It is a natural remedy for irritable bowel syndrome, stomach cramps, bloating, and even helps to control excess wind.
But now, peppermint oil is emerging as a potential key player in lowering blood pressure.
Researchers from the University of Lancashire have found that a daily dose of the oil – which is sold in capsules or as droplets to be diluted – could offer a low-cost way to help tackle the condition that blights millions of Britons.
Around one in three UK adults – roughly 16million people – live with high blood pressure, which can lead to dangerous complications like heart attack and stroke.
Recent research has also linked the condition – also known as hypertension – to kidney failure and even vascular dementia.
Several lifestyle factors can increase the risk of developing it, including being overweight, smoking, lack of exercise and a diet high in salt.
But the new study, published in the journal PLOS One, found that peppermint oil supplements – which costs as little as £10 for a 90-day supply – may be a surprising remedy.
In a trial of 40 adults it was uncovered that in those with above average blood pressure, a daily intake of 100 microlitres of peppermint oil – split twice daily over 20 days – drastically reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels.
Peppermint oil is now emerging as a potential key player in lowering blood pressure
Systolic blood pressure is the top number in a reading and measures the pressure exerted against artery walls when the heart beats.
Diastolic blood pressure, on the other hand, is the lower number and measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart rests between beats.
Healthy blood pressure on average is anything below systolic blood pressure at 120 millimetres of mercury (mmHg) and diastolic blood pressure at 80 mmHg. This is written as 120/80.
The treatment was tested on 40 participants aged between 18 and 65, who were split into two groups: one given peppermint oil and the other a peppermint–flavoured placebo drink containing no peppermint oil.
At the start of the study, the peppermint group had an average blood pressure of 130.05/83.25 mmHg, while the placebo group averaged 130.93/83.20 mmHg.
By the end of the trial, the peppermint group’s systolic blood pressure had fallen from 130.1 mmHg to 121.97 mmHg, while the placebo group’s rose slightly from 130.93 mmHg to 131.05 mmHg.
Diastolic blood pressure in the peppermint group also fell from 83.25 mmHg to 78.52 mmHg, compared with almost no change in the placebo group, which shifted from 83.20 mmHg to 83.05 mmHg.
This left the peppermint oil group with a rounded blood pressure of 122/79, while the placebo group were left with 131/83.
Dr Jonnie Sinclair, the study’s lead author and reader in sport and health sciences at the University of Lancashire, said, ‘High blood pressure is one of the biggest causes of heart disease and death worldwide, and it costs a huge amount of money to treat.
‘Although medicines are commonly used to treat it, it’s not always clear how well they work in the long term, and they can cause unwanted side effects.’
The researchers cautioned that their study was carried out over a short period of time, and with a small group of participants.
But, Dr Sinclair added: ‘Our findings were very positive and they have significant clinical implications, especially given arterial hypertension is the most common preventable risk factor for cardiometabolic disease and the greatest single risk factor for global mortality.
‘Peppermint oil is low in calories and price so it’s proved to be a very simple and cost–effective solution to potentially treat millions of people around the world.’
The NHS say peppermint oil – which can also be consumed when diluted via liquid through droplets – can be useful for a number of reasons, including relaxing bowel muscles – which can relieve stomach cramps, and ease bloating and flatulence.
Its effects can begin within a few hours but the full benefits sometimes take between one and two weeks.
While they advise to ‘keep taking peppermint oil until your symptoms improve’, the NHS warn that people should not take it for longer than two weeks without checking with a doctor, particularly if it has been bought from a pharmacy or a shop.
