JaanYar
Chapter 1 of 15

Peppermint

The Essentials

A flowering peppermint plant in a garden bed, toothed dark green leaves in pairs along square stems topped with pale flower spikes
Peppermint (na'na felfeli) grows as a spreading plant of toothed leaves on square stems — crush one leaf to know it.

Enteric-coated peppermint oil is the best-supported non-prescription therapy for irritable bowel syndrome — trials pooled together show it eases overall IBS symptoms and abdominal pain.

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The cooling aroma of menthol is the classical Persian remedy for a queasy stomach, a heavy head, and a bloated evening.

Peppermint tea is the household form. Enteric-coated capsules are the therapeutic form. Concentrated essential oil (the concentrated aromatic oil of the plant) is external only.

What Else to Know

Peppermint relaxes the lower oesophageal sphincter, the muscle at the top of the stomach — the very action that helps IBS is the one that can worsen reflux (GERD).

Culinary and tea use is deeply safe. The essential oil isn't for internal use undiluted and not applied to the face or chest of infants.

You probably know peppermint (Mentha × piperita) by its clean, cooling smell. This natural hybrid of watermint and spearmint is rich in menthol, which helps explain why it feels cooling, opening, and relaxing when the stomach is upset, bloated, or the head feels tense. In Persian kitchens, it has an easy place in tea, yogurt drinks, and herb plates.