Another Health Benefit of Peppermint

Peppermint Oil

A new study reviewed the safety and efficacy of peppermint oil.

Researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in New York explained that peppermint leaf and peppermint oil have a long history of use for digestive disorders. Recent evidence suggests that enteric-coated peppermint oil may be effective in relieving some of the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

The study also noted that a combination product including peppermint oil and caraway oil seems to be moderately effective in the treatment of non-ulcer dyspepsia.

Topical application of peppermint oil may be effective in the treatment of tension headache. Because of its relaxing effects on smooth muscle, peppermint oil given via enema has been modestly effective for relief of colonic spasm in patients undergoing barium enemas.

Researchers concluded that peppermint oil is well tolerated at the commonly recommended dosage, but it may cause significant adverse effects at higher dosages.

Peppermint (Mentha x piperita), a perennial herb growing to the size of one meter throughout much of Europe and North America, has a long history of use for digestive disorders. There is both clinical and in vitro research on the whole plant and one of its main phytochemicals, menthol, to support some of its traditional uses. Peppermint oil is obtained by steam distillation from the fresh above ground parts of the flowering plant of Mentha x peperita, a sterile hybrid of spearmint (Mentha spicata) and water mint (Mentha aquatica).

Peppermint oil acts to reduce gastrointestinal smooth muscle motility, possibly by acting as a calcium channel antagonist. There is prelimiary evidence from small methodologically weak trials suggesting efficacy of peppermint oil in the treatment of nonulcer dyspepsia symptoms (in combination with caraway oil) and irritable bowl syndrome (IBS). These areas are controversial, and some experts assert that this evidence is not currently sufficient to draw clear conclusions. Further research is warranted in these areas, with randomized placebo controlled controlled trials utilizing adequate sample sizes, proper randomization and blinding procedures, adequate patient stratification prior to inclusion and accepted validated instruments for assessing endpoints. Notably, peppermint oil may actually cause upset stomach in some patients.

Peppermint oil is generally dosed at 0.2mL of peppermint oil per capsule or tablet, three times daily before meals, and should be avoided in pregnancy, gall bladder disorders and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

References
1.Kligler B, Chaudhary S. Peppermint oil. Am Fam Physician. 2007 Apr 1;75(7):1027-30. View Abstract

2.Natural Standard Research Collaboration: The Authority on Integrative Medicine. www.naturalstandard.com Copyright © 2007

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