Peppermint

Peppermint

 I carry peppermint oil with me all the time. It’s one of my favorites.  It’s in my backpack (I don’t wear a purse) together with lavender and lemon. 

The peppermint essential oil is steam distilled from leaves and stems and is one of the oldest and most highly regarded herbs. It contains menthol, which is known for its cooling and soothing effect. There are over 1000 studies on peppermint.  

Medicinal properties: anti-inflammatory, antitumoral, antiparasitic, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, gall bladder/digestive stimulant, pain relieving. 

-has effects on the liver and respiratory system (pneumonia, breathing problems,

allergy, sinus issues)

-has the ability to directly affect the brain ‘s satiety center

-digestive stimulant (diarrhea, constipation), inflammatory bowel disease. 

-inhaled during mental tasks may improve attention, improve focus and energy.

-ADHD support 

- it is a natural breath freshener

Some ways I use peppermint:

-  for headache: - a drop in my hand, rub my hands and inhale off of my hands. I rub a few drops on my temple and on the back of my neck. 

-  for migraines: I do the same, but I use peppermint in combination with lavender. 

-  I make a cream with coconut oil and add wintergreen, panaway, lavender, eucalyptus and other oils for muscle relaxation and pain

- rub a drop or two on your tummy for tummy ache.

-in the bathroom, I put one drop on the cardboard of the toilet paper for a refreshing smell

-fever: rub several drops on the bottom of the feet

-when I need to re energized I just smell it, or put a drop on my forehead. Be careful not to get it into your eyes

- I make bath salts with peppermint to relax my feet.

-DIY cleaners :5-6 drops of peppermint 

-massage the muscle after exercising

-put a drop in the tub when you take a shower

-you can diffuse in combination with orange, cinnamon bark and rosemary, or just simply by itself 

- I made my own peppermint lip balm. 

- I made my toothpaste from 1 spoon coconut oil, 1 tsp baking soda and 5-6 drops of peppermint 

-In combination with cypress, it is good for concentration

-in the winter I made a vapor rub. -I mixed 1 spoon coconut oil and 4 drops of peppermint, 4 drops of eucalyptus.

-for stuffy nose, or sinusitis, I lean over the diffuser and put a towel over my head and the diffuser and inhale

Blends.

Young Living has a lot of oil blends and peppermint is used in some of them:

Aroma Siez : promotes circulation, muscle relaxation, headache, insomnia, back pain, neck pain, (any kind of pain. It is anti-inflammatory, use in Rain Drop Technique (a massage of different oils for emotional, physical and mentally balance).

AromaEase: used for calmness, nausea, motion sickness, sea sickness, car sickness, emotional sickness (specially for emotional stress that effects the stomach/digestive track). 

Digize: digestive problems, bloating/gas, stomach cramps, fights candida, kill parasites for people and animals. 

Panaway: arthritis pain, growing pain, inflammation, sore muscle, headache, sciatic pain (I use it for any kind of pain. When my son had a sprain his pinky, in two days both the inflammation and pain were gone). 

Progessence: headaches, balance hormones: hot flashes, day and night sweats, insomnia, acne, lack of libido, acne, PMS

RC: respiratory support, expectorant, calming, circulation, fights infections

Raven: respiratory infections, Flu, sinusitis, cough/cold, viral infections

For a better understanding of how the peppermint oil works for your body, here is some scientific explanation. I took the information from Dr. Cole Woolley’s Facebook page:

“Peppermint essential oils relax the small muscles of your airways. This leads to an opening of your bronchial tree in the lungs and hence to increased oxygen transfer from your lungs into your blood and subsequently higher oxygen levels in your muscles. Increased oxygenation of your blood is called in sports physiology an increased VO2max. In other words, your maximum oxygen uptake increases. This leads to an increase of your lactic threshold in the muscles. When a muscle operates with oxygen it produces nicely energy. When all the oxygen is used up the cells turn to anaerobic (without oxygen) energy production which yields less energy than the aerobic one (with oxygen). During anaerobic energy production the cells accumulate lactic acid as byproduct and that will ultimately shut down the energy production. This moment is called the lactic threshold. What I am saying here is that topical application of Peppermint essential oil on your muscles and inhalation of Peppermint essential oil will improve overall oxygenation in the body under normal circumstances. Your athletic performance will increase with this easy measure. Multiple scientific articles describe the improvement in athletic performance after applying, inhaling, or ingesting Peppermint essential oils (1 drop in a glass of water is enough to get the result). Enjoy your next workout together with Peppermint essential oils!...

… I found that quite a few of my patients are not aware about some of the undesired effects of Peppermint (tea or essential oil): heartburn or gastrointestinal reflux. Peppermint can relax the muscles around the gut as it relaxes muscles around the airways. That is why grandma told you to drink Peppermint tea when feeling sick in the stomach. However, through exactly the same mechanism Peppermint can also relax the muscle that provides protection from reflux of fluids from the stomach into the esophagus. This muscle is called the sphincter muscle. If it relaxes then fluids including acid can flow back up into your esophagus and cause heartburn. So if you ever had some uncomfortable feeling in your chest and burping or heartburn after ingesting a few drops of Peppermint....here is your explanation. People with known hiatal hernias and known reflux disease should probably avoid the ingestion of Peppermint tea or Peppermint essential oil”.

There are so many other uses for peppermint oil. Once you will use it, you will fall in love with the oil. 

I hope you will enjoy the newsletter and please feel free to give me feedback about how I can serve you better as you travel along your path of a healthier life. 

 Be healthy, be well

Neli