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Peppermint, Mentha × piperita. Botanical plate: Mentha × piperita - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-095
Plate: Mentha × piperita - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-095. Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen. Public domain.

Peppermint

Mentha × piperita · 薄荷

Herbs & Roots. Western & European and Chinese Medicine.

Also called Brandy mint, Black peppermint, Bo he

Pinyin: Bò Hé

Spanish: Menta

Can worsen heartburn

Peppermint is a mint whose leaves and oil are used mainly for irritable bowel symptoms and tension headaches.

Did you know? Menthol in peppermint activates the same cold-sensing nerve receptor (TRPM8) that feels cool air, so your skin feels cold even when nothing is colder.

What it may help, and how strong the proof is

  • Digestion & gut health. Enteric-coated peppermint oil eases irritable bowel symptoms in several randomized trials and meta-analyses.
    Good proof
  • Pain & headaches. Peppermint oil rubbed on the forehead eased tension headaches in small trials.
    Early proof
  • Nausea & upset stomach. Tea and the smell are used for nausea, but the evidence is thin.
    Traditional proof

Parts of the body

Gut & intestines, Stomach, Nerves & pain

Traditional use

Western herbalists used peppermint for indigestion, gas, and colds. In Chinese medicine, bo he is a cool, aromatic herb used to release wind-heat, often early in colds and sore throats.

How it is classified

Herbal actions
Carminative, Antispasmodic, Analgesic. Energy: cooling.
Chinese medicine
薄荷 Release the exterior. Nature: cool. Flavour: pungent. Enters the Lung and Liver channels.

How people take it

Tea is made from dried leaves. Enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules, 450 to 750 mg a day, were used in many IBS trials. Diluted oil can be rubbed on the temples or forehead for headaches.

Tea, capsule, essential oil and topical.

Where to get it

Grows in damp places and is widely cultivated worldwide. It is a hybrid of watermint and spearmint. Sold as dried leaf, tea bags, enteric-coated oil capsules, and essential oil.

Be careful

Heartburn is the most common side effect, so it may not suit people with reflux. Essential oil must be diluted and should never be swallowed in large amounts. Strong menthol oil on a baby's face can cause breathing trouble.

Avoid if: heartburn; hiatal hernia; young children (oil).

Mixing with other things

  • Works well together

    Often added to cold and fever teas with elderflower.

  • Works well together

    Both are in STW 5 (Iberogast), a European stomach blend.

  • Works well together

    Both are in STW 5 (Iberogast), a European stomach blend.

  • Works well together

    Both are in STW 5 (Iberogast), a European stomach blend.

  • Works well together

    Both mints are used together in tea blends.

  • Works well together

    Common in old cold and fever tea blends.

  • Works well together

    Both are used in digestive teas for gas and bloating.

  • Works well together

    Both are used in soothing tea blends.

  • Works well together

    Often combined in steam and chest rub blends.

  • Works well together

    Also in Yin Qiao San, where mint helps release the outer layer of the body.

  • Works well together

    Cang Er Zi San (Xanthium Powder) pairs magnolia flower with peppermint and angelica root for a stuffy, blocked nose.

  • Works well together

    A common pairing in soothing digestive teas.

Found in these formulas

Free & Easy Wanderer (TCM), Honeysuckle & Forsythia (TCM)

The honest take

Peppermint oil has the strongest evidence in this list for easing irritable bowel symptoms. Its evidence for headaches and nausea is smaller. Claims that it boosts energy or clears toxins are not supported.