PEPPERMINT ESSENTIAL OIL
Family Name: Lamiaceae
Common Name: Peppermint
Botanical Name: Mentha x piperita
Extraction method: Steam distillation from the partially dried herb.
Odour: 'Fresh, strong grassy-minty odour with a deep balsamic-sweet undertone and a sweet, clean dry-out note.'
General Description:
A perennial herb up to 1 metre high with underground runners by which it is easily propagated. The 'white' peppermint has green stems and leaves; the 'black' peppermint has dark green serrated leaves, purplish stems and reddish-violet flowers. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, mints now include spearmint (Mentha spicata), water mint (Mentha aquatica). Peppermint is thought to be a hybrid between spearmint and water mint.
History/Folk lore:
According to hieroglyphics found in the temple of Edfu, mint was used by the Ancient Egyptians as a ritual perfume, and was an ingredient of the sacred incense kyphi. In Ancient Greece and Rome, mint was an everyday part of life, used to scent bath water and, in powdered form, bedding.
Celebrated both as a carminative and tonic of the nerves, Pliny declared that the 'very smell of it alone recovers and refreshes the spirit'. Peppermint essential oil was used as early as the 14th century to whiten teeth, and later to mask the smell of tobacco.
Main Uses In Massage:
Peppermint is extremely strong and excels when it is used for spot treatments on problem areas, rather than for full-body massage.
Because of its high menthol content, peppermint has a cooling effect on the skin and mucous membranes as a result of its stimulation of nerve receptors for cold.
It is pleasant when used in foot baths or foot massage and is indispensable for any kind of pruritus, or itching, such as insect bites, shingles, dermatitis, or allergic skin reactions.
It does need to be highly diluted — use at least at less than 1%. Except for insect bites. It can be used to treat headaches.
It can be used for any kind of inflammatory pain, such as rheumatoid arthritis, neuralgia, or musculoskeletal injury, either diluted in a lotion or used with a compress. Inhaling peppermint out of a bottle, or a tissue, relieves nausea dramatically, and is extremely useful for motion sickness.
Therapeutic Properties or Actions:
Analgesic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, carminative, cephalic, cholagogue, decongestant, emmenagogue, expectorant, febrifuge, hepatic, stimulant, sudorific, vasoconstrictor, vermifuge.
Body Systems & Therapeutic Uses:
Digestive system - Relieves dyspepsia, nausea, stomach pains, diarrhoea and flatulence.
Respiratory system - Beneficial for colds and 'flu associated with fever and headaches. Recommended at onset of a cold to alleviate symptoms of a cold. Beneficial for sinus congestion, infection or inflammation.
Nervous system - Helps people become clear-headed and may be beneficial for people who are unable to concentrate or who have mental fatigue. Cool compresses of peppermint oil may be applied to the forehead and temples to relieve headaches and migraine.
Skin Care - Said to relieve any kind of skin irritation or itching, but should be used in a dilution of 1% or less.
Analgesic properties - Peppermint oil is used in liniments for relief of muscle pain, lumbago, bruises and contusions, joint pain and insect bites.
Other Uses: Vermin, both six-legged and four-legged, dislike the strong odour of Peppermint, so it is a useful deterrent. Peppermint sprinkled on the runs of mice, rats, ants and cockroaches will offend them, and they will usually go away. Patricia Davis - "Aromatherapy - An A to Z"
Precautions:
Body Systems & Therapeutic Uses:
Digestive system - Relieves dyspepsia, nausea, stomach pains, diarrhoea and flatulence.
Respiratory system - Beneficial for colds and 'flu associated with fever and headaches. Recommended at onset of a cold to alleviate symptoms of a cold. Beneficial for sinus congestion, infection or inflammation.
Nervous system - Helps people become clear-headed and may be beneficial for people who are unable to concentrate or who have mental fatigue. Cool compresses of peppermint oil may be applied to the forehead and temples to relieve headaches and migraine.
Skin Care - Said to relieve any kind of skin irritation or itching, but should be used in a dilution of 1% or less.
Analgesic properties - Peppermint oil is used in liniments for relief of muscle pain, lumbago, bruises and contusions, joint pain and insect bites.
Other Uses: Vermin, both six-legged and four-legged, dislike the strong odour of Peppermint, so it is a useful deterrent. Peppermint sprinkled on the runs of mice, rats, ants and cockroaches will offend them, and they will usually go away. Patricia Davis - "Aromatherapy - An A to Z"
Precautions:
Prevents sleep in strong doses. Peppermint should not be used in the evenings as it can cause wakefulness.
Menthol vapours inhibit respiration and may cause very transient apnoea in very young children.
Large doses may irritate the skin and mucous membranes.
Limit use with nursing mothers as may discourage milk flow.
Suggested not to use with homeopathic remedies as may antidote them.
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Menthol vapours inhibit respiration and may cause very transient apnoea in very young children.
Large doses may irritate the skin and mucous membranes.
Limit use with nursing mothers as may discourage milk flow.
Suggested not to use with homeopathic remedies as may antidote them.
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I will be posting more information about other essential oils on this blog so keep checking back.
< Related articles - frankincense , geranium , ginger , lavender & lemon >
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