How to use Peppermint Oil and Tea for IBS
Treating Constipation, Diarrhea, Bloating, and Gas with Peppermint
Article by Stefan Burns - Updated July 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most commonly experienced gut health problems, with 5-15% of the population in western countries having IBS. In fact IBS is the most common disease that gastroenterologists diagnose, and they might tell you that IBS will be with you for life, but that doesn’t have to be the case with a proper understanding of what IBS is and if you utilize the natural methods that help treat IBS.
There isn’t any single causal factor for IBS, the condition is defined by a general irritability and volatility of the digestive system, characterized by frequent and rapid shifts in digestive function and near constant abdominal pain and bloating. More women than men have IBS, and women with IBS may find that symptoms flare up during their periods. Three sub-types of IBS have been identified and they are:
IBS with constipation (IBS-C)
IBS with diarrhea (IBS-D)
IBS with mixed bowel habits (IBS-M)
To best treat gut health problems it’s helpful to understand the sequence of events that leads from what’s causing a gut health problem to the symptoms being experienced.
Causal Factors: IBS for example can be caused by lifestyle and emotional stress, anxiety & depression, food intolerances, gut dysbiosis (pathogenic microbiome), and a poor diet.
Altered Digestive Activity: These causal factors influence the activity of the gut-brain axis, gut motility (the transit of food through the digestive system), intestinal permeability (leaky gut), and the digestion of food.
Symptoms: With the functioning of the digestive system now disrupted, symptoms of IBS like constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating, lower abdominal pain, and cramps occur.
For IBS to be healed it’s important that the causal factors are addressed and that effective treatment options are used to favorably influence digestive activity and ease symptoms.
Peppermint, in the form of peppermint essential oil capsules and peppermint tea, are excellent treatment options for IBS because not only do they both ease the symptoms of IBS, they both help normalize gut motility, restore normal communication between the gut-brain axis, and reduce pathogens of the microbiome.
Gut motility, the gut-brain axis, and the microbiome are linked together, and the reason peppermint has shown good success in treating IBS is because it helpfully targets all three of these simultaneously.
This article covers the following:
What is peppermint and its health benefits
Why peppermint essential oil is useful for IBS and how to use it safely
Why peppermint tea is useful for IBS and how to use it most effectively
Read to the end to receive a 10% discount on the Holistic Gut Health Guide, the all-in-one gut health eBook that will help you solve your gut health problems once and for all!
What is Peppermint?
Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is a perennial herb native to Europe and now found and cultivated in many parts of the world such as North America and Asia. Peppermint is a hybrid of spearmint and water mint. Peppermint has a strong flavor and fragrance thanks to its high menthol content. The chemical constituents of peppermint vary depending on plant maturity, where it was grown, and its specific variety.
Peppermint leaves contain anywhere from 1-4% essential oil, and peppermint essential oil contains menthol (33–60%), menthone (15–32%), isomenthone (2–8%), 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol) (5–13%), menthyl acetate (2–11%), menthofuran (1–10%), limonene (1–7%), β-myrcene (0.1–1.7%), β-caryophyllene (2–4%), pulegone (0.5– 1.6%), and carvone (1%).
When using peppermint essential oil for IBS you’re working with the chemicals above, and using peppermint tea for IBS exposes you not only to the above essential oils but also phytochemicals like carotenoids, chlorophyll, tocopherols, polyphenols, and flavonoids in addition to vitamin and mineral micronutrients. Of particular importance for gut health are the polyphenol flavonoids like apigenin that peppermint contains, as flavonoids exert beneficial effects on the gut microbiome of the large intestine and therefore on the gut-brain axis, and this is useful because most symptoms of IBS originate from the large intestine. About 75% of all polyphenols and a significant amount of peppermint essential oils are extracted from peppermint leaves when brewed into a tea, making peppermint tea very useful for IBS and gut health problems in general.
Peppermint Health Benefits
Peppermint has a wide-range of health and wellness uses (see reference 3) because of the biologic properties it possesses. Notably peppermint is:
Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory: Peppermint is able to lessen inflammation locally or throughout the body depending on how it’s applied/used. Peppermint has this anti-inflammatory effect in part because it contains antioxidant compounds that bind to and neutralize inflammatory free radicals (highly reactive and unstable molecules).
Antitumor: Peppermint through its diverse array of active compounds like menthol exerts antitumor effects on the body through a variety of different chemical and cellular pathways. Peppermint is beneficially cytotoxic to cancer cells while not being harmful to healthy cells.
Antiallergenic: Peppermint has antiallergenic properties because it has an inhibitory effect on histamine release and suppresses the release of inflammatory compounds like leukotriene, prostaglandin, and interleukin. Leukotriene in particular triggers the contraction of smooth muscles which can alter gut motility.
Antimicrobial, antiviral, antifungal: Like many of herbs, peppermint limits the growth and replication of pathogens, viruses, and funguses. The antimicrobial action of peppermint is very useful for improving the gut microbiome because flavonoids, one of the main antimicrobial active constituents found in peppermint (and other herbs), limit the growth of bad endotoxin producing pathogens while promoting the growth of good symbiotic microorganisms like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria. Symbiotic microorganisms living in the large intestine metabolize flavonoids into biologically-useful secondary metabolites that improve the functioning of the gut-brain axis.
Together the digestive system and microbiome are the foundation of health from which everything else is dependent on.
The Holistic Gut Health Guide contains all the information you need to identify and understand the gastrointestinal and microbiome problems you may have while also providing you the most effective natural methods you can use to heal your gut. No gut health problems are unsolvable, give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
Some of the information in the Holistic Gut Health Guide isn’t common knowledge but when implemented it is highly effective in healing the gut and shifting the microbiome towards symbiosis. Give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
Peppermint Oil for IBS
Peppermint oil is an effective treatment option for IBS, particularly acute bouts of IBS, because peppermint oil naturally helps normalize gut motility by relaxing gastrointestinal smooth muscle tissues through blockade of cellular Ca2+ channels. What this means is that peppermint oil helps to restore regular and consistent peristaltic waves of smooth muscle activity in the digestive system.
IBS is characterized by digestive peristaltic waves that are ever changing. Sometimes these waves that move food through the gut are too frequent, other times they are too slow. The waves can also be too weak or too strong. What is desirable is for peristaltic waves to be regular and consistent in strength and frequency.
IBS is often treated with antispasmodic drugs, but research studies have shown that peppermint oil is as effective as antispasmodic drugs in treating IBS but better tolerated with less adverse events occurring. As a natural carminative (prevents gas formation, assists in the expulsion of gas), peppermint oil also reduces the very common IBS symptoms of bloating and gas and also significantly reduces abdominal pain from IBS
Peppermint Oil for Digestion
The small intestine has three sections, the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. The duodenum connects to the stomach and measures about twenty-five centimeters (ten inches) long. Ducts from the pancreas and gallbladder connect to the small intestine early at the duodenum so the digestive enzymes and bile they release may pass through the full length of the small intestine. Following the duodenum is the jejunum, the middle section of the small intestine, about one meter (three feet) long. The twists and folds of the small intestine really begin with the jejunum, and as the jejunum subtly transitions into the ileum these folds, twists, and projections increase. The ileum is the final section of the small intestine, which connects to the large intestine, about 1.8 meters (six feet) long. The ileum is thicker, more vascular, and has more developed mucus folds than the jejunum.
How food transits through the small intestine determines how well it is digested. Each section of the small intestine absorbs different nutrients, and if food is pushed through one section faster than optimal due to IBS, then food won’t be properly digested. For example if food is pushed through the duodenum faster than ideal, it won’t be mixed with fat-digesting bile as well as it could be, and fats will only be at best poorly digested and absorbed even if they spend long lengths of time in the jejunum and ileum..
By normalizing the bioelectrical activity and contractile waves of the gastrointestinal smooth muscle tissues, peppermint oil improves digestion and ensures that food spends the optimal length of time in each part of the digestive system.
