercial cultivation of peppermint and subsequent peppermint oil production had commenced by the 1790s. Once a market for peppermint oil had been established, peppermint cultivation and oil production started to grow and by the mid-1800s American peppermint oil had become big business. It had not only achieved national attention but an international market was in its infancy.

Peppermint Oil covers the history of peppermint, including cultivation and production in each region of the United States, as well as production in specific countries and the composition of peppermint in various regions. A list of worldwide peppermint oil suppliers is also included.

Corrections to Supplier Index

• About the Author
• Introduction
• Part One. Peppermint in the United States
  • Cultivation and Oil Production
    • Midwest
    • Oregon
    • Willamette Valley
    • Madras Region
    • La Grande (Oregon)
    • Eastern Oregon/Western Idaho Washington
    • Montana
    • Northern California
    • Nevada
  • Oil Composition
    • Chirality
• Part Two. Other Peppermint Oil Producing Countries
  • Argentina
  • Australia
  • Brazil
  • Bulgaria
  • Canada
  • England
  • France
  • Hungary
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Morocco
  • New Zealand
  • Poland
  • Romania
  • Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the former Soviet Union
  • Serbia and the former Yugoslavia
  • South Africa
  • Spain
  • Other Countries
• Appendix
• Worldwide Peppermint Oil Suppliers
• Index

Brian M. Lawrence, PhD, was born in London in 1939. He began his academic career in 1960 after winning a Fulbright Scholarship to study chemistry in the United States. Following this, he relocated to Toronto to do basic research on spices and herbs at Stange Canada Ltd. In 1978 he earned a doctorate in pharmacognosy at the State University in Groningen, Netherlands.

After completion of his academia, he returned to the United States to work for various divisions of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. In 1979, he assumed the position of Director of Research and Development for the Avoca Division. In 1984, he became Manager of the Flavor Division for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, and held the position for six years. The culmination of his career came in 2000 when he was promoted to Senior Principal Scientist/Manager for the Flavor Division within the same company. Following his retirement in 2003, he established a consultancy business that is still in operation today.

Lawrence has published more than 80 original articles and reports. Since 1976, he has held the position of scientific editor of Perfumer & Flavorist magazine, for which he has written more than 200 reviews for the "Progress in Essential Oils" section. Additionally, he has published ten books and eighteen book chapters on essential oils. He acted as senior editor for the proceedings of the 10th International Congress of Essential Oils, Flavors and Fragrances. In 1989, Lawrence and Stanley Allured created the Journal of Essential Oil Research, an international peer reviewed journal published by Allured Business Media. He also edited the book Mint: The Genus Mentha, 2007.

In 1984, Lawrence was the first recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal of IFEAT. He also received the Medal of Honor from the University of Messina for his studies on essential oils in 2004.