Peppermint Essential Oil from Natural Health Crafters

Peppermint - possibly one of the best known essential oils, it is where we get much of our menthol from and widely used as a flavouring.

Peppermint mentha piperita is just one of 25 species and possibly about 600 variants and hybrids. Although native to the mediterranean countries and western Asia, many varieties are now cultivated worldwide. These include water-mint M. aquatica, field-mint or cornmint M. arvensis, and spearmint M. spicata. However, most botanists agree that peppermint is probably a natural hybrid between water mint and spearmint - is regarded as superior for medicinal purposes because of its high menthol content.

There are two forms of peppermint, ‘white’ peppermint, with bright green stems and leaves, and, ‘black&rsquo peppermint, with purple stems and dark green leaves tinged purple-brown. Black peppermint yields the highest concentration of essential oil and is the favoured variety for commercial cultivation.

The ancient Egyptians were proberly the first people to cultivate the peppermint plant, the remains of the dried leaves from a bouquet have been found in a tomb dating from about 3000BC. According to hieroglyphics found in the temple of Edfu, mint was also an ingredient in their sacred incense formula, kyphi. However, the generic name of the plant mentha, is thought to derive from the Greek and Roman myth in which Minthe, a beautiful nymph, was persued by Hades (Plute in Roman mythology), god of the underworld. Jealous Persephone found out about her husbands infidelity and turned Minthe into a herb to be trampled underfoot. Other sources report that the name derives from the Latin mente, meaning thought.

Certainly, varieties of mint were frequently mentioned by Dioscorides, Hippocrates and Pliny as strewing herbs which can dispel foil odors and prevent the spread of infectious disease. The piercing aroma of peppermint has always been credited with the ability to clear the mind and help concentration. Pliny 23-72AD, declared that ‘the very smell of it alone recovers and refreshes the spirits’. The Greeks and Romans used teas made from the herb to scent their baths and as a general restorative. They also used peppermint as a medicine for flatulance and headaches. And for centuries the Arabs have taken peppermint tea to stimulate their virility and as a social drink. By the 14th century peppermint essential oil was being incorporated in substances to whiten teeth, and later in mouthwashes to mask the smell of tobacco, according to John Gerard, the renowned Elizabethan herbalist, the smell of mint ‘rejoiceth the the heart of man’. He also considered it a ‘good posie for students oft to smell’, and especially benificial for those of a weak constitution.

Peppermint essential oil is produced mainly in France, Bulgaria, Morocco, China Japan and USA, by steam distillation from freshly cut, partially dried plant tops. These are cut just before the plants come into flower so the oil will have the best balance of fragrant constituents. If allowed to over-mature, the quantity and quality of the resulting oil will suffer, developing off-aromas that can be sharp, bitter and overly menthol-scented. The oil is colourless to pale yellow with an intense aroma, at first cooling and refreshing, and then giving way to a sensation of numbness. The oil owes its cooling and local anaesthetic effects to the aromatic component menthol.

Unfortunately most of the essentil oil available on the market today, has had a proportion of the menthol removed, as this is widely used in the pharmaceuticcal industry. Whole ppeppermint oil is much more expensive and ellusive, and so is seldom used for commercial purposes. Quite apart from its therapeutic properties, the whole oil has a much more interesting aroma. Menthol on its own is extremely potent and has a higher risk of provoking skin negative reactions and respiratory problems in vulnerable groups. The oil is also used extensively in flavourings in cordials, mints, and the liqueurs Crême de Menthe, Chartreuse and Benedictine.

Therapeutic Properties Modern research confirms the therapeutic value of peppermint, which is best known for its beneficial action on the digestive system, hence the tradition of after dinner mints and liqueuers. Peppermint tea makes an effective remedy for nausea, indigestion, heartburn and flatulence, and also helps to relieve stomach ache and colic. The tea also acts as a pick-me-up and can alleviate tension headaches. The oil, taken internally in capsule form (available from health stores), can be an effective remedy for irritable bowel syndrome.

Externally, diluted peppermint oil can be used in pain-relieving balms and massage oils. Its menthol content is cooling to the skin and muscles, it is also a mild local anaesthetic. Cold peppermint oil compresses can help reduce bruising, muscular pain and swelling from an injury. Applied to the forehead and temples, a compress can reduce and possibly clear a headache, and/or migraine if used at the onset. A few drops inhaled from a tissue can alleviate mild indigestion as well as headaches.

Peppermint oil steam inhalations are good for catarrh and blocked sinuses, and for cold and flu symptoms. Steam your face with peppermint oil to cleanse oily skin with spots and/or blackheads. Or, apply a warm compress soaked in tolerably hot peppermint tea. Used in moderation, peppermint can treat inflamed skin conditions and is a beneficial ingredient in home made after sun lotions. Vaporize in a burner for a quick-fix for mental fatigue, its refreshing and pircing aroma will swiftly awaken the senses.

Adulteration

Peppermint essential oil is perhaps the most adulterated of all essential oil. Most often the cheaper 'cornmint oil' is used as a dilutent or substitute for peppermint oil, it is often difficult to detect adulteration even at up to 85% Cornmint addition. Cornmint is often mixed with the inferior fore-runs of Peppermint which will result in a positive menthofuran test.

GRAS

Peppermint oil has GRAS status

Uses

Peppermint oil is a licensed essential oil which can be used medicinally in this country. It is used for dyspesia, bronchitis and in particular, irritable bowel syndrome (37) (41) (42). Administration of enteris coated capsules (Colperin or Mintec) can deliver the oil to the colon without causing an irritant effect on the upper respiratory system and upper digestive system. Peppermint oil can reduce colonic spasm during endoscopy when introduced together with the colonoscope. It is also good as a local anesthetic and counterirritant for muscular aches and pains. (37)