Whether it’s during the heat of summer or the dead of winter, peppermint is an everyday hallmark for it’s great taste, calming effect, and general minty-fresh smell. But believe it or not, there’s more than meets the eye (or nose) to this classic herb and its essential oil. Learn more about peppermint essential oil properties in this blog post!
Used for thousands of years and across all civilizations, the benefits of peppermint essential oil has been touted since 1,000 BCE and the times of the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians.
What are Peppermint Essential Oil Properties?
A naturally-occurring plant hybrid of spearmint and water mint (or Mentha aquatica), peppermint essential oil is derived from the distillation of steam from the peppermint plant and used for everything from internal digestion to household cleaners. Peppermint essential oil properties find their essence in the plant’s soothing characteristics, which can be applied to skin irritation, muscle soreness, and even to high stress levels. Research shows that peppermint essential oil has both natural disinfectant and sedative properties, and in many cases, it can also support the against mild inflammation and fungal growth.
Of all the active peppermint essential oil properties, menthol is the most important and has the highest concentration in peppermint. If you’re like us, when you think of menthol, you immediately conjure up images of the menthol chest rub your mom used when you were sick as a kid to open up your airways and help you breathe easier. That’s just the kind of thing that’s in peppermint! Except in this case, it’s not in an over-the-counter product where menthol is mixed with a bunch of other things. Instead, opt for peppermint essential oil in its most pure form.
Menthol is what gives peppermint its calming effect, making it a popular essential oil to help with symptoms related to headaches, digestion issues, and skin care. As a special bonus: it even makes a great household cleaner and natural pest repellent!
Top 5 Peppermint Essential Oil Properties
- Menthol
- Mentone
- Limonene
- Methane
- Phillandrene
Health Benefits of Peppermint Essential Oil
The main purpose of peppermint essential oil comes from its main properties – to soothe and calm. Whether applied topically to skin or inhaled right from the bottle, peppermint essential oil is meant to help alleviate and relax whatever ails you. And this goes for our internal health just as much as our external health. Peppermint essential oil can be used for easier breathing, more comfortable digestion, temporary relief from symptoms related to headaches, sore muscles and joint pain, nausea, healthier looking skin, and even concentration.
Peppermint essential oil is great for teas and capsules, or you can even place a drop or two on your tongue if needed. You can mix it with lotions or other beauty products to promote healthy skin, inhale it through a diffuser or steam to support your digestive and immune system, or rub it onto an aching back, sore feet, or a tension headache for temporary pain relief.
Top 5 Peppermint Essential Oil Uses
- Apply it topically
- Diffuse it in the air in a humidifier or diffuser
- Mix it with water in a spray bottle and use as a mist
- Place a few drops in your bath
- Ingest directly, but only use just a drop or two!
As stated above, the benefits of peppermint essential oil are wide-ranging. From internal bodily systems to external discomfort, from household cleaners to pest and insect repellent, the potential health benefits of peppermint essential oil are almost too many to count!
Of course, the most obvious benefit may be the most overlooked, but it’s the reason most of our toothpaste options come in peppermint – it can help alleviate bad breath and support healthy teeth and gums. Considering it can do that and act as a soothing agent for sun and other surface burns, and we’ve got a seriously awesome essential oil on our hands!
Top 10 Potential Health Benefits of Peppermint Essential Oil
It supports:
- Alertness
- Digestion
- Energy
- Detoxification
- Memory
- Immunity
- Sinuses
- Household cleaning
- Mosquito and other insect repellent
- Oral hygiene
A Few Final Thoughts
While there’s no one right way to use it, one thing is clear: peppermint essential oil properties can potentially yield great results. And the beauty of it is that you can decide the best way to use peppermint essential oil and other essential oils for beginners for yourself! So buy a bottle and start experimenting to see what works best for you! To start, try the best-selling Dr. Mercola’s Organic Peppermint Essential Oil or Wyndmere’s Certified Organic Peppermint Essential Oil.
To learn more about peppermint essential oil properties, check out this informative article and infographic from Natural Healthy Concepts!
