Peppermint Essential Oil
Peppermint Oil
Botanical Name: Mentha piperita
Family Name: Lamiaceae
Contra-Indications for use of Essential Oil of Peppermint:
* Avoid use during pregnancy
* May irritate skin
* Do not use on babies or small children (under 10)
Botany and Cultivation:
Peppermint is a herbaceous perennial plant which grows from 30 - 90 cm (12 - 35 inches) in height. The stems of the plant are smooth and leaves are broad and dark green with reddish veins and coarsely toothed margins. Flowers are purple and produced in whorls around the stem forming thick, blunt spikes.
Peppermint thrives in part-sun to shade areas. It is best planted in pots as it will quickly take over a garden. It needs a good supply of water and should be harvested as soon as the flowers begin to open. The true peppermint rarely produces seeds so must be purchased as plants having been grown from the rhizomes.
History:
The Egyptians, Greeks and Romans used Peppermint Essential Oil medicinally, and the Hebrews used it as a perfume additive. It was sought after for its detoxifying effects and digestive benefits. England started cultivation of the herb in 1750, although archaeological evidence suggests the medicinal use of Peppermint dates back up to 10,000 years.
In North America some of the original inhabitants used Peppermint. A tribe called the Menominees used peppermint leaves to treat pneumonia.
A Greek fable tells a story that the god Pluto loved a nymph called Mentha. Persephone, his jealous wife, pursued Mentha and trod her ferociously into the ground. Pluto then changed Mentha into a herb.
Study Results:
The following points have been identified in the studies indicated:
* Peppermint Oil is contraindicated for babies and young children, where it can produce reflex apnoea or laryngospasm; an ointment containing menthol applied to the nostrils of infants for the treatment of cold symptoms has been reported to cause instantaneous collapse (Tester-Dalderup 1980)
* Peppermint Oil is reported to be effective as an analgesic when used in conjunction with Ravensara aromatica (Roulier 1990)
* Menthol is cooling and anaesthetic when applied to the skin, increasing blood flow to the area to which it is applied (Mabey 1988)
* Whole Peppermint has more antispasmodic effect than menthol alone (Trease & Evans 1983)
* Studies have shown Peppermint Oil to inhibit gastrointestinal smooth muscle spasms and reduce colonic motility (Duthie, Leicester & Hunt)
Botanical Name: Mentha piperita
Family Name: Lamiaceae
Contra-Indications for use of Essential Oil of Peppermint:
* Avoid use during pregnancy
* May irritate skin
* Do not use on babies or small children (under 10)
Botany and Cultivation:
Peppermint is a herbaceous perennial plant which grows from 30 - 90 cm (12 - 35 inches) in height. The stems of the plant are smooth and leaves are broad and dark green with reddish veins and coarsely toothed margins. Flowers are purple and produced in whorls around the stem forming thick, blunt spikes.
Peppermint thrives in part-sun to shade areas. It is best planted in pots as it will quickly take over a garden. It needs a good supply of water and should be harvested as soon as the flowers begin to open. The true peppermint rarely produces seeds so must be purchased as plants having been grown from the rhizomes.
History:
The Egyptians, Greeks and Romans used Peppermint Essential Oil medicinally, and the Hebrews used it as a perfume additive. It was sought after for its detoxifying effects and digestive benefits. England started cultivation of the herb in 1750, although archaeological evidence suggests the medicinal use of Peppermint dates back up to 10,000 years.
In North America some of the original inhabitants used Peppermint. A tribe called the Menominees used peppermint leaves to treat pneumonia.
A Greek fable tells a story that the god Pluto loved a nymph called Mentha. Persephone, his jealous wife, pursued Mentha and trod her ferociously into the ground. Pluto then changed Mentha into a herb.
Study Results:
The following points have been identified in the studies indicated:
* Peppermint Oil is contraindicated for babies and young children, where it can produce reflex apnoea or laryngospasm; an ointment containing menthol applied to the nostrils of infants for the treatment of cold symptoms has been reported to cause instantaneous collapse (Tester-Dalderup 1980)
* Peppermint Oil is reported to be effective as an analgesic when used in conjunction with Ravensara aromatica (Roulier 1990)
* Menthol is cooling and anaesthetic when applied to the skin, increasing blood flow to the area to which it is applied (Mabey 1988)
* Whole Peppermint has more antispasmodic effect than menthol alone (Trease & Evans 1983)
* Studies have shown Peppermint Oil to inhibit gastrointestinal smooth muscle spasms and reduce colonic motility (Duthie, Leicester & Hunt)