Top 12 Impressive Health Benefits of Peppermint

Peppermint is one of the first herbs that Europeans use for medicinal purposes. This versatile ingredient is truly amazing with the ability to treat countless of ailments, ranging from digestive problems, skin conditions to colds and flu and their symptoms.

The most outstanding compound that gives peppermint its benefits is menthol. The antimicrobial properties and cooling effects it does for our body are also worth mentioning.

In this article, we provide some impressive health benefits of peppermint.

1. Improve digestive health

This is probably the most famous and long-known benefit of peppermint. Peppermint promotes healthy bowel movements, relaxes the intestines and soothes the muscles of the digestive tract. Almost all common digestive problems like diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome,  indigestion and constipation can be straightened out with peppermint.

So next time if you suffer from above problems with your digestive system, make yourself peppermint tea twice a day or take 1 or 2 peppermint oil capsule to ease the problem in no time.

2. Enhance immune system

Rich in antibacterial properties, peppermint is able to reduce the risk of getting colds and flu. High concentration of antioxidants and calcium also strengthens the body’s ability to absorb nutrients and fight against diseases.

3. Relieve muscle pains

Another amazing benefit of peppermint is that it can act as a painkiller and relieve muscle spasms. This is the reason why massaging sore muscles with some peppermint oil is widely employed amongst sports players and therapists.

4. Treat skin conditions

Antimicrobial and antiseptic properties in peppermint make it a frequent ingredient in many beauty products. Not only nourishing the skin and improving skin tone, when applied topically, peppermint provides a calming and soothing effect on skin conditions such as acnes or hives.

5. Treating cold and flu

Menthol – the main active agent in peppermint is an excellent decongestant and expectant which alleviate the symptoms of colds and flu quickly and promote the healing process. Peppermint is also a great immunity booster, which contributes to its ability to treat colds and flu.

6. Cure headaches and migraines

Peppermint, especially peppermint oil is proved to have an impressive benefit on relieving headaches and migraines without causing any side effect. This amazing benefit of peppermint can be attributed to its high concentration of anti-inflammatory properties and cooling effect on the skin. When you have headaches, apply peppermint oil across the forehead and on the temples, you can feel better in no time.

7. Nourish the hair

Peppermint gives a refreshing sensation to the head and removes dandruff and lice very effectively. By improving the blood circulation to the scalp, peppermint provides a solution to many hair conditions such as baldness, dry skin, thus enhancing the overall healthy hair growth.

8. Freshen the breath and improve oral health

If anyone has symptoms of onion breath, then peppermint is truly a life-saver. The strong mint taste of peppermint has been trusted for over 1,000 years to freshen the breath. Several studies proved that peppermint can prevent the building of biofilm that causes cavities, better than the mouthwash chemical chlorhexidine. To enjoy this amazing benefit of peppermint, drop 1 or two drops to your toothpaste and mouthwash.

9. Nausea and vomiting

These are two common and unpleasant symptoms of many health conditions, and peppermint again comes to the rescue. Because of its soothing and calming effects, inhaling peppermint oil is one of the quickest ways to combat nausea and motion sickness. This benefit is also trusted to treat chemotherapy-induced nausea in cancer patients.

10. Improve respiratory problems

As mentioned earlier, peppermint can act as an effective decongestant to clear your airways. Menthol in peppermint, as an expectorant can immediately provide relief from several respiratory problems such as asthma, sinusitis, bronchitis, coughing.

11. Relieve stress

Peppermint is very popular aromatherapy because it can act as a sedative. When combined with the antispasmodic nature of menthol, peppermint is perfect to reduce mental stress. Its soothing effects help calm the nerves and deeply relax your mind.

12. Energize the body

Peppermint makes an excellent alternative to those toxic energy drinks out there. It helps increase focus on cognitive tasks, enhance the concentration of the brain. So next time when you want to grab a can of energy drink, take a few whiffs of peppermint oil instead. You will feel energized and focus instantly.

Conclusion

Above are some of the amazing health benefits you can get from peppermint. We hope to show you enough reasons to always store peppermint essential oil in your cabinet and peppermint leaves in your fridge for the wellbeing of your family.

About the Author:

This article is written by Ashley Bennet, a co-owner of AuthorityRemedies. She has worked and trained in the field of Nutrition and Health for over 3 years, consistently providing people with useful information about nutrition as well as helping them with their common health problems.