The Top 15 Healing Benefits Of Peppermint, According To Scientific Research

---

---

Would it surprise you to know ancient civilizations highly prized peppermint? The Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all believed it had medicinal properties. Dried peppermint leaves have even been found in several Egyptian pyramids carbon dating back to 1,000 BC. These days, using science, we can clearly see peppermint does indeed have these healing benefits. Aromatherapeutic, internal, and topical applications have all been shown to have distinct healing abilities. Here are 15 that could make a serious impact in your life!

SEE ALSO: The Lost Years Of Christ: Did He Go To India?

Gastronomical Disorders

Most of the research on peppermint has shown peppermint to be particularly effective when treating gastrointestinal disorders. These are the 5 major ailments peppermint can help:

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Since the late 90’s it was discovered that peppermint oil capsules are safe and effective in the treatment of this increasingly prevalent disorder. This beneficial effect also extends to the pediatric community. In 2 weeks, 75% of children with IBS had a reduced severity of pain. Another trial in 2005, all adults, concluded that “Taking into account the currently available drug treatments for IBS Peppermint oil (1-2 capsules t.i.d. over 24 weeks) may be the drug of first choice in IBS patients with non-serious constipation or diarrhea to alleviate general symptoms and to improve quality of life.” In another 2007 trial 75% of patients receiving peppermint oil saw an impressive 50% reduction of “total irritable bowel syndrome score.” Recently, a study published January of this year found that peppermint oil was effective in relieving abdominal pain in diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome.
• Infantile Colic: A 2013 study found that peppermint is at least as effective as the chemical simethicone in the treatment of infantile colic.
• Gastric Emptying Disorders: Peppermint has been found to enhance gastric emptying, suggesting its potential use in a clinical setting for patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders.
• Colonic spasm: Peppermint oil has been studied as a safe and effective alternative to the drug Buscopan for its ability to reduce spasms during barium enemas.
• Functional dyspepsia: A 2000 study published in the journal Ailment Pharmacology and Therapy found that 90 mg of peppermint oil and 50 mg of caraway oil resulted in 67% of patients reporting “much or very much improved” in their symptoms of functional dyspepsia.

---

---

Tons of Other Applications

There are a plethora of other healing benefits as well! These 10 are the more well known.

• Tooth Decay/Bad Breath: In the middle ages, peppermint leaves were used to combat halitosis and whiten teeth. Peppermint oil extract has been found to be superior to the mouthwash chemical chlorhexidine when inhibiting biofilm formation associated with tooth decay.
• Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea: A 2013 study found that peppermint oil was found to be effective in reducing chemotherapy-induced nausea, and at reduced cost versus standard drug-based treatment.
• Memory problems: A 2006 study found that the simple aroma of peppermint enhances memory and increases alertness.
• Prostate Cancer: Preclinical research indicates that peppermint contains a compound known as menthol which inhibits prostate cancer growth.
• Tuberculosis: A 2009 study found that inhaled essential oil of peppermint was able to rapidly regress tuberculous inflammation, leading the authors to conclude: “This procedure may be used to prevent recurrences and exacerbation of pulmonary tuberculosis.”
• Hay Fever: A 2001 preclinical study found that extracts of the leaves of peppermint inhibit histamine release, indicating it may be clinically effective in alleviating the nasal symptoms of allergic rhinitis.
• Shingles Associated Pain: A 2002 case study found that topical peppermint oil treatment resulted in a near-immediate improvement of shingles-associated pain symptoms; the therapeutic effects persisted throughout the entire 2 months of follow-up treatment.
• Breastfeeding Associated Nipple Pain: A 2007 study found that peppermint water prevented nipple cracks and nipple pain in breastfeeding mothers.
• Radiation Damage: Preclinical research shows peppermint protects against radiation-induced DNA damage and cell death.
• Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1: Peppermint has been found to have inhibitory activity against acyclovir-resistant Herpes Simplex virus type 1.

As you can see, peppermint has some serious healing abilities! But like all healing herbs and remedies, caution must be exercised. If you’re ingesting it, make sure it’s food-grade. And remember, more is not always better. Don’t overload your system. Take it slow and gradually increase the dose based upon how you feel.

