An ingredient in the following Personal Inhalers:

No Head Ache™  /Stop Nausea ™   / Lung Power ™   /Immune Boost ™ 

M any of our Personal Inhalers provide vapor from the essential oil distilled from Mentha piperita (Peppermint Oil).  This essential oil is also called "e;Peppermint"e; for simplicity.  Various quotes appear below which describe opinions from different authors concerning the utility of Peppermint Oil.

Reference: Natural Health, March 2003, Vol. 33, Issue 2, p. 80.

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"e;The following oils may ease tension or migraine headaches.  Moisten your fingertips with one or two drops of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)essential oil blended with a so-called carrier oil such as sunflower oil, then massage your temples with a circular motion; repeat in the hollows at the sides of your eyes, behind your ears, and over your neck.  For a sinus headache, try the same techniques usingEucaluptus globulusor wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens).  For any headache, inhale a blend of lavender, rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis), and peppermint (Mentha piperita).

Reference: Alternative remedies for Common Ailments, Time Life, 1998, p. 63.

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 "e;The oil must often used to combat headaches and migraine isLavandula angustifulia.  Equally effective areChamaemelum nobile, M. piperita, O. basilicum, O. marjorana,andR. Officinalis.  The choice of oil may depend on the cause, for example, M. piperita works well on a headache caused by digestive disorders.  Inhalation from a tissue (or by other means) gives the speediest reaction, through massage of the neck and face, particularly the forehead (using two or three of the above oils in a carrier oil), gives the patient the additional relaxing and soothing benefits of massage."e;

"e;The effects of peppermint oil and eucalyptus preparations on neurophysiological, psychological and experimental algesimetric parameters were investigated in 32 healthy subjects in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized cross-over design.  Four different test preparations were applied to large areas of the forehead and temples using a small sponge and their effect was evaluated by comparing baseline and treatment measure.  The combination of peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil and ethanol increased cognitive performance and had a muscle-relaxing and mentally relaxing effect, but had little influence on pain sensitivity.  A significant analgesic effect with a reduction in sensitivity to headache was produced by a combination of peppermint oil and ethanol.  The essential plant oil preparations often used in empirical medicine can thus be shown by laboratory tests to expect significant effects on mechanisms associated with the pathophysiology of headache."e;

Reference: Gobel, H., et al., "e;Effect of peppermint and eucalyptus oil preparations on neurophysiological and experimental algesimetric headache parameters"e;,Cephalalgia,June 1, 1994, Vol. 14 (3), pp. 228-234.

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 "e;Aromatherapy may not seen so far-fetched if one considers how much of the brain is devoted to olfaction and that strong odors can induce a migraine almost instantly.  A double-blind study of healthy volunteers showed that an external application of peppermint extract raises pain threshold and has muscle-relaxing and mentally relaxing effects, whereas eucalyptus has claming and relaxing effects and improves cognative performance without analgesic effect.  A study done by the same group of researchers using peppermint oil for tension headaches showed positive results.  These studies give some scientific support to a variety of topical products being promoted for the treatment of headaches."e;

Reference: Mauskop MD, FAAN, Alexander, "e;Headache, Alternative therapies in headache.  Is there a Role"e;,Medical Clinics of North America, July, 2001, Vol. 85, No. 4.

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 "e;Peppermint/Mentha Piperita- Conditions to be used for:  indigestion, colic, gallstones, gingivitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and headache."e;

Reference: Warber MD, Sara L., et al., "e;Herbal Appendix"e;,Clinics in Family Practice, December 2002, Vol. 4, No. 4.

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 "e;Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of the aromatic or essential oils extracted from certain plants including lavender, peppermint, and chamomile.  The oils are used in very small quantities and administered in several ways including placing them in a bath, inhaled, on a pillow, or in massage oil.  An eight year study of 8,058 mothers using aromatherapy for labor care in British hospitals showed that these oils were effective for reducing anxiety, pain, and nausea and vomiting during labor."e;

Reference: Zick ND, MPH, Suzanna, "e;Pregnancy"e;,Clinics in Family Practice,December 2002, Vol. 4, No. 4.

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 "e;Peppermint oil is harmless and acts locally to inhibit GI smooth muscle contraction. ... Peppermint oil solution administered intraluminally can be used as an antispasmodic agent with superior efficacy and fewer side effects than hyoscine-N-butylbromide administered by intramuscular injection during upper endoscopy."e;

Reference: Hiki, N. et al., "e;Peppermint oil reduces gastric spasm during upper endoscopy:  a randomized, double-blind, double-dummy controlled trial"e;,Gastrointestinal Endoscopy,April 1, 2003, Vol. 57(4), pp. 475-482.

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 "e;Peppermint (Mintha piperita)is usually taken after a meal for its ability to reduce indigestion and colonic spasms by reducing the gastricolic reflex.  It is a naturally occuring hybrid cross between water mint (M. aquatica) and spearmint (M. spicata) and is best known for its role as a popular flavouring agent.  Less well recognized is peppermint's potential role in the management of numerous other medical conditions including certain procedures, e.g. colonoscopy.  With the growing popularity of herbal remedies, among both the public and medical practitioners, it would seem that now is an opportune time to consider further what peppermint has to offer the world of medicine."e;

Reference: Spirling, L.I., et al. "e;Botanical perspectives on health peppermint:  more than just an after-dinner mint"e;,Journal of the Royal Society of Health,March 1, 2001, Vol. 121 (1), pp. 62-63.

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Note to Our Customers: If you are aware of a relevant reference concerning the Essential Oils we are using, please bring it to our attention.  We will try to review it and may thereafter quote it on our website. It is very difficult to raise the substantial funding necessary to perform long-term, double-blind, scientific tests on the effectiveness of inhaled vapors from the distilled essential oils. Until those double-blind tests are completed, we wish to bring any relevant references to the attention of our customers. Thank you.