Content area
Full Text
Abstract:
Peppermint (Mentha piperita, also known as M. balsamea Willd), is a hybrid mint, a cross between watermint and spearmint. The plant, indigenous to Europe and the Middle East, is now widespread in cultivation in many regions of the world. It is found wild occasionally with its parent species. The concentrated oil of peppermint has a high menthol content. The oil also contains menthone and menthyl esters, particularly menthyl acetate. Dried peppermint typically has volatile oil containing menthol, menthone , menthyl acetate ,menthofuran and 1,8-cineol. Peppermint oil also contains small amounts of many additional compounds including limonene, pulegone, caryophyllene and pinene. According to the German Commission E monographs, peppermint oil (as well as peppermint leaf) has been used internally as an antispasmodic (upper gastrointestinal tract and bile ducts) and to treat irritable bowel syndrome, catarrh of the respiratory tract, and inflammation of the oral mucosa. Externally, peppermint oil has been used for myalgia and neuralgia. According to Commission E, peppermint oil may also act as a carminative, cholagogue, antibacterial, and secretolytic, and it has a cooling action. Enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules (Colpermin) have been used as an orally administered antispasmodic premedication in colonoscopy.
Key Words : Mentha piperita, peppermint, menthone.
INTRODUCTION:
Peppermint or mentha piperta is a common herb that is grown in Europe and north America. The oil of ppepermint has been used for various purposes since time imemoriable, to treat headache, common cold, neuralgia etc. This review focuses on the antispasmodic effects of peppermint oil. Peppermint oil has a fresh, sharp, menthol smell, is clear to pale yellow in color and watery in viscosity. India is world's largest producer and exporter of mint oil. Mint oil and its constituents and derivatives are used in food, pharmaceutical and perfumery and flavouring industry. Its main constituent, menthol, is used in the manufacture of lozenges, toothpastes, pain balms, cold balms, Dabur Pudin Hara, etc. The basic raw material for mint oil is leaves of a plant Mentha arvensis. The oil is used for treating certain stomach disorders like indigestion, gas problem, acidity, etc. It is the main ingredient of ayurvedic medicines like Daburs 'Pudin Hara'. The oil is a natural source of menthol, which is the main ingredient of cough drops and ointments like...