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With balancing properties said to calm the mind and a plethora of benefits for a healthy body, Peppermint Essential Oil presents itself as the perfect life support for personal care. Yet, with numerous types of oils available in stores and online – mainly, Menth arvensis and Mentha Piperita - which variety is the best?
In this blog, we delve deep into Peppermint Oils in Australia and explain each option in full, helping you to understand their benefits, uses, and how each oil helps achieve a healthier you.
In this blog, we delve deep into Peppermint Oils in Australia and explain each option in full, helping you to understand their benefits, uses, and how each oil helps achieve a healthier you.
Understanding Peppermint Oil: What Makes It So Good?
According to the Australian Natural Therapists Association, Peppermint Oil is one of the most popular on the market. Take a glance at its credentials, and you’ll quickly appreciate why.
To begin with, Peppermint Oil smells incredible! Crisp, sweet and minty, the scent of Peppermint lingering in a room conjures wintery forests and snow-capped mountains, bringing a purity and freshness that clears the mind, awakens the senses and uplifts the spirit. If an oil’s aroma matters to you – which it does for most of us - Peppermint will have you on the hook in an instant.
Next, how about an incredulous CV of potential health benefits? Peppermint Essential Oil is believed to help many physical and mental ailments, relieving sickness, sores, digestive issues and fatigue. Emotionally, the properties in Peppermint Oil offer an array of goodness both calming and inspiring, removing any tension and restoring balance before invigorating minds and bodies into action.
Yet, when shopping for Peppermint Oil, you might find yourself looking at more than one option, leaving you wondering which type to buy. Is one Peppermint Oil more authentic than another? Which type delivers the best quality? And most of all, what Peppermint Oil gives you the greatest results? Let’s look at common Peppermint Oil variants in more detail.
To begin with, Peppermint Oil smells incredible! Crisp, sweet and minty, the scent of Peppermint lingering in a room conjures wintery forests and snow-capped mountains, bringing a purity and freshness that clears the mind, awakens the senses and uplifts the spirit. If an oil’s aroma matters to you – which it does for most of us - Peppermint will have you on the hook in an instant.
Next, how about an incredulous CV of potential health benefits? Peppermint Essential Oil is believed to help many physical and mental ailments, relieving sickness, sores, digestive issues and fatigue. Emotionally, the properties in Peppermint Oil offer an array of goodness both calming and inspiring, removing any tension and restoring balance before invigorating minds and bodies into action.
Yet, when shopping for Peppermint Oil, you might find yourself looking at more than one option, leaving you wondering which type to buy. Is one Peppermint Oil more authentic than another? Which type delivers the best quality? And most of all, what Peppermint Oil gives you the greatest results? Let’s look at common Peppermint Oil variants in more detail.
What is Mentha Arvensis Peppermint Oil?
Mentha arvensis oil – also known as Corn Mint Oil - comes directly from the leaves of the corn mint plant, an herb native to India and the Himalayan region.
Produced by steam distilling the plant leaves, it presents as a clear-to-yellowish liquid with a beautifully fresh and minty aroma like Peppermint. It often then goes through a process to reduce the menthol potency from around 70% to 35-45% (more aligned with Mentha piperita - or true Peppermint), as well as its likelihood of crystallising in cooler temperatures.
These days, corn mint is grown globally and shipped all over the world, where fans appreciate its revitalising and calming capabilities, either as an ingredient in homemade healthcare remedies and beauty products or diffused and enjoyed aromatically.
Mentha arvensis fast facts
Key constituents: Menthol (approx. 70%) plus l-Menthone, iso-menthone, limonene
Aroma: Minty, crisp, herbaceous.
Therapeutic benefits: Relief from colds and flu, headaches, minor cuts, insect bites and respiratory issues. Improves focus.
What is Mentha Piperita Peppermint Oil?
Mentha piperita is the botanical name for the Indian-grown Peppermint plant. Oils that include this term on their label are derived from true peppermint, extracted from the herb leaves by steam distillation.
Unlike the Mentha arvensis type, this Peppermint oil is naturally lower in menthol. As such, it carries a much lighter, sweeter and more refreshing scent that many people liken to candy canes. While less potent, this doesn’t affect its powerful ability to support all manner of physical and mental health issues – in fact, many aromatherapy fans prefer this variety because of its authentic Peppermint origins.
Mentha piperita Peppermint oil enjoys a plethora of uses ranging from health treatments to self-care products and household applications.
Mentha arvensis fast facts
Key constituents: Menthol (approx. 45%) plus menthone, menthyl acetate, cineol, iso-menthone, limonene
Aroma: Minty, sweet
Therapeutic benefits: Relief from headaches, colds and flu, respiratory issues, minor cuts, bites and stings. Improves focus and mental alertness.
Peppermint (Arvensis) vs Peppermint (Piperita): Do They Offer the Same Benefits?
To a degree, Peppermint Oils work similarly. The menthol constituent found in both Mentha arvensis and Mentha piperita holds abundant therapeutic properties – analgesic, antibacterial, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and decongestant, offering digestive, immune system and respiratory support.
