Menthol Peppermint Oil  

Mentha arvensis Linn. family Lamiaceae, it is used as a food seasoner, household remedy, and industrial purposes it is traditionally used in hypertension and in patients with ischemic heart disease. Juice of leaves is given in diarrhea and dysentery. The leaves medicinally used for stomach problems and allergy. It is also used for the treatment of liver and spleen disease, asthma and jaundice. The infusion of these leaves is used in indigestion, rheumatic pains, arthritis, and as remedy for inflamed joints. Menthol derived from its essential oil is used in pharmaceutical, perfumery, and food industries. Menthol is antiseptic, carminative, refrigerant, stimulant and diuretic in properties and is used against skin infections. It has been reported to possess diverse medicinal properties, and hence there is a need to explore its medicinal properties to support the traditional claim.

Oil is extracted from the leaves of the Field Mint or Pudina plants using the steam distillation process. The pale yellow essential oil has a bitter-sweet minty aroma. The principal constituents of this oil include Camphene, Menthol, Menthone, Neomenthol, l-menthol, Pinene and Limonene. This oil is used for various medicinal purposes; however, it is not use in homeopathic treatments. The Mint leaves can work as blood cleanser with their antibacterial and antiseptic properties. It can alleviate mouth ulcers, toothache and swollen gum. Fresh leaves can cure headache and dizziness. Mint leaves can relief arthritis and joint pains. The leaf infusion helps in curing health disorders like dysmenorrheal, stomachache and diuresis. These plants have antispasmodic and anesthetic properties. Having expectorant properties makes it beneficial for cough, cold, sore throat and fever. The oil extraction of these plants cures various skin problems like acne, ulcer and boils. The oil is beneficial for the nervous system.

There are diverse edible and medicinal uses of the leaves and essential oil of these plants. The mint flavored leaves are used as herb in various cuisines. Sometimes raw leaves are added to salads and other preparations to add flavor to the food. Fresh or dried leaves are used to make herbal tea. Fresh leaves are also used to make chutneys. The oil extracted from these plants is used as a flavoring agent for beverages and sweets.

Mentha arvensis oil is used in soaps, perfumes and other cosmetic products. It is also used as a fragrance element in detergents. This oil is used in aromatherapy. The leaves as well as the oil of these plants are used in toothpastes and mouthwashes. These leaves are also used as insect repellant.

COMMON USAGE

·        Improves digestion

·        Dental care

·        Nail care

·        Relieves headache

·        Reduces spasms

·        Treats urinary tract infection

·        Treats respiratory problems

·        Reduces pain

·        Boosts immunity

·        Improves blood circulation

·        Hair care

·        Skin care

Ingredients:

TOXICOLOGICAL INFORMATION

Safety Summary

·        Hazards May be choleretic; mucous membrane irritation.

·        Contraindications (all routes): Cardiac fibrillation, G6PD deficiency. Do not apply to or near the face of infants or children.

·        Contraindications (oral): Cholestasis.

·        Cautions (oral): Gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Safety advice

Cornmint oil should be avoided altogether in cases of cardiac fibrillation and by people with a G6PD deficiency. This is a fairly common inheritable enzyme deficiency, particularly in people of Chinese, West African, Mediterranean or Middle Eastern origin. People with G6PD deficiency will typically have abnormal blood reactions to at least one of the following drugs, or will have been advised to avoid them: antimalarials, sulfonamides, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, aspirin. The pulegone and menthofuran content is not high enough to require restriction in our opinion.

Organ Specific Effects

·        Adverse skin reactions: Undiluted cornmint oil was not irritating to rabbit, pig or mouse skin; tested at 8% on 25 volunteers it was neither irritating nor sensitizing. It is non-phototoxic.

·        Cardiovascular effects: Cornmint oil inhibits platelet aggregation, but only very weakly. Peppermint confectionery and mentholated cigarettes have been responsible for cardiac fibrillation in patients prone to the condition who are being maintained on quinidine, a stabilizer of heart rhythm. Bradycardia has been reported in a person addicted to menthol cigarettes.

·        Neonatal toxicity: Menthol can cause neonatal jaundice in babies with a deficiency of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. Usually, menthol is detoxified by a metabolic pathway involving G6PD. When babies deficient in this enzyme were given a menthol-containing dressing for their umbilical stumps, menthol accumulated in their bodies

·        Gastrointestinal toxicology: Both peppermint oil and menthol are choleretic and therefore cornmint oil should not be taken in oral doses by people with cholestasis. Since peppermint oil relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter, oral administration of cornmint oil may cause discomfort in cases of GERD.

·        Hepatotoxicity: Oral doses of menthol or menthone above 200 mg/kg for 28 days produced signs of liver toxicity in rats. Menthofuran is toxic to both liver and lung tissue in mice. In rats, oral dosing with menthofuran caused hepatotoxicity, as demonstrated by changes in blood levels of enzyme markers for liver disease. Cornmint oil is unlikely to cause liver problems at the doses used in aromatherapy.

Systemic Effects

·        Acute toxicity, human: A proprietary menthol-containing oil was reported to cause incoordination, confusion and delirium when 5 mL of the product was inhaled over a long time period. Nasal preparations containing menthol can cause apnea and collapse in infants following instillation into the nose.

·        Acute toxicity, animal: Cornmint oil acute oral LD50 in rats 1.24 g/kg; acute dermal LD50 in rabbits >5 g/kg.

·        Skin corrosion/irritation: May be irritating to skin.

·        Serious eye damage/irritation: May be irritating to eyes. Prompt rinsing and removal of the substance will avoid damage.

·        Respiratory sensitization: Not applicable under normal use.

·        Germ cell mutagenicity: Not specified

·        Carcinogenicity: Not listed As Carcinogen

·        Reproductive toxicity: Not specified

·        STOT-single exposure: Not specified

·        STOT-related exposure: Not specified

ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION

·        Ecotoxicity Aquatic hazard acute category 2, Aquatic hazard chronic category 2.

·        Persistence & Biodegradability No additional data available.

·        PBT Assessment Results No additional data available

·        Persistence and degradability Biodegradation is expected

·        Bio-accumulative potential Bioaccumulation is unlikely

·        Mobility in soil Unknown

Do not discharge into the environment, especially not into waterways, sewers and the environment.