Peppermint Oil

Mentha piperita · Mentha x piperita · Enteric-coated peppermint oil

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
IBS global symptoms¹ IBS abdominal pain² Functional dyspepsia³ Chemotherapy-related nausea⁴ Tension headache⁵ Pressure injury prevention⁶	Hypersensitivity to menthol⁵ Gallstones or biliary disorders⁵ Children under 2 years⁵ Liver disease⁵

Peppermint oil is the essential oil taken from the flowering parts and leaves of Mentha piperita⁷. It relaxes gut smooth muscle by reducing calcium influx⁸. That antispasmodic effect drives use in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and, combined with caraway oil, in functional dyspepsia. Inhaled oil is used for chemotherapy-related nausea, and topical oil for tension headache⁵.

In IBS, meta-analyses favor enteric-coated peppermint oil over placebo for global symptoms and abdominal pain, though a 2022 analysis found more adverse events and very low-quality evidence^{1, 2, 9}. Trials split: a 2020 adult trial missed its regulator-recommended primary endpoints, and a 2026 pediatric trial found no benefit over placebo. A 2026 narrative review found peppermint oil the most effective botanical for IBS and the only plant-based therapy consistently acknowledged across adult and pediatric guidelines¹⁰. Products listing peppermint oil are mostly softgels and capsules, often enteric-coated to limit heartburn⁷; see Form comparison.

Per the European Union herbal monograph, heartburn or hiatal hernia can worsen with peppermint oil, and acid-suppressing medicines may dissolve the coating early, so the monograph advises against combining them⁵. Memorial Sloan Kettering lists cytochrome P450 substrates, felodipine, and cyclosporine as interactions of unknown clinical significance⁸.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

64 sources, 48 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources