Peppermint Oil

Peppermint is very energizing. There are many ways to use it for energy. You can inhale it, drink it in water, rub a drop on your thumbs or big toes (brain points) or put a drop on your tongue. Try this little energizing technique: Put a drop on your tongue, then touch the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth, then suck air like you are sucking through a straw.

Cool off on a hot day with peppermint water. Use empty glass bottles for making peppermint water. You can add whatever oil you prefer. Lemon or grapefruit are other oils I like occasionally. Always use glass cups or bottles whenever you are using essential oils in the water. Essential oils break down petrochemicals in the plastic. You don't want to ingest those toxins from the plastic. Always use GLASS.

Another great thing about using peppermint oil for energy is that there is no calories and no carbs in a drop of peppermint. It is much healthier than the energy drinks out there.

Peppermint is also great for mental clarity. There have been studies on how people taking tests have much higher test scores after sniffing peppermint.

Another favorite use for peppermint is to relieve headaches. Put it on your temples and back of neck for a headache.

I use peppermint for motion sickness. Put a drop or two on your tongue to relieve nausea.

Try putting a drop of peppermint on your finger and rub the side of your nose to relieve a stuffed up nose.

Alan Hirsh, M.D., found that peppermint stimulated the brain's satiety center and was useful in curbing appetite.

Peppermint feels wonderful on an exercise-stressed muscles or joints. Injuries: Apply peppermint oil immediately to bumps and bruises to relieve pain.

To relieve Poison Ivy or Poison Oak apply peppermint oil on location neat or dilute with V-6 Vegetable Mixing Oil.

Poison Ivy - Help with Itching

• 1 cup of cold water
• 1/4 cup of cider vinegar
• 9 drops of Lavender essential oil
• 3 drops of Peppermint essential oil
• 2 drops of Roman Chamomile oil

Blend well. Place in plastic bowl with tight sealing lid. This blend is great to keep cool in your refrigerator. Soak a washcloth in this solution to gently apply to area of skin with the poison ivy.

To relieve general itching, apply a drop of peppermint oil topically on unbroken skin.

Insect Repellent: Add 10 drops of peppermint to a 4 oz. bottle of distilled water. This is my favorite insect repellent for working in the garden. It works wonders to keep the biting Deer Flies off. I have had no bites while using this simple formula. Be careful not to get any near your eyes. Take the peppermint water and spray where insects enter your house.

Julie Chertow

Peppermint Essential Oil: Profile of a Powerful Plant

Mention peppermint, and many people instantly think of candy canes or those delightful after-dinner mints. But peppermint is, as many of you know, a powerful essential oil.

A cyber-stroll through the National Library of Medicine (PubMed) turns up just under 100 abstracts of scientific studies on peppermint essential oil. These studies resulted in fascinating conclusions about this remarkable oil.

Surprising Effects
Peppermint oil applied topically for tension-type headaches was studied in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study at Christian Albrechts University in Germany (Badia et al., 1990). The conclusion? "Peppermint oil seems to be a harmless and effective treatment for tension-type headaches." University of Kiel researchers also found that peppermint oil and a mixture of peppermint and eucalyptus oil reduced headaches. (Ref. 1 - References are at the end of this article) The same study showed peppermint to be effective in reducing emotional irritation, depression, and apathy (inactivity).

Research published in 2001 in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology found that inhalation of peppermint increased athletic performance in humans. Volunteer runners finished the 400-metcr dash faster, had significant strength (determined by handgrip), and could complete more pushups after inhaling peppermint oil (Raudenbush, 2001).

Peppermint at School and at the Office
Brainiacs take heart - peppermint is not just for the athletically inclined. A 2003 study conducted at Wheeling Jesuit University found that peppermint improved clerical productivity. (Ref. 2) Participants showed marked improvement in a card-sorting task as well as in typing accuracy and typing speed. The researchers concluded: "These results suggest peppermint odor may promote a general arousal of attention, so participants stay focused on their task and increase performance."

Glutathione Declines Reversed
A 2003 study published in the Journal of Radiation Research (Ref.3) found that ingesting peppermint oil reversed declines in glutathione caused by treatment with gamma radiation. Glutathione is the most important antioxidant and detoxification enzyme in the liver. In this study, peppermint essential oil reduced levels of oxidized (or rancid) fats in the tissues caused by radiation damage. (While you will not encounter this kind of radiation in normal life, the study showed that peppermint had antioxidant-protecting properties.)A 2004 follow-up study in Phytotherapy Research (Ref. 4) confirmed these findings.

