Peppermint oil cuts systolic BP 8.5 mmHg in trial — SkimNews
Get the Health newsletter
Daily health & science — research, biotech, public health, the studies worth knowing. Free.
- University of Lancashire researchers found that 100 microliters of peppermint oil taken twice daily for 20 days reduced systolic blood pressure by an average of 8.5 mmHg in adults with prehypertension or stage 1 hypertension.
- The placebo-controlled trial enrolled 40 adults aged 18–65 and compared the oil against a peppermint-flavored placebo, which produced no meaningful change in blood pressure.
- The study also tracked body measurements, blood test results, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, mental well-being, and sleep quality beyond the primary systolic endpoint.
- Lead author Dr. Jonnie Sinclair, Reader in Sport and Health Sciences, called high blood pressure one of the biggest causes of heart disease and death worldwide and noted existing medicines don't always work well long-term and can cause side effects.
- Sinclair described peppermint oil as "low in calories and price" and a "very simple and cost-effective solution to potentially treat millions of people."
- The findings were published in PLOS One, with Sinclair and colleagues citing peppermint's natural menthol and flavonoid compounds as the basis for the hypothesis.
Why it matters: An 8.5 mmHg systolic reduction from a 20-day, twice-daily peppermint oil regimen — if replicated — would give the millions of adults with prehypertension or stage 1 hypertension a low-cost, well-tolerated supplement to standard care, one the researchers explicitly contrast with medications that carry side effects.
Ask SkimNews