Peppermint Oil for Bloating & Gas
Peppermint oil has been shown to reduce acute and chronic occurrences of bloating and indigestion, and peppermint also reduces abdominal pain and frequency in those who have dyspepsia (indigestion).
For reference, in a study where 96 people with functional dyspepsia were given 90 mg of peppermint oil plus 50 mg caraway oil twice daily, on average the study participants observed an average 40% reduction in pain intensity, 43% reduction in the sensation of pressure, heaviness and fullness, and 67% global improvement as compared to their baseline assessments. The efficacy of the peppermint + caraway oil treatment was unaffected by Helicobacter pylori, a bacteria which can cause gut health problems, which approximately 50% of patients suffering from functional dyspepsia have.
Peppermint Oil for GERD
In addition to improving digestion through normalizing gut motility and reducing bloating, gas, and indigestion, peppermint oil is also useful in treating acid reflux, clinically known as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). Peppermint oil helps with GERD for the same reason it improves gut motility, it works to relax smooth muscle activity.
Peppermint oil reduces multiphasic, spontaneous, and missed esophageal contractions while improving the amplitude and duration of these contractions. Notably peppermint oil completely eliminated simultaneous esophageal contractions. What this means is that peppermint oil reduced erratic all-over-the-place esophageal contractions and stabilized them back to regular consistent strong waves of activity.
Peppermint oil also helps normalize duodenal contractions, with 90 mg of peppermint oil relaxing the smooth muscle activity of the duodenum and stomach, reducing the frequency and duration of contractions in both parts of the digestive system. Altogether, peppermint oil is a useful treatment option for GERD that is effective and well-tolerated, causing adverse events very infrequently.
How to Take Peppermint Oil
Peppermint Essential Oil Capsules: There are a few ways to use peppermint oil for improving IBS. The first method is to use enteric coated-peppermint essential oil capsules during an acute bout of IBS symptoms, and you for chronic IBS it is useful to take these peppermint oil capsules daily on an empty stomach or with a very light meal.
I recommend Heather’s Tummy Tamers enteric-coated peppermint essential oil capsules, with each softgel containing 180 mg of high-grade peppermint essential oil in addition to ~20 mg each of digestion-friendly fennel (helps with gas) and ginger (helps with pain and nausea) essential oils. It’s extremely common for IBS to be caused in part by microbiome dysbiosis, and if you’re already going to be taking peppermint oil capsules daily for IBS, I recommend taking an oregano essential oil capsule at the same time. Oregano oil is an even more potent antimicrobial which will reduce pathogenic bacteria populations while supporting symbiotic bacteria populations.
Both of these essential oil supplements use sunflower oil as a carrier oil and are free of major allergens.
Peppermint Essential Oil: The other way peppermint essential oil can be used to help with IBS is by topically applying it to where pain is being felt, most commonly the lower part of the abdomen. This is how I typically use peppermint oil to improve digestion, I simply rub it in and enjoy the invigorating menthol effect while it kicks in, which takes about 15+ minutes.
Mountain Rose Herbs sells an organic peppermint essential oil which I use and recommend. BTW peppermint essential oil also makes for a good natural deodorant because it is naturally antimicrobial and has a strong pleasant aroma. Learn more by reading our underarm health guide.
Peppermint Oil Safety Considerations
Rarely peppermint oil can cause mild and transient adverse side effects like heartburn, dry mouth, belching, rash, dizziness, headache, and peppermint taste and smell. Making sure to take a peppermint oil capsule that is enteric-coated will reduce the chance of these side effects because the enteric coating will keep the pill intact during transit through the stomach before finally dissolving in the intestines.
The use of peppermint oil is not recommended in patients with bile duct, gallbladder and liver disorders. People with GI reflux, hiatal hernia, or kidney stones should be more cautious in using peppermint oil. Also avoid using peppermint oil if you you have a G6PD enzyme deficiency or take certain medications where the inhibition of enzyme CYP3A4 is problematic, please consult with your doctor.
Peppermint Tea for IBS
Peppermint Tea for Bloating, Gas, and Constipation
Most research has examined how peppermint oil can help with IBS and its symptoms, and peppermint tea is similarly effective in treating IBS and for improving digestion and gut health overall. Peppermint is one of the most popular single ingredient herbal teas, and most people know that drinking mint tea helps with gas and bloating.
