11 Mar Essential Oil for Real Life: Peppermint
Spring is a time for renewal… for starting fresh… the seeds of hope and change you have planted in your life can manifest, blooming full and glorious. Peppermint is revitalizing, energizing and refreshing and that’s why it’s the essential oil for real life for March.
Peppermint is actually a hybrid, the mix of spearmint and watermint, it is the most pungent of mints and has a long history of medicinal use. Archaeologist have found evidence placing the use of peppermint as far back as ten thousand years ago. It is European in descent, but is now grown all around the world. Peppermint is most commonly used to soothe and treat stomach ailments including nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, indigestion, irritable bowel, and bloating… but the benefits don’t end there!
Peppermint Essential Oil:
- revives depleted energy – making it a perfect essential oil for spring
- enhances positivity
- mentally stimulating
- eases tension
- cools muscle aches and pains
- increases alertness and stamina
Uses of Peppermint Essential Oil
Peppermint Oil is steam distilled and very intense, the aroma is generally familiar and pleasant to most. Peppermint Essential Oil contains menthol and is a moderate skin sensitizers – it should be avoided in baths for everyone and in massage for folks with sensitive skins.
Some of the more popular uses of peppermint essential oil are:
- Improve mental concentration- vaporize equal amounts of peppermint and rosemary
- For fatigue – rub 1 drop of peppermint and 1 drop of myrtle on your temples
- Treat nausea – simply inhale peppermint oil from a tissue
- Soothe tummy aches – add 3 drops of peppermint essential oil to a warm cup of your favorite tea
- Revitalize skin – mix 10 drops of peppermint oil in a cup a sugar and use as an exfoliate in the shower
Characteristics of Peppermint Essential Oil
- Botanical Name: Mentha piperita
- Common Method of Extraction: Steam Distilled
- Part Typically Used: Leaves and Flowers/Buds
- Color: Clear with a Yellow Tinge
- Consistency: Thin
- Perfumery Note: Top
- Strength of Initial Aroma: Strong
- If you find peppermint to strong – you can substitute spearmint essential oil
Peppermint Essential Oil Blend to Relieve Sore Muscles
- 2 drops Peppermint Essential Oil
- 4 drops Rosemary Essential Oil
- 4 drops Black Spruce Essential Oil
- Carrier Oil
Mix all ingredients and rub into affected area 3 times a day
Precaution: Peppermint oil should be used sparingly, mixed with a carrier oil for folks with sensitive skin