Peppermint Oil for Nausea

Natural Health & Essential Oils

Grade A Notes is published as a resource for Young
Living Essential Oil customers, distributors, interested
parties, or the just plain curious.

Published by Melodie & Brandon Kantner
Since January 1999

Peppermint Oil for Nausea and Other Things

2. Peppermint Essential Oil: Profile of a Powerful Plant

We welcome all comments, questions, tips, news, topic
suggestions and other material related to Essential Oils.
melodie@aromanotes.com

* * * * * *  Disclaimer * * * * * *

The information provided here is for educational
purposes  only and is not intended as diagnosis,
treatment, or  prescription for  any disease. The decision
to use, or not  to use, any of this  information is the sole
responsibility  of the reader.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

1. Feature Article:
Peppermint Oil for Nausea and Other Things

Peppermint is one of my top 5 MUST HAVE essential oils.
I always have 3 bottles, one for my purse, one next to
my bed and one in the kitchen.

Peppermint is wonderful for lots of things but headaches
and nausea are my favorite uses.

I wish I had known about peppermint for nausea when I was
pregnant with my son. I had morning sickness morning,
noon and night all the way through the pregnancy and
into the delivery room. I was throwing up every hour
most of the time. I’d have about 30 minutes after throwing
up where I felt good but then the nausea started again and
another 30 minutes a mad dash to the bathroom to heave my
guts out. There is only so much puking, then you have dry
heaves. Fun times!!

My doctor was concerned because the baby needs nourishment
so he prescribed a drug for morning sickness. That didn’t
help so he decided to give me a drug that paralyzed the
stomach muscles.

Well, that was JUST LOVELY!! I now felt nausea 24 hours a
day but could not throw up. They couldn’t let me use that
drug in the last month of my pregnancy so they took me off
it and I was back to throwing up, all through the 9th month.
I was even puking in the delivery room.

I really wish I knew about peppermint oil back then. I also
wish I had not been so trusting. I mean, surely the doctor
isn’t going to prescribe anything unhealthy, is he? Well,
a few years later I learned one of those drugs was removed
from the market because it caused birth defects.

Since then I have learned a lot about natural ways to do
things. Ways that aren’t so dangerous for my health and
the health of my child.

Peppermint is one oil I use all the time for nausea. I get
nausea when I go too long without eating, or if I get migraines
or motion sickness. Peppermint stops it PRONTO! I just put a
drop on my tongue. You can also rub a bit on your tummy but
I usually just put it on my tongue.

One drop is all I need for motion sickness or when I
waited too long to eat.

For headaches, I put a couple drops on my fingers and rub
the back of my neck, temples, then cup your hands and breathe
the remaining oil for about 1 minute.

I use empty NingXia Red bottles for making peppermint
water. You can add whatever oil you prefer. Lemon or
grapefruit are other oils I like occasionally. Always use
glass cups or bottles whenever you are using essential
oils in the water. Essential oils break down
petrochemicals in the plastic. You don’t want to ingest
those toxins from the plastic. Always use GLASS.

Peppermint is very energizing. There are many ways to
use it for energy. You can inhale it, drink it in water, rub a
drop on your thumbs or big toes (brain points) or put a
drop on your tongue.

Try this little energizing technique: Put a drop on your
tongue, then touch the tip of your tongue to the roof of
your mouth, then suck air like you are sucking through a
straw. That is soooo energizing. I love it.

Another great thing about using peppermint oil for energy
is that there is no calories and no carbs in a drop of
peppermint. It is much healthier than the energy drinks
out there.

I use peppermint in water if I ate a meal that didn’t agree
with me or when I get that after meal tiredness.

Peppermint is also anti-inflammatory and is wonderful to
relieve pain. I use it for injuries and arthritis pain

Peppermint is one you need to be careful of if you have
high blood pressure. It can raise blood pressure in some
people.

Try putting a drop of peppermint on your finger and rub
the side of your nose to relieve a stuffed up nose.

Alan Hirsh, M.D., found that peppermint stimulated the
brain’s satiety center and was useful in curbing appetite.

