Inhaling peppermint essential oil can offer a wide range of benefits. For one, it can help to improve mental focus and concentration. If you're feeling sluggish or struggling to focus, a few deep breaths of peppermint oil can help to sharpen your mind.
Peppermint oil is also a powerful decongestant, making it an ideal home remedy for colds, stuffy noses and congestion. Simply inhale the oil directly from the bottle or add a few drops to a diffuser to enjoy its clearing benefits.
Additionally, inhaling peppermint oil can help to ease headaches and tension by stimulating circulation and cooling the skin.
What is Peppermint Essential Oil Good for?
Peppermint essential oil is an incredibly versatile, natural resource that can offer health benefits ranging from indigestion relief to the prevention of bacterial infections. Additionally, it's easy to access and use in everyday life.
Peppermint essential oil comes from the peppermint plant Not only does peppermint essential oil provide you with a minty aroma, but it also brings along several health benefits as well.Â
The antispasmodic properties in peppermint oil relieve stomach bloating and discomfort, which makes it amazing for treating digestive issues like those present in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Even if you don't have an issue with your digestion, use peppermint oil to improve your alertness and invigorate your senses. It can help to open sinus passages too.
Peppermint can sometimes be associated or confused with its close relative, spearmint. However, while spearmint has more sweetness to it compared to the strong menthol fragrance of peppermint, they both boast a whole array of potential benefits that are just begging to be unlocked!
Benefits of Inhaling Peppermint Essential Oil
We are going to explore just what the benefits of inhaling mint oil are. To experience these benefits for yourself, simply inhale the oil deeply.
Nausea Relief
One of the most common applications for peppermint oil is as a nausea remedy. Whether you’re feeling nauseous from motion sickness or something you ate, inhaling peppermint oil can help ease your symptoms.
In fact, one study found that inhaling peppermint oil was as effective as an anti-nausea medication for nausea and vomiting.
If you’re feeling nauseous, simply place a few drops of peppermint oil on a cloth or tissue and inhale deeply. You can also add a few drops to your diffuser to help fill the room with its refreshing and uplifting scent.
For best results, inhale the oil slowly and steadily until your nausea subsides, an aromatherapy inhaler works perfect for this.
Tension Relief
When we’re feeling stressed, our muscles tend to tense up, which can lead to pain and discomfort. Luckily, peppermint essential oil can help relieve both stress and muscle tension. Inhaling the oil has been shown to decrease heart rate and blood pressure while also reducing levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
To use peppermint oil for stress relief, simply place a few drops on your hands and inhale deeply, avoid your eyes. You can also add it to your diffuser, try some of these peppermint diffuser blends.
For muscle tension, mix a few drops of the oil with a carrier oil like jojoba or coconut oil and massage it into your skin.
Fatigue Fighter
Whether you’re dealing with seasonal allergies or a cold, respiratory problems can leave you feeling fatigued. The menthol in peppermint oil acts as an expectorant, helping clear congestion and making it easier to breathe. This can give you the energy boost you need to power through your day.
Peppermint’s applications for alertness can be used for dealing with hangovers, but much more commonly you will see it used as an aromatherapy for people studying or working late.
For severe respiratory problems, seek medical attention immediately. If you have asthma, do not use this essential oil without first speaking to your doctor.
Cooling Properties
The feeling of peppermint is often described as being strangely cold. And there is a reason for that: Peppermint actually has an effect on the nerves and blood stream. It goes way deeper than just a feeling. The feeling is how your body registers what is happening to your senses.
To begin with, peppermint can do a lot to deal with inflammation. Whether it is in the nose, throat, or somewhere on the skin. The feeling of cold you get is from things constricting in response to the peppermint which means less inflammation, which can help with sore throats.
However, this sensation also helps boost alertness. An old cure for hangovers is using smelling salts, usually peppermint smelling salts, under a person’s nose. The feeling of their sinuses shrinking would alert them that something was happening, and they would wake up.
Respiratory Support
Peppermint essential oil provides a naturally soothing and effective way to support respiratory health. Not only can it help relieve flu-like symptoms, such as congestion and cough, but inhaling the oil can open up passages in the nose and sinus area when you’re feeling stuffed up.
Plus, it helps reduce general irritation that is common with colds. Peppermint oil comes from peppermint leaves and have a long history of being used for their therapeutic properties.
Try rubbing some diluted peppermint oil on your chest and back or adding a few drops to your diffuser to see if this age-old remedy gives you calming relief from flu symptoms.
Alertness
Even a drop of peppermint oil will make you alert, while the vapors of it will keep you awake when your body is running low on energy.
What sets peppermint’s effects of alertness apart from caffeine is that it reduces stress rather than adding to it. The reason why is pretty straightforward too, caffeine gives you energy. It is fake energy that you have to pay back by crashing later, but peppermint oil does not.
Instead, peppermint raises your awareness without actually energizing you. Obviously, there are benefits to getting even fake energy in the moment. But peppermint oil has its advantages.
So, peppermint oil reduces inflammation, boosts alertness, and reduces stress.
Topical Application of Peppermint Oil
Through topical applications, like soaps and creams, peppermint oil can offer treatment for muscle spasms and tension headaches. For scalp health, people can take advantage of a drop of peppermint oil combined with shampoo.
However, regardless of the use it's important to always educate yourself and never apply peppermint oil in high concentrations as its potency could cause side effects if used incorrectly.
Peppermint essential oil is an incredibly versatile fragrance, with a range of beneficial uses that can be taken advantage of.
How to Apply Peppermint Essential Oil
If you decide you want to apply peppermint essential oil to your skin, it is important to understand that peppermint oil is strong and concentrated. You do not want to apply it directly to affected areas.
For instance, peppermint oil can help deal with nasal irritation. But if you just shove it up your nose you will create a new problem of intense pain. Apply it outside on the neck or on the chest and it will do just fine.
You also don't want to apply it straight onto the skin, it must be diluted first with a carrier oil. The best oil for this is jojoba oil, mostly for its availability. Coconut oil and sweet almond oil work too.
Once diluted then you can apply it to your chosen area. Even then, if you find that the peppermint oil is too strong, then you might use additional carrying oil on the application site.
Final Thought on the Benefits of Inhaling Peppermint Oil
Peppermint oil is a powerful tool that you can get a lot out of just by breathing it in. Just be sure to apply it carefully so you do not make yourself uncomfortable. From headaches and nausea to fatigue and tension relief, inhaling peppermint oil can provide you with some powerful benefits.
The menthol in peppermint oil helps clear congestion and makes it easier to breathe which can give you an energy boost when you are feeling fatigued. You can even brew yourself a cup of peppermint tea to to gain additional digestive support!
Peppermint oil is also helpful in relieving muscle tension when used topically with a carrier oil like jojoba or fractionated coconut oil. As always, use caution if you have asthma or other respiratory problems.
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