Peppermint & Peppermint Essential Oil
Common Sense Home Treatments for
Everyday Aches & Pains
Peppermint, Mentha x
piperita, is another of excellent home remedies fallen from favor in the
current market place. Indeed, they have
fallen from common knowledge, no longer handed down from one generation to
another, as has been the fate of most common-sense home treatments for everyday
aches and pains.
Peppermint grows throughout
the United States, Italy, Japan
and Great Britain; however,
it is a native of the Mediterranean. It is a natural hybrid cross of the
watermint, M aquatica and spearmint, M. spicata. The U.S.A. is said to be the largest
producer of peppermint oil even though the European oil is regarded as a
superior product. The plant has a
history of use, at least since the time of recorded history and mentioned in Pharmacopoeias of the 13th century.
In Greek mythology,
the mint plant was once the nymph Mentha, whom Pluto found extremely
attractive. Persephone, his jealous
wife, pursued Mentha and trod her ferociously into the ground! Pluto then changed Mentha into a delightful
herb.
Much has been written about
peppermint. It is mentioned in Bancken’s
Herbal and written about by such notables as Nicholas Culpeper, Joseph Miller
and William Whitla.
Peppermint oil has a
refreshing taste and aroma that is familiar to most. Its taste is a combination of sweet, bitter
and sour. Most noticeable in its taste
and when applied to the skin is its cooling effect, yet it is traditionally
described as heating and drying. Like
Camphor, peppermints warming effect is really the reaction of the body to a
cold stimulus. Menthol is its principal
constituent, and is responsible for most of its therapeutic value.
Use peppermint instead of aspirin. Large amounts
of peppermint oil must be used for its analgesic, sedative and cooling
sensations to be effective. It is ideal
for most types of fever, colds, influenza, etc.
Peppermint is the primary
remedy for all digestive disorders including indigestion, colic, flatulence,
stomach pains, diarrhea (for which it is also a very good antiseptic.) It is an excellent remedy for nausea and
vomiting; it relieves nausea almost instantaneously, and is good for sea or
travel sickness.
“These aromatics are rapidly
absorbed into the system, and behave as mild diffusible stimulants. Exposed to the gastric mucous membrane, they implement
at first a stimulating and afterwards a local sedative effect, dispelling
nausea, and correcting uneasiness.”
William Whitla
(Peppermint Essential Oil applied to the forehead and
temple relieves a sinus headache almost immediately. For tension-headaches in the back of the head
and extending down the neck massage the peppermint oil into the base of the
skull and apply to muscles leading away from the neck.) For headaches
and migraines related to digestive or hepatic phenomena, it is an exceptional
remedy.
Excerpt from the book, “The Art of Aromatherapy” by Robert B.
Tisserand, Healing Arts Press, Rochester,
Vermont, ISBN 0-89281-001-7:
Peppermint is cooling;
antiseptic, antispasmodic expectorant peppermint oil is very useful in
respiratory disorders. It is a good
antibacterial agent in tuberculosis. It
is very good for a dry cough.
It
is especially good for sinus congestion, infection or inflammation, and for
congestive headache. If you think too
much, or have a hot head, it will cool you down. If you feel faint, it will stabilize your
head and dispel nausea.
As
an analgesic-emmenagogue, it is very good for dysmenorrhoea and for scanty menstruation. Applied externally it relieves the breast of
curdled or congested milk, and prevents infection. Taken internally it will discourage the flow
of milk to the breast.
It
strengthens and numbs the nerves, and in large doses will put you to sleep. It is valuable in many nervous disorders such
as hysteria, palpitations, trembling and paralysis.
It
helps to break up gallstones, and may be good for kidney stones… (‘esteemed by
some to be an excellent remedy against the stone and gravel’ Joseph Miller)
…Peppermint oil will relieve any
kind of skin irritation or itching, but should
be used in moderation (less than 1%) or the irritation will be made
worse. It may be used for skin redness
due to inflammation, or acne; it cools by constricting the capillaries, and is
a very refreshing skin tonic.
Peppermint
is effective against ringworm and scabies, and is used in homeopathy for
shingles. It makes very invigorating and
refreshing bath oil, which helps to cool down the body in summertime. It is a mosquito and rat repellent.”
Today peppermint is popular
in commercial use for flavoring teas, chewing gum, candies, toothpastes and
mouthwashes.
Shebolith Says…recalls the peppermint candies
given to her by her grandfather for ailments of the tummy. As the candy dissolved, the flavors and
aromas of peppermint would always be associated with an uplifting of the
spirit. We have used peppermint
essential oil to relieve headaches for 15 years or more. Be careful not to get the pure oil to close
to the eyes, the menthol odor wafting from the oil will make the eyes sting and
water.
Peppermint is strong medicine and should never be used
on infants or children under the age of two.
General
Safety guidelines according to “Essential
Oil Safety by Robert Tisserand and Tony Balacs, published by Churchill
Livingstone in 1995.
·
Keep
essential oils where small children cannot reach them.
·
Use less
rather than more and, if necessary, gradually increase the amount applied.
·
Do not
take essential oils internally unless prescribed by a primary care
practitioner, such as a medical doctor or medical herbalist.
·
Do not
apply undiluted essential oils to mucous membranes (eyes, mouth, vagina,
rectum).
·
Do not
purchase undiluted essential oils unless the bottles have integral drop-dispensers
and/or child-resistant tops.
·
Avoid
essential oils which are poorly labeled (e.g. only the name of the oil on the
label) and which have no safety guidelines (e.g. keep out of reach of
children).
·
Do not
purchase undiluted essential oils if they are in clear bottles (Light damages
them).
·
Do not
use essential oils, which are more than one year old (after first opening), or
two years if they have been kept in a refrigerator.
Robert
B Tisserand is an excellent author. Find
more information about this author and essential oils at
www.InnerTraditions.com.
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