How to Use Peppermint Essential Oil

Physical benefits of peppermint essential oil

There are many uses of peppermint essential oil, including supporting the immune, digestive, muscular-skeletal, and endocrine systems and creating a chemical-free home. Peppermint oil calms an upset stomach, boosts the immune system, promotes a healthy inflammatory cycle, and energizes the cells by providing healthy plant-based cortisone hormones.*

Peppermint essential oil is the most robust cooling essential oil in Chinese medicine and may help reduce signs of heat within minutes of application to the spine and feet. Traditional Chinese medicine recommends peppermint when your body is fighting off the initial stages of a heat-type pathogen, evidenced by a low-grade fever, sore throat, stuffy nose, sweating, irritability, and a desire for cold liquids. Applying a few drops to the soles of the feet, spine, or the back of the neck will help push out the heat-type pathogens. If the FDA and manufacturer approve your brand for internal use, add one drop of peppermint oil to 16 ounces of water to open up your sinuses.*

Folklore has used peppermint essential oil to support a healthy digestive system for thousands of years, and modern medicine is recognizing this as more research is coming out. Add a few drops of peppermint essential oil to a carrier oil and apply over the abdomen for an upset stomach. Diffuse or smell the peppermint oil right out of the bottle for occasional nausea.*

Peppermint is an excellent deterrent for bugs and flies. Add a few drops to natural bug sprays to boost their effectiveness. Diffuse peppermint and lemongrass essential oils in the house and basement to discourage ants and spiders around the house. If you do get bit, dilute one drop of peppermint essential oil with a carrier oil and apply over the bite for cooling relief. Athletes can use a few drops of this oil on the soles of the feet before a hard work out or race to improve their performance as it provides an instant boost of energy as seen in the study below.*

This essential oil is intense and is not recommended for children under the age of two and requires dilution for children under the age of six. Peppermint essential oil can raise blood pressure and should be avoided for anyone with high blood pressure and not used long-term if you have a family history of high blood pressure.*

Peppermint essential oil

Emotional benefits of peppermint essential oil

Peppermint essential oil works to bring emotional balance and focus on multiple levels. This oil will help cool a hot temper and release any building emotional tension and frustration before an outburst occurs. Merely smell this oil and then go for a walk to quickly change your temperament. Apply one drop to the soles of the feet in the morning before going to work or working out and focus on dreams and aspirations.*

Peppermint oil is also energizing for the mind and spirit if you need a pick-me-up during the day, or to get out of bed and get moving in the morning. Teens that find it difficult to wake up in the morning benefit greatly from diffusing this oil on a timer or mom or dad can turn it on twenty minutes before the alarm goes off.*

*Statements in this paragraph have not been evaluated by the FDA.

Always discuss with your medical doctor before using any alternative medicines, natural supplements, or vitamins. All information and content provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended to substitute advice given by a pharmacist, physician, or other licensed health-care professional. This information is not intended to treat or diagnose a health problem or disease.

Peppermint essential oil research articles:

A study compares the antibacterial activity of essential oils to investigate new potential treatments for IBS

Thompson A, Meah D, Ahmed N, Conniff-Jenkins R, Chileshe E, Phillips CO, Claypole TC, Forman DW, Row PE. Comparison of the antibacterial activity of essential oils and extracts of medicinal and culinary herbs to investigate potential new treatments for irritable bowel syndrome. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2013 Nov 28;13:338. doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-13-338. PubMed PMID: 24283351; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4220539

 

A study demonstrates  that mice who had received peppermint essential oil demonstrated anticonvulsant effects with no seizures and 100% survival rate

Koutroumanidou E, Kimbaris A, Kortsaris A, Bezirtzoglou E, Polissiou M, Charalabopoulos K, Pagonopoulou O. Increased seizure latency and decreased severity of pentylenetetrazol-induced seizures in mice after essential oil administration. Epilepsy Res Treat. 2013;2013:532657. doi: 10.1155/2013/532657. Epub 2013 Jun 2. PubMed PMID: 23819045; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3684096

 

A study shows that combining peppermint essential oil and antibiotics reduce antibiotic resistance in multidrug-resistant bacteria

Yap PS, Lim SH, Hu CP, Yiap BC. Combination of essential oils and antibiotics reduce antibiotic resistance in plasmid-conferred multidrug resistant bacteria. Phytomedicine. 2013 Jun 15;20(8-9):710-3. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2013.02.013. Epub 2013 Mar 26. PubMed PMID: 23537749

 

A study supports the effectiveness of peppermint essential oil on the exercise performance, including relaxation of bronchial smooth muscles, increase in the ventilation and brain oxygen concentration, and a decrease in the blood lactate levels

Meamarbashi A, Rajabi A. The effects of peppermint on exercise performance. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2013 Mar 21;10(1):15. doi: 10.1186/1550-2783-10-15. PubMed PMID: 23517650; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3607906

 

A study suggests that peppermint oil can be effective in reducing the severity of Pruritus Gravidarum, resulting in a reduction of itching for pregnant women

Akhavan Amjadi M, Mojab F, Kamranpour SB. The effect of peppermint oil on symptomatic treatment of pruritus in pregnant women. Iran J Pharm Res. 2012 Fall;11(4):1073-7. PubMed PMID: 24250539; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3813175

 

Research suggests that aromatherapy is promising as an inexpensive, noninvasive treatment for post-op nausea

Hunt R, Dienemann J, Norton HJ, Hartley W, Hudgens A, Stern T, Divine G. Aromatherapy as treatment for postoperative nausea: a randomized trial. Anesth Analg. 2013 Sep;117(3):597-604. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0b013e31824a0b1c. Epub 2012 Mar 5. PubMed PMID: 22392970