One drop of peppermint essential oil contains as many healthy substances as 28 cups of peppermint tea. Peppermint oil is a concentrate that has medicinal properties. In addition, one drop of peppermint oil is a fresh addition to a jug of drinking water or a pot of tea. You can also inhale peppermint oil. That’s good for the lungs. People with asthma benefit from it. NB! This article is written from the personal view of the author and may contain information that is not scientifically substantiated and/or in line with the general view.
Bottle of peppermint oil / Source: Itineranttrader, Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Contents:
- Use in history
- Ingredients essential peppermint oil
- Contraindications peppermint oil
- Peppermint oil for headaches
- Dyspepsia and peppermint oil
- Peppermint oil for irritable bowel syndrome
- The Latin name of the most commonly used peppermint variety is Mentha Piperita.
- Peppermint oil improves oxygen absorption
- Good for asthma patients
- Peppermint oil makes you feel less tired
Use in history
Peppermint essential oil is extracted from the leaves of peppermint. Peppermint is a centuries-old medicine. It was used, among other things, in ancient Greece. Mint is also a widely used remedy in Ayurveda, traditional Indian medicine and Chinese traditional medicine. It is especially good for digestion and the lungs. It is also used for irritable bowel syndrome, headache, dyspepsia, in toothpaste, as a mouthwash and for breathing difficulties.
Ingredients essential peppermint oil
In addition to menthol and menthone, peppermint oil contains rosmarinic acid several flavonoids such as eriocitrin, luteolin and hesperidin. In general, it has been established that peppermint leaves in themselves contain medicinal properties. They have an antibacterial, antiviral, and antioxidant effect and in laboratory settings it has been seen that substances in peppermint leaf have an anticancer effect. In addition, it works as an anti-allergen; that is, peppermint leaf counteracts allergic reactions. The essential oil of peppermint generally has an even stronger medicinal effect. This essential oil can fight all kinds of diseases even more strongly than leaf tea.
Contraindications peppermint oil
First of all, it is important to know that you cannot use too much peppermint oil. Because this essential oil promotes menstruation, it is not recommended for pregnant women. Peppermint oil is too concentrated for children. It can lead to kidney problems. This is in contrast to peppermint tea. That is safe for pregnant women and children.
28 cups of tea contain the same substances as 1 drop of peppermint essential oil. / Source: Hannes Grobe, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-3.0)
Peppermint oil for headaches
Two clinical studies examined the effectiveness of peppermint essential oil against headaches. It turned out that peppermint oil is just as effective as the synthetic acetaminophen. The headache disappears after applying a 10% dilution of peppermint oil to the area where the headache occurs.
Dyspepsia and peppermint oil
Dyspepsia is a condition whose symptoms include bloating, overfullness and intestinal colic. This condition can be counteracted with peppermint tea or with water or tea to which peppermint oil has been added. A drop in a liter of water or a liter of tea is enough, although some people put a drop in a glass. For most people, a drop of peppermint oil in a glass of water is far too strong.
Peppermint oil for irritable bowel syndrome
German scientific research from 2005 shows that peppermint oil works against irritable bowel syndrome. The German researchers compared 16 clinical studies in which a total of 651 people had participated. It turns out that 58% of patients responded well to peppermint oil while the placebo had a success rate of 29%. In some patients, peppermint oil has the side effect of causing heartburn or a burning sensation around the anus. The side effects of regular medications include dry mouth and blurred vision. According to the researchers, peppermint oil works better than the medications prescribed by conventional medicine, so peppermint oil should be considered as the first choice of medication when treating people with irritable bowel syndrome.
A similar study was conducted in Canada in 2014. In this study, the scientists conclude that peppermint oil is safe for people with irritable bowel syndrome, even if they are taking antidepressants or antispasmodic medications. Research from Bangladesh completed in 2013 shows that peppermint essential oil effectively combats diarrhea in irritable bowel patients. Canadian research from 2008 shows that peppermint oil, fiber and anti-colic medications all help with irritable bowel syndrome.
The Latin name of the most commonly used peppermint variety is Mentha Piperita.
Peppermint oil improves oxygen absorption
Peppermint oil is often used by athletes who want to improve their performance. Scientific research shows that this oil indeed provides all kinds of conditions that benefit the athlete. Inhaling peppermint oil improves lung capacity. This allows more oxygen to be absorbed and released into the blood. This allows an athlete to perform better. Nasal breathing in particular improves because the airways in the nose become more open. This makes peppermint oil also a solution for people with asthma. However, not all studies show that peppermint oil has an effect on lung capacity.
Good for asthma patients
People with mild chronic asthma may benefit from inhaling peppermint oil. It appears that if asthma patients receive 10 mg of peppermint oil twice a day through a nebulizer, they are less likely to resort to regular asthma medications and they experience less wheezing. By the way, this information dates from 1995 and it is high time that new scientific research takes place into the positive effects of peppermint oil for asthma patients.
A researcher from England saw in 1997 that peppermint essential oil can effectively combat nausea after surgery.
Peppermint oil makes you feel less tired
In a study in which athletes drank half a liter of water with the addition of 0.05% peppermint oil for 10 days, it appeared that the athletes became tired less quickly after this supplementation. The researchers saw that the effectiveness of the
Beginning mint plantation / Source: Pranay nayak, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA-3.0)
breathing improved and the heart rate decreased during exertion. Another phenomenon is that athletes experience less muscle pain when they use peppermint oil. According to researchers, this is mainly due to changes in the lactic acid level in the blood. In addition, the researchers found indications that peppermint oil changes the energy metabolism of a body cell. The research into the effects of peppermint oil on athletes was done by Iranian researchers in 2013. The researchers conclude their large-scale meta-study with the following words: Our results strongly support the effectiveness of peppermint essential oil on exercise capacity, respiratory function, systolic blood pressure and the heartbeat.
