Peppermint is a small perennial herb native to southern Europe and brought to
the US in the early 1800s. Peppermint is now grown throughout the world although
the US is currently the world's largest producer of peppermint essential oil.
Peppermint is used extensively in the culinary and flavoring industries. It
flavors sauces, candies and medication. It's also important to the cosmetics and
toiletries industries. You'll find peppermint in natural toiletries like soaps,
shampoos, mouthwashes and toothpastes.
Peppermint is distilled from the leaves of the Mentha piperita.
Traditional Herbal Uses
Traditionally, peppermint is best known as a digestive aid. Legendary physician
Nicholas Culpepper wrote about it saying "there are fewer remedies of greater
efficacy."
Peppermint is one of the most studied essential oils in aromatherapy today.
Research suggests that it shows great promise as a remedy for various digestive
disorders, especially those involving spasms of the colon. The German Commission
E Monographs recommend it for problems with the gall bladder, liver and bile
ducts.
Peppermint also has a cooling effect when used on the skin. It's a popular
addition to natural foot care products. It's also commonly added to liniments.
It's not, however, recommended for use on the face or on the skin of very young
children.
In Chinese medicine, peppermint is relatively unknown and probably only came
into use fairly recently.
Aromatherapy Uses
Peppermint has a bracing, icy scent that feels cool and wet in the nose.
Aromatherapists believe it helps empower timid people and helps them face their
fears of inadequacy and inferiority.
Peppermint is a popular oil to diffuse inside an automobile and it does a great
job of masking cigarette smoke and food odors. It is also alleged to help with
travel sickness.
Blending With Other Essential Oils
Peppermint's aggressive scent makes it a difficult oil to use in large
quantities as it tends to take over essential oil blends if not used sparingly.
It's typically used as a single-note scent but it blends well with other mints
and tends to lighten heavy wood scents like cedar. When added sparingly it
freshens and lightens grassy scents like basil and rosemary.
Peppermint is considered a top note.
Safety &Warnings
Peppermint is generally considered non-toxic however it's often described as a
sensitizer, especially among people who work with it regularly. Most
aromatherapists agree that peppermint should never be used undiluted on the
skin.
The use of essential oils (extracts or essences) from flowers, herbs, and
trees to promote health and well-being.
A system of caring for the body with botanical oils such as rose, lemon,
lavender (used to soothe cuts, bruises and insect bites), and peppermint.
These essential oils can be added to a bath, massaged through the skin,
inhaled directly, used with teas, or scented in a room. This therapy is
intended to relieve pain, care for the skin, and alleviate tension and
fatigue.
The use of fragrant, natural, botanical essential oils from plants, leaves,
bark, roots, seeds, resins and flowers as a healing art. Aromatherapy
refreshes and relaxes the skin while soothing the mind by helping to induce
a sense of well-being. Each individual essence is used to produce a
specific beneficial effect. Used in massage and facials.
The use of essential oils from aromatic plants to restore and enhance
health and beauty as defined by the American Aromatherapy Association.
Aromatherapy uses as its basic ingredients essential oils, which represent
the highest herbal energy. Essential oils are highly concentrated, volatile
extracts retrieved from aromatic herbs, flowers, seeds and trees; they
contain hormone-like properties, vitamins, minerals and natural
antiseptics.
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