Peppermint feels wonderful on an exercise-stressed
muscles or joints.

Injuries: Apply peppermint oil immediately to bumps and
bruises to relieve pain.

Cool off on a Hot Day: Drink a drop of Peppermint oil
mixed in a glass of cold water.

Poison Ivy or Poison Oak: Apply Peppermint oil on
location neat or dilute with V-6 Vegetable Mixing Oil.

Poison Ivy -  Help with Itching
1 cup of cold water
¼ cup of cider vinegar
9 drops of Lavender essential oil
3 drops of Peppermint essential oil
2 drops of Roman Chamomile oil
Blend well. Place in plastic bowl with tight sealing lid.
This blend is great to keep cool in your refrigerator. Soak
a washcloth in this solution to gently apply to area of skin
with the poison ivy.

Itching: Apply a drop of peppermint oil topically on
unbroken skin to stop itching.

Insect Repellent:

Add 10 drops of peppermint to a 4 oz.
bottle of distilled water. This is my favorite insect
repellent for working in the garden. It works wonders to
keep the biting Deer Flies off.  I have had no bites while
using this simple formula. Be careful not to get any near
your eyes.

Take the peppermint water and spray where insects
enter your house.

Peppermint
15 ml. Order Code #3614

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DID YOU KNOW:
* Peppermint is grown & distilled by Young Living on
their farms in Mona, Utah, Idaho, & France.

* Young Living peppermint is now being distilled as soon as it
is cut rather than letting it sit for 3 days as is standard in the
industry. This has resulted in 40% Methone in the
peppermint oil. The best time to harvest peppermint is as it
comes into fresh flower. Letting it lie has the carbons
co-mingle. One of the professors of agronomy agrees with
the method that Gary is using and says they are the best.

* YLEO now has I.S.O. 9000 Certification. This is a BIG
DEAL! Auditors come into a company’s operation twice a
year for 3 years and check everything out and if they are
satisfied with the quality then they give this certification and
they never question the company again.

* Young Living is the largest grower of essential oil plants in
the world.

***   ***   ***

2. Peppermint Essential Oil: Profile of a Powerful Plant

Mention peppermint, and many people instantly think of
candy canes or those delightful after-dinner mints.
But peppermint is, as many of you know, a powerful
essential oil.

A cyber-stroll through the National Library of Medicine
(PubMed) turns up just under one hundred abstracts of
scientific studies on peppermint essential oil. These
studies resulted in fascinating conclusions about this
remarkable oil.

Surprising Effects
Peppermint oil applied topically for tension-type
headaches was studied in a randomized,
placebo-controlled, double-blind study at Christian
Albrechts University in Germany (Badia et al., 1990).
The conclusion? “Peppermint oil seems to be a harmless
and effective treatment for tension-type headaches.”
University of Kiel researchers also found that peppermint
oil and a mixture of peppermint and eucalyptus
oil reduced headaches. (Ref. 1 – References are at the
end of this article) The same study showed peppermint to
be effective in reducing emotional irritation,
depression, and apathy (inactivity).

Research published in 2001 in the Journal of Sport
and Exercise Psychology found that inhalation of
peppermint increased athletic performance in humans.
Volunteer runners finished the 400-metcr dash faster,
had significant strength (determined by handgrip),
and could complete more pushups after inhaling
peppermint oil (Raudenbush, 2001).

Peppermint at School and at the Office
Brainiacs take heart-peppermint is not just for the
athletically inclined. A 2003 study conducted at
Wheeling Jesuit University found that peppermint
improved clerical productivity. (Ref. 2) Participants
showed marked improvement in a card-sorting task as
well as in typing accuracy and typing speed. The
researchers concluded: “These results suggest
peppermint odor may promote a general arousal of
attention, so participants stay focused on their task and
increase performance.”

