Peppermint, a medicinal plant

Evidenced-based, fact checked – 7 min read

Ancient civilisations were certainly were aware of peppermint family’s medicinal value, having been used as herbal medicines in ancient Egypt, Greek and Rome thousands of years ago. Dried peppermint leaves have even been found in several Egyptian pyramids carbon dating back to 1,000 BC (1) which is remarkable.

Resarch has revealed a plethora of potential health benefits associated with the use of different components of the peppermint plant, including aromatherapeutic, topical and internal applications. Most of the human research on peppermint performed conducted for the moment apepars to indicate that this plant has great value in treating gastrointestinal disorders. Evidence-based benefits includes:

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome (2)
Since the late 1990’s it was relaised that enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules are safe and effective in the treatment of IBS. The evidenced benefits extend to infants too, although you should not medicate your child without prior consultaionand supervision. In one pediatric trial 75% of children receiving peppermint oil experience reduced severity of pain associated with IBS within 2 weeks. In another 2005 trial in adults concluded that Peppermint oil may be the drug of first choice for IBS patients for mild constipation or diarrhea to alleviate general symptoms and to improve quality of life. In another 2007 clinical trial 75% of patients receiving peppermint oil resulted in an impressive 50% reduction in the total irritable bowel syndrome score. Further, a recent study published in 2013, found that peppermint oil was effective in relieving abdominal pain in diarrhea predominant IBS. I have succcessfully improve several IBS clients in my Nutritional Therapy prgrammes – get in touch to learn more.

Colonic spasm (3)
Peppermint oil has been studied as a safe and effective alternative to the drug Buscopan for its ability to reduce spasms during barium enemas.

Gastric emptying disorders (3)
Peppermint has been found to enhance gastric emptying, which suggests its potential use in a clinical setting for patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders.

Functional dyspepsia (3)
An older 2000 study published in the journal Ailment Pharmacology and Therapy, found that 90 mg of peppermint oil and 50 mg of caraway oil led to a clinical self-reported improvement in 67% of patients with regards their symptoms of functional dyspepsia.

Infantile colic (3)
A 2013 study found that peppermint is at least as effective as the chemical simethicone in the treatment of infantile colic. Note: never. seld-medicate without a peadiatritian’s supervision.

Breastfeeding associated nipple pain and damage (3)
A 2007 study found that peppermint water prevented nipple cracks and nipple pain in breastfeeding mothers.

Tuberculosis (3)
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.”

Allergic rhinitis (hay fever) (3)
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 (Post-Herpetic Neuralgia) (3)
A 2002 case study found that topical peppermint oil resulted in a acute improvement of shingles-associated neuropathic pain symptoms; the therapeutic effects persisted throughout the entire 2 months of follow-up treatment.

Memory problems
A 2006 study found that the simple aroma of peppermint enhances memory and increases alertness in human subjects.

Chemotherapy-Induced nausea (3)
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.

Prostate cancer (3)
Preclinical research indicates that peppermint contains a compound known as menthol which inhibits prostate cancer growth

Radiation damage (3)
Preclinical research indicates peppermint protects against radiation-induced DNA damage and cell death.

Herpes Simplex virus type 1 (3)
Peppermint has been found to have inhibitory activity against acyclovir-resistant Herpes Simplex virus type 1.

Dental caries/Bad breath (3)
Peppermint oil extract has been found to be superior to the mouthwash chemical chlorhexidine inhibiting Streptococus mutans driven biofilm formation associated with dental caries. This may explain why powdered peppermint leaves were used in the Middle Ages to combat halitosis and whiten teeth.

Peppermint is actually a hybridised cross between Water mint (Mentha aquatica) and Spearmint (Mentha spicata), the latter of which has also been researched to possess remarkable therapeutic properties, such as the ability to exert significant anti-androgenic effects in polycystic ovarian syndrome and ameliorating the related condition of mild hirsutism, marked by excessive hair growth in females.

Like all plant medicines, extreme caution must be exercised when using extracts and especially essential oils and recommended you contact me before using any of these medical plants. Also, remember that more is not always better. A recent study on the use of rosemary in improving cognitive performance in the elderly found that a lower ‘culinary’ doses was not only more effective in improving cognition (as measured by memory speed) than a higher dose, but the highest doss had a significant memory impairing effect, which illustrates succinctly how less can be more, and why an occasional nightly cup of peppermint tea may be far superior as preventive strategy than taking large ‘heroic’ doses of an herb only after a serious health problem sets in.