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Open Source Apothecary At Home / The herbs
The most useful gut herb in the kitchen — and the one whose useful form is not the tea. — Mentha x piperita
remedyPeppermint (Mentha x piperita) is a sterile hybrid of watermint and spearmint, which is why it spreads by runners rather than seed and why every peppermint you grow is effectively the same clone.
The gut evidence is real, and it is about the oil rather than the tea. Meta-analyses support enteric-coated peppermint oil reducing IBS symptom severity, through menthol's antispasmodic action on smooth muscle. The enteric coating is the active detail: it delays release past the stomach, which is why the same oil helps the gut instead of causing heartburn. Uncoated oil relaxes the lower oesophageal sphincter and worsens reflux.
Peppermint tea is a pleasant, mild carminative and a useful vehicle for stopping for ten minutes. It delivers far less menthol than an enteric capsule, and the trials are not on the tea.
The species distinction matters. Peppermint is menthol-dominant and spearmint is carvone-dominant. They are different plants with different evidence, and a claim attached to one does not belong to the other.
The rule people break. Peppermint oil is not a general-purpose remedy to be applied to skin, swallowed from a dropper, or used on an infant. On the face of a young child it can cause apnoea. In reflux it makes things worse.
Peppermint oil was superior to placebo for the treatment of IBS, but adverse events were more frequent, and quality of evidence was very low.PubMed 35942669 ↗
Future studies should assess the long-term efficacy and safety of peppermint oil and its efficacy relative to other IBS treatments including antidepressants and antispasmodic drugs.PubMed 24100754 ↗
Evidence-based therapy in IBS provides a number of effective treatment options beyond the fact that many novel compounds under development have failed to reach the market.PubMed 21389791 ↗
The role of peppermint oil in the symptomatic treatment of IBS has so far not been established beyond reasonable doubt.PubMed 9672344 ↗
The reduction of IBS-associated symptoms in FD patients suggests Menthacarin as a treatment option for IBS patients.PubMed 29728848 ↗
In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: 5HT(3) receptor antagonists (alosetron and ramosetron), 5HT(4) receptor agonists (tegaserod), antidepressants (tricyclic antidepressants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors [SSRIs]), antispasmodics (including peppermint oil), cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), hypnotherapy, loperamide, and soluble and insoluble fibre supplementation.PubMed 22296841 ↗
| | | |---|---| | Life | Perennial, herbaceous | | Propagation | Division or cuttings — hybrid seed does not come true | | Light | Full sun to part shade | | Soil | Any; tolerates clay better than most herbs | | Spacing | 30-45 cm, but containment matters more than spacing | | Containment | Essential — sink a pot to the rim, or dedicate a bed | | Harvest | Top third, before flowering, repeated | | First harvest | The same season | | Dry | Shade, ambient, moving air — never heat |
Divide crowded pots every year or two to keep vigour, and cut back hard after flowering to force new leaf. Two to four cuts a season is normal from an established stand. The volatile-oil content varies across the season; smell a sprig before and after flowering and the difference is not subtle.
Tea (leaf) — 1-2 teaspoons of dried leaf per cup, just-boiled water, steep covered 5-10 minutes. Cover the cup: the compounds you want are the ones that leave with the steam.
Enteric-coated oil (for IBS) — commercial enteric-coated capsules, as directed. Do not open them; the coating is the mechanism. Neat oil from a dropper is not a substitute.
Topical oil (tension headache, muscle) — a 2-3% dilution in a carrier oil. Keep away from the face of infants and young children, and away from eyes and broken skin.
Fresh leaf — young leaves are milder. Crush before steeping to release more oil.