_{A. Sustrikova, I. Salamon, Essential oil of peppermint (Mentha x} piperita _{L.) from fields in Eastern Slovakia., 2004: Zahradnictvi Horticultural Science 31(1): 31-36J H Liu,} G H _{Chen, H Z Yeh, C K Huang, S K Poon. Enteric-coated peppermint-oil capsules in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: a prospective, randomized trial. J Gastroenterol. 1997 Dec;32(6):765-8. PMID: 9430014R M Kline, J J Kline, Di Palma J, G J Barbero. Enteric-coated, pH-dependent peppermint oil capsules for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome in children. J Pediatr. 2001 Jan;138(1):125-8. PMID: 11148527H G Grigoleit, P Grigoleit. Peppermint oil in irritable bowel syndrome. Phytomedicine. 2005 Aug;12(8):601-6. PMID: 16121521G Cappello, M Spezzaferro, L Grossi, L Manzoli, L Marzio. Peppermint oil (Mintoil) in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: a prospective double blind placebo-controlled randomized trial. Dig Liver Dis. 2007 Jun;39(6):530-6. Epub 2007 Apr 8. PMID: 17420159M S Alam, P K Roy,} A R _{Miah, S H Mollick, M R Khan, M C Mahmud, S Khatun. Efficacy of Peppermint Oil in Diarrhea Predominant IBS – A Double Blind Randomized Placebo – Controlled Study. Mymensingh Med J. 2013 Jan ;22(1):27-30. PMID: 23416804M J Sparks, P O’Sullivan,} A A _{Herrington, S K Morcos. Does peppermint oil relieve spasm during barium enema? Br J Radiol. 1995 Aug;68(812):841-3. PMID: 7551780T} Asao_{, H Kuwano, M Ide, I Hirayama, J-I Nakamura, K-I Fujita, R} Horiuti_{. Spasmolytic effect of peppermint oil in barium during double-contrast barium enema compared with Buscopan. Clin Radiol. 2003 Apr;58(4):301-5. PMID: 12662951Masahiko Inamori, Tomoyuki Akiyama, Keiko Akimoto, Koji Fujita, Hirokazu Takahashi, Masato Yoneda, Yasunobu Abe, Kensuke Kubota, Satoru Saito, Norio Ueno, Atsushi Nakajima.Early effects of peppermint oil on gastric emptying: a crossover study using a continuous real-time 13C breath test (BreathID system). J Gastroenterol. 2007 Jul;42(7):539-42. Epub 2007 Jul 25. PMID: 17653649B May, S Köhler, B Schneider. Efficacy and tolerability of a fixed combination of peppermint oil and caraway oil in patients suffering from functional dyspepsia.Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2000 Dec;14(12):1671-7. PMID: 11121917João Guilherme Bezerra Alves, Rita de Cássia Coelho Moraes de Brito, Telma} Samila _{Cavalcanti. Effectiveness of Mentha piperita in the Treatment of Infantile Colic: A Crossover Study. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012 ;2012:981352. Epub 2012 Jul 12. PMID: 22844342Manizheh Sayyah Melli, Mohammad Reza Rashidi, Abbas Delazar, Elaheh} Madarek_{, Mohammad Hassan Kargar Maher,} Alieh _{Ghasemzadeh, Kamran Sadaghat, Zohreh Tahmasebi.Effect of peppermint water on prevention of nipple cracks in lactating primiparous women: a randomized controlled trial. Int Breastfeed J. 2007;2:7. Epub 2007 Apr 19. PMID: 17442122V A Shkurupiĭ, O} A Odintsova, _{N V Kazarinova, K G Tkrachenko. [Use of essential oil of peppermint (Mentha piperita) in the complex treatment of patients with infiltrative pulmonary tuberculosis]. Virol J. 2009 Jan 20;6:8. PMID: 17128800T Inoue, Y Sugimoto, H Masuda, C Kamei. Effects of peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) extracts on experimental allergic rhinitis in rats. Biol Pharm Bull. 2001 Jan;24(1):92-5. PMID: 11201253Simon J Davies, Louise M Harding, Andrew P Baranowski. A novel treatment of postherpetic neuralgia using peppermint oil. Clin J Pain. 2002 May-Jun;18(3):200-2 PMID:12048423Mark Moss, Steven Hewitt, Lucy Moss, Keith Wesnes. Modulation of cognitive performance and mood by aromas of peppermint and ylang-ylang. Nutr Cancer. 