PEPPERMINT (Overground parts) Mentha piperitaÂ
Peppermint Essential Oil has a fresh, bright and minty aroma, is clear to 
pale yellow in colour, refreshing and invigorating, useful in inhalations to clear the head and aid concentration.
This cooling and refreshing Essential Oil is used in aromatherapy to stimulate the mind, increase mental agility and to increase focus, while cooling the skin, reducing redness and calming irritation and itchiness.
It furthermore helps to ease spastic colon, migraine, headaches, sinus and chest congestion and boosts the digestive system.
Peppermint oil is excellent for mental fatigue and depression, refreshing the spirit and stimulating mental agility and improving concentration. It helps for apathy, shock, headache, migraine, nervous stress, vertigo and faintness and in general respiratory disorders, as well as dry coughs, sinus congestion, asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, tuberculosis and cholera.
For the digestive system, Peppermint oil is effective for a range of ailments, as it stimulates the gall bladder and the secretion of bile. It is used for colic, cramps, dyspepsia, spastic colon, flatulence and nausea and can relieve pain in cases of toothache, aching feet, rheumatism, neuralgia, muscular pains and painful periods.
On the skin, Peppermint Essential Oil is used to relieve skin irritation and itchiness and also helps to reduce skin redness, where inflammation is present. It is used for dermatitis, acne, ringworm, scabies and pruritus and also relieves itching, sunburn and inflammation of the skin, while at the same time having a cooling action.
Peppermint Essential Oil has cooling, invigorating, clearing, refreshing and antiseptic properties. It is refreshing to the nasal passages when used as an inhalant it is useful as an insect repellent and is a good oil for use when travelling.
Peppermint Essential Oil blends well with
Although most essential oils blend well with one another, peppermint oil blends particularly well with Benzoin, Bergamot, Chamomile Roman, Eucalyptus, Lavender, Lemon, and Rosemary.
Therapeutic properties
The therapeutic properties of peppermint oil are analgesic, anesthetic, antiseptic, antigalactagogue, antiphlogistic, antispasmodic, astringent, carminative, cephalic, cholagogue, cordial, decongestant, emmenagogue, expectorant, febrifuge, hepatic, nervine, stimulant, stomachic, sudorific, vasoconstrictor and vermifuge.
Therapeutic properties explained
Chemical composition
The chemical components of peppermint oil are menthol, menthone, 1,8-cineole, methyl acetate, methofuran, isomenthone, limonene, b-pinene, a-pinene, germacrene-d, trans-sabinene hydrate and pulegone.
Extraction
Unicorn Aromatherapy’s Peppermint Essential Oil originates in India and is extracted from the whole plant above ground just before flowering. The oil is extracted by steam distillation from the fresh or partly dried plant and yields 0.1 – 1.0 %.
Precautions
Peppermint oil is non-toxic and non-irritant in low dilutions, but sensitization may be a problem due to the menthol content.
It can cause irritation to the skin and mucus membranes and should be kept well away from the eyes. It should be avoided during pregnancy and should not be used on children under the age of three.
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