9.19.2008

The Many Uses Of Peppermint Essential Oil


Peppermint Essential Oil is made by distillation of the flowering herb and is normally a pale yellow or greenish coloured liquid. When inhaled it can reduce a fever, relieve the feelings of nausea and vomiting, improve a person's digestion as well as soothe the respiratory system of the body.
There have been various studies performed which show the oils ability to improve a person's sense of taste and smell as well improve concentration levels and mental clarity in those that have inhaled the oil.


There are several ways in which peppermint essential oil can be used either by inhalation, rubbing on to the reflexology points on a person's feet, diffused into the air (spray) or drops poured into a therapeutic bath.


Below are provided some ways in which peppermint essential oil can be used.
Inhaled as steam for congestion relief. What you need to do is put a few drops of the oil into a large bowl of hot water and then you should place a towel over your head, lean over the bowl and inhale the steam that is rising from it.


Motion Sickness. Just place a few drops of peppermint essential oil on a tissue and inhale.
Headache. Put a few drops on to a cool wet towel and use as a compress on the forehead or you could massage it into the neck, back, temple and/or forehead (however do not forget to dilute with a carrier oil prior to placing on the skin).


Digestion. Place several drops of diluted oil (dilute with carrier oil) on to the stomach and massage it in. Or else you could just rub some pure oil onto the bottoms of your feet.
Breath Freshener. Just place several drops on your tongue.


Therapeutic Bath. Put several drops of the diluted oil into a tepid bath and it will help to relieve stomach problems, nasal congestion, headaches or menstrual cramps. However if you do not have any essential oil then get a cloth bag and fill with several handfuls of dried or fresh peppermint leaves and put in the water while you bathe.


It should be me remembered that caution should be taken when using any essential oil and they should be diluted with a carrier oil when being used externally to prevent any adverse reactions. Certainly a skin reaction may occur if the dosage used is excessive and it should be kept away from eyes at all times.


However, below are some precautions which you must take when you are using peppermint essential oil.


Be careful when giving it to children under the age of 5 as the menthol can cause them to react by choking.


Do not apply this oil to the faces of infants or small children.
At no times should peppermint essential oil be ingested unless it is under professional supervision.
Women who have a history of miscarriage should use peppermint essential oil with caution. Certainly large amounts of this essential oil may trigger a miscarriage and the same precautions should be taken by women who are breast feeding their babies.


There are a number of side effects associated with using peppermint essential oil and these are:-
If it is incorrectly used peppermint essential oil can cause dermatitis and other allergic reactions. For some people taking enteric coated capsules may have a rare reaction to the product such as skin rash, heartburn, slow heart rate and muscle tremors (and therefore this product must be avoided). Large ingested doses of peppermint essential oil may result in a person's kidney's becoming damaged.


It is advisable that at no time should you use peppermint essential oil in conjunction with any other homeopathic treatments.


Lee Dobbins writes for
http://essentialoils.health-g8way.com where you can learn more about essential oils and their uses as well as more about peppermint essential oil.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_Dobbins


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