2006;55(1):53-62. PMID: 18041606Z Tayarani-Najaran, E Talasaz-Firoozi, R Nasiri, N Jalali, Mk Hassanzadeh. Antiemetic activity of volatile oil from Mentha spicata and Mentha× piperita in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Ecancermedicalscience. 2013 ;7:290. Epub 2013 Jan 31. PMID: 23390455Eun-Jung Park, Su-Hwa Kim, Byung-Joo Kim, Sung-Young Kim, Insuk So, Ju-Hong Jeon.Menthol Enhances an Antiproliferative Activity of 1alpha,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D(3) in LNCaP Cells. J Clin Biochem Nutr. 2009 Mar;44(2):125-30. Epub 2009 Feb 28. PMID:19308266Su-Hwa Kim, Joo-Hyun Nam, Eun-Jung Park, Byung-Joo Kim, Sung-Joon Kim, Insuk So, Ju-Hong Jeon. Menthol regulates TRPM8-independent processes in PC-3 prostate cancer cells. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2007 Apr;1770(4):659-65. Epub 2006 Nov 23. PMID:18955132Hanaa A Hassan, Hani S Hafez, Mona S Goda. Mentha piperita as a pivotal neuro-protective agent against gamma irradiation induced DNA fragmentation and apoptosis : Mentha extract as a neuroprotective against gamma irradiation.Cytotechnology. 2013 Jan ;65(1):145-56. Epub 2012 Sep 21. PMID: 23011739Ravindra M Samarth, Meenakshi Samarth. Protection against radiation-induced testicular damage in Swiss albino mice by Mentha piperita (Linn.). Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2009 Apr;104(4):329-34. PMID: 19320637Silke Nolkemper, Jürgen Reichling, Florian C Stintzing, Reinhold Carle, Paul Schnitzler.Antiviral effect of aqueous extracts from species of the Lamiaceae family against Herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 in vitro. Planta Med. 2006 Dec;72(15):1378-82. Epub 2006 Nov 7. PMID: 17091431A Schuhmacher, J Reichling, P Schnitzler. Virucidal effect of peppermint oil on the enveloped viruses herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 in vitro. Phytomedicine. 2003;10(6-7):504-10. PMID: 13678235Iraj Rasooli, Shojaedin Shayegh, Massoud Taghizadeh, Shakiba Darvish Alipoor Astaneh.Phytotherapeutic prevention of dental biofilm formation. Phytother Res. 2008 Sep;22(9):1162-7. PMID: 18729251Shojaedin Shayegh, Iraj Rasooli, Massoud Taghizadeh, Shakiba Darvish Alipoor Astaneh.Phytotherapeutic inhibition of supragingival dental plaque. Nat Prod Res. 2008 Mar 20;22(5):428-39. PMID: 18404563The Complete Illustrated Book of Herbs, Alex Frampton, The Reader’s Digest Association, 2009Paul Grant. Spearmint herbal tea has significant anti-androgen effects in polycystic ovarian syndrome. A randomized controlled trial. Phytother Res. 2009 Jul 7. PMID: 19585478Mehmet Akdoğan, Mehmet Numan Tamer, Erkan Cüre, Medine Cumhur Cüre, Banu Kale Köroğlu, Namik Delibaş. Effect of spearmint (Mentha spicata Labiatae) teas on androgen levels in women with hirsutism. Phytother Res. 2007 May;21(5):444-7. PMID: 17310494Andrew Pengelly, James Snow, Simon Y Mills, Andrew Scholey, Keith Wesnes, Leah Reeves Butler. Short-term study on the effects of rosemary on cognitive function in an elderly population. J Med Food. 2012 Jan ;15(1):10-7. Epub 2011 Aug 30. PMID: 21877951}

---

---