Peppermint, or Mentha piperita, is native to Europe and Asia, although it now grows wild in North America. The peppermint herb contains a combination of two other types of mint, water mint and spearmint. The leaves and stems of the peppermint plant contain menthol, which is often used as a treatment for a variety of stomach ailments. Although alternative and complementary medical practices have been used safely for centuries, discuss any herbal supplementation with your health care provider prior to use.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Studies published in the "Digestive and Liver Disease" journal in 2007 and the "British Medical Journal" in 2008 found that peppermint may help reduce certain symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), such as stomach pain, bloating, gas and diarrhea. In these studies, peppermint was given in enteric-coated capsules, which prevent the peppermint from being released in the stomach. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), 75 percent of the people who took peppermint capsules experienced a reduction in symptoms.
Indigestion
Peppermint can calm your stomach muscles and nerves and improve the flow of bile, which is a digestive fluid that allows you to digest fats. This action of peppermint allows food to pass through the stomach more quickly, which can reduce symptoms of indigestion, including bloating, nausea, heartburn and belching.
Dosage
For the treatment of IBS, the UMMC recommends that adults take 1 to 2 enteric-coated peppermint capsules 2 to 3 times per day. Peppermint tea may also help improve digestive symptoms. When taking peppermint as a tea, steep 1 tsp. of dried peppermint leaves in a cup of boiling water for approximately 10 minutes, and drink a cup 4 to 5 times per day between meals. Peppermint tea is considered safe even in large doses.
Peppermint should never be given to children. It can cause life-threatening reactions in infants and an increase in symptoms in young children.
Warnings
If you have gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, you should not take peppermint. Peppermint signals the muscles of the lower esophageal sphincter to relax, allowing stomach contents to flow backward from the stomach into the esophagus. This mechanism can exacerbate the symptoms of GERD and worsen the condition.
Large doses of peppermint oil can be toxic, so it is important to avoid ingestion of pure menthol. Some types of peppermint oil are prepared for topical use only.
