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Benefits |
Preparation |
Medicinal Uses |
Side Effects |
Plant |
Folklore |
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| Common Names |
| Peppermint , |
| Botanical Name |
| Mentha piperita |
| Family |
| LAMIACEAE or LABIATAE Mint Family |
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Related Species |
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Mentha spicata, Spearmint |
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| Antispasmodic*
Astringent*
Carminative*
Cephalic*
Cardic tonic Cordial*
Emmenagogue*
Expectorant*
Hepatic*
Nervine*
Stimulant*
Diaphoretic*
Skin tonic*
Vasoconstrictor*
Vermifuge*
Analgesic*
Cooling*
Adaptogens*
Repels Insects*
Breath*
Febrifuge*
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| Parts Used: whole herb |
| Constituents:Volatile oils (composed mainly of menthol, menthone, and menthylacetate, with smaller amounts of menthofuran, limonene, pulegone, cineole, bisabolene, isomenthol, neomenthol), flavonoids, phytol, tocopherols, carotenoids, betaine, choline, azulenes, rosma |
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Of all the mints, peppermint is now probably the most widely used of all, due to its high content of menthol. Peppermint has a antispasmodic effect that soothes stomachaches and is effective in colic and flatulence. Externally peppermint oil is used in pain relieving balms and massage oils. Menthol is cooling and analgesic, and increases blood flow to the painful area. Peppermint oil also contains azulene, which is known for it's anti-inflammatory and ulcer healing effects. |
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Prep Methods :teas, essential oil, capsules, extracts
 Remedies using Peppermint
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 Peppermint has a powerful, sweet, menthol aroma which, when inhaled undiluted, can make the eyes water and the sinuses tingle. Peppermint is stimulating and pain relieving when used in balms and massage oil. Use peppermint in an aroma lamp to energize your mind and increase concentration. |
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Aphrodisiac *Energizing *fatigue *Mood Uplfting * |
 Rats dislike peppermint, you can prevent them from entering by scenting cotton balls or rags with the oil and placing them where they may be entering or hiding out. This method also discourages ants. | | At the first sign of a cold, a free use of peppermint tea will in most cases effect a cure | | Boiled in milk and drunk hot, Peppermint leaves are good for abdominal pains. | | For quick relief of nausea put a few drops of peppermint oil on a cotton ball and place in a plastic bag to carry with you. Inhale the scent whenever you start to feel queasy | | A hot cup of peppermint, or catnip tea will help intestinal cramping that comes with diarrhea | | Peppermint oil aids in digestion and is an intestinal cleanser for your dog. Rub a drop of neat peppermint oil in a line from beneath the ears and into the shoulders. |
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Aches & Pains *
Allergies/hay Fever *
Anxiety/Panic *
Bronchitis *
Chronic Fatigue *
Colds *
Congestion/Chest & Sinus *
Cough *
Culinary *
Headache *
Heart Tonics/Cordials *
IBS *
IBS *
Influenza *
Insect Repellent *
Lungs/Respiratory *
Neuralgia *
Personal Care *
Sinusitis *
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| Inhaling peppermint's volatile oils makes you feel as if you can breathe easier, even when airflow is not actually increasing. Drink a cup of mint tea, or use the essential oil in steam inhalation to ease the breath. 644
(White,Linda B., M.D. ) | | A cup of peppermint tea, or a whif of the aromatic oil is a good and quick remedy for nausea 859
| | Headache | | A few drops of peppermint essential oil in a cold compress across the forehead or over the back of the neck cools the body 1006
| | Muscular aches and pains, strains | | Peppermint essential oil reduces pain,
inflammation, and spasms, and stimulates local blood
circulation. It is used to treat muscular aches and pains, strains,
and sprains. 998
| | Mental clarity | | Cooling and refreshing peppermint energizes the mind and mood, helping to improve mental clarity and memory 1102
| | Irritable bowel syndrome | | Studies has shown that peppermint oil capsules reduce the pain and bloating that accompanies irritable bowel syndrome. Enteric coated capsules should be used to bypass the stomach. 1136
(Ericksen, Marlene ) | | Insect repellent - ants | | Ants dislike peppermint, you can prevent them from entering by scenting cotton balls, spraying along shelves,and entryways 952
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| Side Effects: |
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| Do not ingest peppermint oil, and be very careful if using it topically, as it can cause skin irritation. Avoid using the essential oil with babies. |
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Koehler's Medicinal-Plants 1887
 Mint appears in every list of herbs passed down to us, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, medieval and American Colonial. There are some two dozen species, with hundreds of variations in the genus Menthol, which also includes spearmint and pennyroyal. All mints are native to Europe but now grown the world over. In America by the turn of the century, 90 percent of the world's supply of mint oil came from an area within a ninety-mile radius of Kalamazoo. Today most of the nation's peppermint is grown in the Pacific Northwest.
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| Mints are hardy perennial plants, and they are very easy to grow. They have bright green leaves on bushy plants with white, blue or pink flowers They require little or no maintenance, however, take over the garden if allowed. Mints are great in herb gardens, in beds along the house, or in containers. Harvest in the morning when the oils are strongest. |
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 Pliny tells us that the Greeks and Romans crowned themselves with Peppermint at their feasts and adorned their tables with its sprays, and that their cooks flavored both their sauces and their wines with its essence. Two species of mint were used by the ancient Greek physicians, but some writers doubt whether either was the modern Peppermint, though there is evidence that M. piperita was cultivated by the Egyptians. It is mentioned in the Icelandic Pharmacopoeias of the thirteenth century, but only came into general use in the medicine of Western Europe about the middle of the eighteenth century, and then was first used in England.
It was only recognized here as a distinct species late in the seventeenth century, when the great botanist, Ray, published it in the second edition of his Synopsis stirpium britannicorum, 1696. Its medicinal properties were speedily recognized, and it was admitted into the London Pharmacopceia in 1721, under M. piperitis sapore. Among essential oils, Peppermint ranks first in importance. It is a colourless, yellowish or greenish liquid, with a peculiar, highly penetrating odour and a burning, camphorescent taste. It thickens and becomes reddish with age, but improves in mellowness, even if kept as long as ten or fourteen years. (Grieve, M.,537) |
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 It is an herb of Venus. This herb has a strong, agreeable, aromatic smill, and a moderate warm bitterish taste, it is useful for complaints of the stomach, such as wind, vomiting, for which there are few remedies of greater efficacy. Nicholas Culpeper |
 Peppermint's generic name, Mentha, is derived from the mythological origin ascribed to it, and was originally applied to the mint by Theophrastus. Menthe was a nymph, who because of the love Pluto bore her, was metamorphosed by Proserpine, from motives of jealousy, into the plant we now call mint. Mint was used by the ancient Assyrians in rituals to their fire god. |
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Annies Remedys
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