Glutathione Declines Reversed
A 2003 study published in the Journal of Radiation
Research (Ref.3)  found that ingesting peppermint oil
reversed declines in glutathione caused by treatment with
gamma radiation. Glutathione is the most important
antioxidant and detoxification enzyme in the liver. In
this study, peppermint essential oil reduced levels of
oxidized (or rancid) fats in the tissues caused by radiation
damage. (While you will not encounter this kind of
radiation in normal life, the study showed that peppermint
had antioxidant-protecting properties.) A 2004 follow-up
study in Phytotherapy Research (Ref. 4)  confirmed
these findings.

Don’t Forget the Tummy!
The word “dyspeptic” covers a multitude of
gastrointestinal complaints. Researchers at Epson
General Hospital in England wrote: “Peppermint (Menthe
pepirita) is usually taken after a meal for its ability to
reduce indigestion and colonic spasms by reducing the
gastrolic reflex.” (Ref. 5) But, they continued, “Less well
recognized is peppermint’s potential role in the
management of numerous other medical conditions
including certain procedures, eg, colonoscopy.” At least
two studies support this use of peppermint’s innate ability
to control spasms. (Ref. 6,7)

For a small child who may have a tummy ache, an
expectant mom experiencing morning sickness, or a
person with “non-ulcer dyspepsia,” peppermint is a
traditional help Researchers at the University of
Exeter’s Department of Complementary Medicine
looked at seventeen clinical trials, including nine
studies involving peppermint and caraway constituents of
herbal  medicine products, and reported that 60-95
percent of patients reported improvements in symptoms.
(Ref.

Does peppermint kill germs? Absolutely (Ref. 9,10)
Peppermint has antioxidant properties to boot. And
peppermint has been tested for safety in one study which
noted only “isolated clinical cases of irritation and/or
sensitization” and concluded “peppermint oil was not a
sensitizer when tested using maximization protocol.”
(Ref. 11)

Celebrate the many benefits of this wonderful,
invigorating essential oil.

Peppermint
15 ml. Order Code #3614

Notes
1. Gobel H, et,al., “effect of peppermint and eucalyptus
oil preparations on neurophysiological and experimental
algesimetric headache parameters,” Cephalagia.
1994 June; 14 (3):228-34; discussion 182.

2. Barker S, Raudenbush B, et al., “Improved
performance on clerical tasks associated with
administration of peppermint odor,” Percept Mot Skills.
2003 Dec;97(3 Pt 1):1007-10.
3. Samarth RM, Kumar A, “Radioprotection of Swiss
albino mice by plant extract Mentha piperita (Linn.),”
J Radiat Res (Tokyo). 2003 Jun;44(2): 1 0 1-9.
4. Samarth RM, Goyal PK, Kumar A, “Protection of Swiss
albino mice against whole-body gamma irradiation by
Mentha piperita (Linn.),” Phytother Res. 2004
Jul; 18(7):546-50.
5. Spirling LI, Daniels IR, “Botanical perspectives on
health peppermint: more than just an after-dinner mint,”
J R Soc Health. 2001 Mar;12 1(1):62-3.
6. Sparks MJ, et ai., “Does peppermint oil relieve spasm
during barium enema?” Br J Rudiol.
1995 Aug;68(812):841-3.
7- Liu JH, et al., “Enteric-coated peppermint-oil capsules
in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: a
prospective, randomized trial,” J GastroenteroL 1997
Dec;32(6):765-8.
8. Thompson Coon J, Ernst E, “Systematic review: herbal
medicinal products for non-ulcer dyspepsia,” Ailment
Pharmacol Ther. 2002 Oct; l6(lO): 1689-991
9. Mimica-Dukic N, et al,, “Antimicrobial and antioxidant
activities of three Mentha specie essential oils,”
Planta Med 2003 May:69(5):413-9.
10. Schuhmacher A, et al., “Virucidal effect of peppermint
oil on the enveloped viruses herpes simplex virus type 1
and type 2 in vitro,” Phytomedicine.
2003; 10(6-7):504- 10.
11. Nair B, “Final report on the safety assessment of
Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Mentha Piperita
(Peppermint) Leaf Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint)
Leaf, and Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Water,” .
2001;20 Suppl3:6 1-73.