Don't Forget the Tummy!
The word "dyspeptic" covers a multitude of gastrointestinal complaints. Researchers at Epson General Hospital in England wrote: "Peppermint (Menthe pepirita) is usually taken after a meal for its ability to reduce indigestion and colonic spasms by reducing the gastrolic reflex." (Ref. 5) But, they continued, "Less well recognized is peppermint's potential role in the management of numerous other medical conditions including certain procedures, eg, colonoscopy." At least two studies support this use of peppermint's innate ability to control spasms. (Ref. 6,7)

For a small child who may have a tummy ache, an expectant mom experiencing morning sickness, or a person with "non-ulcer dyspepsia," peppermint is a traditional help Researchers at the University of Exeter's Department of Complementary Medicine looked at seventeen clinical trials, including nine studies involving peppermint and caraway constituents of herbal medicine products, and reported that 60-95 percent of patients reported improvements in symptoms. (Ref. 8)

Does peppermint kill germs? Absolutely (Ref. 9,10) Peppermint has antioxidant properties to boot. And peppermint has been tested for safety in one study which noted only "isolated clinical cases of irritation and/or sensitization" and concluded "peppermint oil was not a sensitizer when tested using maximization protocol." (Ref. 11)

Celebrate the many benefits of this wonderful, invigorating essential oil.

References

1. Gobel H, et,al., "effect of peppermint and eucalyptus oil preparations on neurophysiological and experimental algesimetric headache parameters," Cephalagia. 1994 June; 14 (3):228-34; discussion 182.

2. Barker S, Raudenbush B, et al., "Improved performance on clerical tasks associated with administration of peppermint odor," Percept Mot Skills. 2003 Dec;97(3 Pt 1):1007-10.

3. Samarth RM, Kumar A, "Radioprotection of Swiss albino mice by plant extract Mentha piperita (Linn.)," J Radiat Res (Tokyo). 2003 Jun;44(2): 1 0 1-9.

4. Samarth RM, Goyal PK, Kumar A, "Protection of Swiss albino mice against whole-body gamma irradiation by Mentha piperita (Linn.)," Phytother Res. 2004 Jul; 18(7):546-50.

5. Spirling LI, Daniels IR, "Botanical perspectives on health peppermint: more than just an after-dinner mint," J R Soc Health. 2001 Mar;12 1(1):62-3.

6. Sparks MJ, et ai., "Does peppermint oil relieve spasm during barium enema?" Br J Rudiol. 1995 Aug;68(812):841-3.

7- Liu JH, et al., "Enteric-coated peppermint-oil capsules in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: a prospective, randomized trial," J GastroenteroL 1997 Dec;32(6):765-8.

8. Thompson Coon J, Ernst E, "Systematic review: herbal medicinal products for non-ulcer dyspepsia," Ailment Pharmacol Ther. 2002 Oct; l6(lO): 1689-991

9. Mimica-Dukic N, et al,, "Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of three Mentha specie essential oils," Planta Med 2003 May:69(5):413-9.

10. Schuhmacher A, et al., "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.

11. Nair B, "Final report on the safety assessment of Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf, and Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Water," . 2001;20 Suppl3:6 1-73.

Experiences with Peppermint

I have rid my body of over 100 pounds of toxic fat in a year and a half, thereabouts. I find when I get that emotional roller coaster of sweet then savory all I have to do is pull out my peppermint oil and start inhaling. This fills up that empty/emotional space and takes me to a happy place. I also rub peppermint oil on the bottom of my feet, with particular attention to my big toes. That is my prompting and has been for quite some time. I listen to what my body/mind tells me and I try to follow. I don't always understand the prompting but I do it anyway. I have been using essential oils for almost ten years and they have wrought mighty changes in my physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing.

Patricia

Last summer I had ants in one of my kitchen cupboards and tried peppermint added to water in a spray bottle. The ants would leave but be back the next morning. Finally put a few drops of peppermint on a cotton ball and rubbed it in the cupboard and no more ants for the rest of the summer. From what I have read, ants come inside looking for water. I have found that keeping the area around the house for about ten feet out from the foundation well watered helps keep them outside.

Evelyn

Kathy Wilson
4514 155th St. NW, Gig Harbor, WA 98332
Phone: 253.853.4033
Fax: 253.853.4034
Email: Kathy@warrior-priestess.com