The Benefits of the Use of Peppermint in Herbal Preparations

One of the reasons I chose peppermint for this thesis is because I have a love/hate relationship with this herb. I read in one book that you should always get to know and make friends with the herb you would like to use. When you are well acquainted with that herb then get to know another and that way your knowledge and experience will grow. I’m still working on making friends with my first herb.

For three years now I have tried to grow peppermint in my yard. It has died every year (even with the assurances from the greenhouse lady that NOBODY can kill peppermint!) I’m going to try again this year because I don’t give up easily. I think it has a better chance of surviving since I have done the research on this herb. My understanding of it has grown and I feel like this could be the beginning of a long and close friendship.

Migraine headaches have plagued me most of my life. When I was happy, when I wasn’t happy, when I ate well, when I ate wrong, when the sun shone, when it was cloudy, I would get miserable headaches. Nothing takes the fun out of going for a summer drive with your family, when you know you’ll come home with a headache and spend the rest of the day in bed. I looked for some common denominator that would explain why these headaches would come on, but I couldn’t seem to find an answer.

When I married and started my own family, these headaches would take days out of my life and my ability to care for my children suffered. (Thank goodness for thoughtful neighbors who would entertain my kids during those miserable days.)

Not being a person who trusted the medical profession, I knew there had to be an answer that wouldn’t lie with drugs that couldn’t address the real cause of the pain. I kept reading nutritional articles and magazines and began to think these debilitating headaches might be caused by allergies.

Armed with paper and pen, I began to journal the happenings around each headache. As patterns began to develop, I thought that maybe I could get a handle on this.

Meanwhile, my best friend, who also had as many headaches as I did, tried to convince me that the medicine her doctor had given her was the answer. We talked and commiserated with each other glad to know that someone else really understood how painful these headaches were. But I just couldn’t justify that the first side effect from her prescription medicine was “headache.” I thought that was what we were trying to get rid of.

I kept on journaling and noticed that I did have more control over the frequency of my headaches if I watched what I ate. I also did better if I stayed out of the wind. Feeling like I was getting on top of this problem, I asked my friend if she would be interested in doing some detective work into her headaches. She said no because she knew her doctor was taking good care of her and doing what should be done.

The older (and wiser) I got, the fewer headaches I had, while hers seemed to remain the same.

I had the opportunity one day to attend a class on essential oils. The teacher talked about how she used peppermint oil for her headaches. If she got a headache at home she would make herself a cup of peppermint tea besides rubbing the oil on her forehead. Boy, was I excited!

Of course, I purchased the oil and anxiously awaited my next headache! When the familiar blurring of my vision started I wasn’t at home so I couldn’t make any tea, but I got the oil out of my purse and rubbed it straight onto my forehead. It stung and my eyes watered, but I knew I would be okay, and I was. I was able to finish my tasks and drive home because I could see. My vision had cleared up in a lot shorter time than usual and my stomach wasn’t quite so queasy.

I promptly told my experience to my friend, but she still wasn’t interested in anything as simple as one single herb doing what prescription medicine couldn’t.

Years have gone by and I have a handle on my migraines now. The minute I feel the familiar warning signals start, I grab the peppermint. It has allowed me to stay at my work to finish the day after a headache begins. The happy ending to this story is that my friend finally became convinced of the effectiveness of this herb and has her own arsenal of oil and tea.

We both teach school across the hall from each other and we were doing a combined class activity. Unbeknownst to each other, we both used our peppermint oil that morning. When all the students were assembled into my classroom, one student turned to another and said they would like to know what kind of toothpaste the teachers used because it was the strongest kind they had ever smelled. We still get a chuckle over that remark.

Another experience with peppermint that has had a positive effect on my life came about through a thoughtful and watchful friend.

I was under a great deal of stress and not handling it well at all. I thought I was getting through my days without anyone noticing the struggle I was having. Time went by and the only change that was happening was that I was feeling worse about myself and my situation daily. This dear friend took the time to notice my plight and suggested that we have a tea party.

I agreed reluctantly because frankly, I had forgotten how to relax and feel good about doing trivial things. When the day came for our social, I walked into her kitchen and the smell of peppermint nearly knocked me over! On her table were two fancy teacups on saucers, beautiful spoons, a small plate of cookies and a candy peppermint on the side of the saucers. I couldn’t help but smile because the aroma was so strong. As we sat and visited, the first sip of tea was really strong with peppermint flavor. We were drinking regular peppermint tea, but she had melted two peppermint candies in it to make sure there was enough flavor. I could hardly keep from laughing when I asked her what the green pieces in the cookies were, and she proudly announced that they were peppermint leaves (besides peppermint extract). We finished our tea and cookies and were eating our after dinner mints when I asked her where she had gotten her idea for this great treat.

She proudly replied that she had read somewhere that peppermint can lift some ones spirits and so she thought she would give it a try. Not knowing how much peppermint to use, she put it into everything she made.

The funny thing was that it really did work. I could see the humor in what she had done for me and was able to turn my thinking around. Whenever I feel myself getting stressed now, I get out my peppermint oil bottle, inhale some and picture her wide smile as she tried to cure me with peppermint. Such memories are priceless and continue to work.

As I finish typing this paper, I am thinking about going to the nursery to purchase my peppermint plant for this year. Armed with all this new information and strong resolve that it won’t die again, I smile to myself as I make sure I have enough money to buy TWO plants (just to make sure!)