Page 10 - Pharmacognosy 02-06203

Taste: aromatic followed by cold sensation.

Constituents:

1. The chief constituent of peppermint is volatile oil (about 0.7-1.5 % up to 4%).
The chief constituents of the oil are: Menthol (50-60 %), Menthone (9-12 %), etc….
2. It contains also flavonoids, condensed tannins (6-12 %), and other constituents.

Action and Uses:

Peppermint is used as:

- Carminative (Antiflatulence).
- Flavouring agent (Pharmaceutical aid in Tooth pastes, pastels, shaving creams, etc... in

addition to herbal pharmaceutical preparations as antispasmodics, cough preparations,
laxatives, anti-diarrhoea, mouth washes and gargles, anti-rheumatic, etc..).
- In Aromatherapy.

Other actions as seen from therapeutic pharmaceutical preparations:
- Peppermint oil is used in the treatment of Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS, irritable colon).
- Pure menthol and menthone and other terpenes are used in the treatment of small
cholesterol gallstones (long term treatment).
- Menthol has skin-penetration enhancing properties (in anti-rheumatic preparations).
- Menthol possesses Choleretic effect.

Warnings / Precautions:

The oil should be avoided for small children.
Avoid use of the oil in pregnancy because of emmenagogue effects.
The oil is very highly irritant, so should be taken as enteric-coated capsules and should be avoided
by patients with digestive ulcers, gastric reflux and ulcerative colitis.

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