You’ll consume less peppermint essential oil when drinking a peppermint tea than if using peppermint oil capsules, but the advantage of the tea is that you’ll consume valuable plant polyphenols like flavonoids. IBS is caused in large part by a bidirectional miscommunication between the nerves connecting the brain and gut, and this gut-brain axis as it is known is hugely impacted by the microbiome. Flavonoids are super beneficial for the microbiome, for improving gut health, and for overall wellness because:
Pathogens don’t tolerate the presence of flavonoids well and their populations will reduce if flavonoids are a constant presence in the diet
Symbiotic microorganisms like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria like flavonoids because they are able to metabolize them into secondary metabolites, and flavonoids support the growth of symbiotic microorganism populations.
Flavonoids and their secondary metabolites exert beneficial biologic effects throughout the body because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Flavonoids help aid in the repair of digestive linings, improve the gut-brain axis, fight cancer, improve cardiac health, normalize nervous system activity, and more. To learn more about flavonoids read about nature’s most powerful flavonoid - apigenin.
Peppermint tea will extract peppermint essential oil and flavonoids (among other useful phytochemicals) from peppermint leaves quite effectively, and if you are interested in brewing peppermint tea either by itself or in combination with other gut-healing herbs like dandelion and chamomile, I recommend purchasing organic peppermint leaves from Mountain Rose Herbs.
If experiencing an acute bout of IBS, prepare some peppermint tea and drink it over the course of 5-10 minutes for fast relief, and for help with chronic IBS you can drink peppermint daily, either once a day or multiple times per day. You can drink peppermint tea with a meal to help improve your digestion of that meal, or you can drink peppermint tea on an empty stomach for a stronger effect.
Peppermint isn’t the only herb useful for IBS and gut heath in general, learn more on how herbs help with gut health by clicking the button below.
Other Ways to Treat IBS
Peppermint essential oil and peppermint tea are very useful for treating IBS but they doesn’t address the root causes of IBS, which are typically stress, a poor diet, a pathogenic microbiome, or a combination of all of these. It’s very common to have leaky gut at the same time as IBS, and for the best success in treating IBS steps should be taken to heal digestive barriers and reduce intestinal permeability.
One of the best ways to accomplish these objectives and to return the digestive system to good health is via fasting. Fasting to reset the digestive system is one of my top recommendations to people who are experiencing gut health problems because it’s so effective in holistically treating the reasons why gut health problems exist in the first place. Fasting for 24-48 hours will provide noticeable relief from gut health problems, and highlight any changes and improvements that have taken place. There’s little guess work with fasting, it’s beneficial effect on the digestive system and overall health is felt and understood very clearly at the end of every fast, and this is invaluable.
I hope you found the information in this article on how to use peppermint to treat IBS useful, and if you really want to heal your gut then I recommend you continue your gut health and wellness education by purchasing the Holistic Gut Health Guide. Use the code PEPPERMINT10 for 10% off at checkout, and best of luck!
If you read all the way here then it’s clear to me that you’re ready to do what it takes to finally restore your digestive system and gut microbiome back to healthy and optimal function.
I wrote the Holistic Gut Health Guide to help you accomplish exactly this! It contains all the information that you need to understand the gastrointestinal system, gut-brain axis, and microbiome in-depth, and the Holistic Gut Health Guide also educates you on the natural methods you can holistically use together like fasting and herbalism to transform your health from the inside out.
I’m so excited to be able to help you along your gut health and overall wellness journey with the Holistic Gut Health Guide! Please contact me with any questions you have and wishing you the best.
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References:
Cleveland Clinic | Disease and Conditions. my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases
Khanna R, MacDonald JK, Levesque BG. Peppermint oil for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology. 2014;48(6):505-512.
McKay DL, Blumberg JB. A review of the bioactivity and potential health benefits of peppermint tea (Mentha piperita L.). Phytother Res. 2006;20(8):619-633.