Yet, it is worth knowing how the amount of menthol together with other constituents in each oil type can lead to different outcomes. As such, you may want to keep a bottle of each type of oil in your collection, switching between the two depending on your wants and needs
Mentha arvensis vs. Mentha piperita at-a-glance
Mentha arvensis (Corn mint)
- Potency: Lighter than mentha piperita with a less potent scent
- Menthol content: High (typically 70% depending on the processing method)
- Key Uses: Decongestant, pain relief, massage, calms inflammation, soothes skin
Mentha piperita (Peppermint)
- Potency: Stronger than mentha arvensis with a sweeter scen
- Menthol content: Low (35-45%)
- Uses: Popular in aromatherapy (diffused or in a massage oil) to calm inflammation, improve mental clarity and reduce digestive issues, with less risk of skin irritation than Mentha arvensis.
Are There Other Types of Peppermint Oil?
While you’re considering Mentha arvensis vs. Mentha piperita, you might like to know about other Peppermint Oils on the market – including these popular ones available from AWO:
Organic Peppermint Oil
Mentha arvensis Organic Peppermint Oil offers the same invigorating freshness and natural potency as standard Corn Mint Oil – not to mention its cooling and uplifting benefits - with the added assurance of being organically grown, approved and certified by the ACO (Australian Certified Organic).
Steam distilled from organically grown mint leaves, this oil is naturally rich in menthol and can be used in massage blends or diffused to appreciate its revitalising and calming effects.
Australian Peppermint Oil
Peppermint Australian Essential Oil - also high in menthol – is another incredible oil with the ability to help ease headaches, clear sinuses, calm digestive discomfort and uplift the mood. Steam distilled from Mentha piperita plants grown in Australia’s rich, sun-kissed soil, it remains a favourite among those wanting the powerful therapeutic benefits of Peppermint yet prefer a locally grown alternative.
Australian Peppermint can be used diluted and used topically in wellness blends, diffused or added to natural cleaning recipes.
Benefits and Uses of Peppermint Essential Oils
It’s fair to say, whichever Peppermint Oil you go with, you’ll find an all-rounder that provides multiple benefits for the body and mind.
Emotionally, Peppermint Essential Oils are said to clarify, energise, harmonise, revitalise, stimulate and uplift. Physically, they work hard to help alleviate a wholemanner of health issues, including these:
Peppermint Essential Oil Benefits
- Helps combat symptoms of coughs, colds and flus
- Clears sinus congestion
- Helps to alleviate headaches & migraines
- Comforts mental exhaustion by calming the mind
- Promotes focus and attentiveness
- Can help deter against insect bites and stings
- Aids in relieving inflammation
- Soothes itchy, irritated skin and acne
- Helps to reduce feelings of nausea
- Can improve digestion and flatulence
- Helps as an antiseptic to treat cuts, small wounds and abrasions
- Useful for deterring rodents, spiders and insects
Peppermint Essential Oil Uses
Highly versatile, all Peppermint oils adapt perfectly across multiple applications, including aromatherapy, meditation and yoga, and skin care. Here are some of our favourite ways to enjoy your preferred Peppermint Essential Oil.
Using Peppermint Oil in a Diffuser:
Add a few drops of your preferred Peppermint Oil to your aromatherapy diffuser and allow the beautiful scent of mint to fill the air, clearing congestion and revitalising a tired mind or body.
Using Peppermint Oil Topically (see dilution guide below for safe application):
Massage oil – add a few drops to a carrier oil or massage oil and work into sore muscles.
Foot soother – dilute a drop or two of oil in warm water and immerse feet to soothe away aches and pains.
Insect repellent – add eight drops to a 15ml roller bottle, top with Fractionated Coconut Oil and apply to the skin to repel insects.
Fast decongestant – add one drop of Peppermint Oil to a tissue, hold beneath nostrils and inhale.
Migraine relief – in a 15ml roller bottle, mix eight drops of Peppermint with the remainder Fractionated Coconut Oil and apply to your forehead and temples.
Topical Dilution Guidelines
Please note that the following guidelines are recommended for healthy adults:
- General Use: 2 – 4% dilution (4 – 8 drops per 10ml)
- Facial Application: 1 – 2% dilution (2 – 4 drops per 10ml)
Final Words About Peppermint Oil
- Peppermint oil is an intense and complex compound. AWO recommends you always follow our dilution guidelines to avoid reactions.
- Due to its popularity as a tea and a flavouring for many edibles, many people believe Peppermint Oil is OK to digest; however, we do not support this claim. Products from AWO are 100% pure essential oils for use in health remedies and DIY cosmetics. They are not for oral consumption.
- When using it on the skin, we recommend trying a small patch test before applying Peppermint oil freely.
- The high menthol content in Peppermint essential oil can cause it to crystalise in cooler temperatures. When this happens, place your bottle in a cup of warm water and allow the heat to return your oil to its liquid state.
- Always look for Peppermint oil with the botanical (Latin) name on the label and ‘Peppermint 100% pure Essential Oil’ for authenticity, stored in a dark glass bottle. Once purchased, store it in a cool, dry place away from children and animals.
- To enjoy the plentiful benefits of Peppermint oil, always buy from a reputable supplier like AWO.