Let’s talk about peppermint.
Peppermint, also known as Mentha piperita, is a plant used in so many different industries and applications. Not only that, but most of its parts are used—from its oil, to its leaf, to its stems. It’s a perennial herb that was once exclusive to Mediterranean Europe, but it’s presently cultivated all over the world.
It’s technically a hybrid of spearmint and water mint.
We’re going to talk about the oil of peppermint. That’s because the oil is the most used and most evaluated part of the plant. Peppermint oil is extracted by steam distillation from the above ground peppermint plant just before it flowers. The oil itself is either clear or slightly pale yellow with a fresh, sharp menthol odor and a pungeant taste. When put on the skin, it has a cooling effect that you perceive as a cooling, relaxing sensation.
Peppermint oil has more than 30 known compounds, the majority of which consists of menthol (up to 60%) and menthone (up to 30%). There is also limonene, eucalyptus, and pulegone. Pulegone is known to be toxic to your liver, one of the reasons to avoid overconsuming or exposing yourself to peppermint oil. That said, most commercially available forms of peppermint oil have 1% or less of menthol because of the way it’s processed.
Interestingly, peppermint oil has been shown to enhance the skin penetration and absorption of other substances.
As deemed deemed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review committee, which is a nongovernment agency charged with deciding the safety of ingredients used in personal care products that advises the FDA, the safe concentrations of peppermint oil is 3% or less in rinse off formulations and 0.2% or less of leave-on formulations. In case you’re wondering, rinse off products are those that you literally rinse off with water, and don’t leave on your skin for more than few minutes. Leave-on products, by contrast, well I think you can figure out what I mean by that.
Peppermint oil is currently used in cosmetic, personal hygiene, food and pharmaceutical products for both its flavoring and fragrance properties. It’s found in mouthwash, breath fresheners, toothpaste, chewing gum, dental floss, tea, and candies like confectionaries.
Here’s a list of products that you might have used that contain peppermint:
- Noxzema shaving cream
- Vaseline intensive care cream for smooth feet
- Fixodent denture adhesive powder
- Paul Mitchell tea tree special shampoo — don’t get me started on tea tree oil
- Revlon professional cuticle massage night cream
- Clearasil stay clear
- Selsun blue medicated dandruff shampoo with menthol
It’s also used as a cough medicine and is approved by the FDA for this problem.
When applied to your skin, peppermint oil can relieve itch, irritation and inflammation. It’s marketed for its fresh and cooling effect. It has a variety of properties on your skin including pain relief, numbing effects, antiseptic, mentally stimulative properties, and its decongestant property. Oh did I mention, it can also regrow hair? That’s some information for another episode.
When consumed, it can relax your GI tract and can help with symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
It’s not all unicorns and rainbows, though. Peppermint oil can be an irritant when in contact with your skin, particularly when used at concentrations greater than 5%, and it’s even seen occasionally at concentrations of only 2%.
It’s also been reported as an allergen when placed in contact with your skin.
Interestingly, a case was reported on this woman who developed dermatitis involving her genitalia. What the doctors who were treating her determined was that her genital dermatitis was due to consumption of peppermint oil in her daily herbal tea. When she stopped drinking her peppermint oil containing tea, her rash resolved completely. This report supports the idea that peppermint oil metabolites that end up in your urine can sensitize your urinary tract skin.
Sensitivity to peppermint oil has also been documented in people who have oral allergies like recurrent canker sores, burning mouth syndrome, and non specific oral allergy.
Despite these reports, peppermint oil remains and will remain a popular natural remedy because it has a number of awesome characteristics including its ability to add flavor to foods and drinks and because of its therapeutic effects. My goal with this episode was to provide you with some interesting information on peppermint and peppermint oil and to help you use it properly.