Peppermint Oil, part 2

Peppermint Oil (part 2)

1. Mint essential oil added to animal shampoo is a natural flea and tick repellent. Note: All mint oils should be kept away from eyes.
2. Invaded by ants...spray mint or place a drop of oil on infested area and see how quickly your problems disappear!
3. For beekeepers, marking hives with mint oil may assist the bees to return to hives.
4. Douse a cotton ball in mint oil and place in mole hole. It’s worth a try to say good-bye to moles.
5. For a fresh house, especially around Christmas time, simmer a few drops of essential oil in hot water on stove top. Be sure to use an older pot that you will not be using to cook with again.
6. Mice are not fond of peppermint oil. If you want to keep mice away during the winter months, saturate cotton balls with oil and place in any areas where mice tend to enter, leave or congregate.
7. Place spearmint or peppermint oil in a small dish and soak a cotton ball in the oil. Place the cotton ball in a closet or musty room to keep it smelling fresh and reduce aerial bacteria.  You can hang the ball in a muslin bag in your closet.
8. Add a few drops of mint oil to 1/2 cup of baking soda for a sweet smelling deodorizer for your refrigerator.
9. Peppermint is an excellent mild antiseptic and bacteria fighter.  Mix 10-15 drops of mint oil with 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil and 12 ounces of water. Pour into a bottle with a spray pump. Spray in air ducts and around the house to kill bacteria and deodorize room.

Using Peppermint Leaves:

1. Throw dried mint leaves on an open fire to fill the room with perfume. Place dried mint leaves, dried mandarin orange peels and 2-3 drops of mint oil in a small box. Throw a pinch on a fire as it dies down. The room will smell sweet in the morning and there will be no smell of old soot in the afternoon.’
2. For the digestive system, peppermint is effective for a range of ailments, as it stimulates the gall bladder and the secretion of bile. Taken as a tea it is used for colic, cramps, dyspepsia, spastic colon, flatulence and nausea and can relieve pain in cases of toothache, aching feet, rheumatism, neuralgia, muscular pains and painful periods.
3. Peppermint oil should not be used directly on the skin, blending it with a carrier oil works, or you can make a tea with the leaves and use that resulting liquid on your skin as the strength will be enough to treat the ailment but not as concentrated as the essential oil.   A tea can be used in all the following ways:
1. On the skin, peppermint tea is used to relieve skin irritation and itchiness and also helps to reduce skin redness, where inflammation is present. It is used for dermatitis, acne, ringworm, scabies and pruritus and also relieves itching, sunburn and inflammation of the skin, while at the same time having a cooling action.
2. Headaches.  Peppermint may ease headaches and migraines. Drink the tea at onset of a headache or apply to temple area in circular motion and across the forehead. For migraines, wet hair and put 4-5 teaspoons of tea into your hand and massage into the scalp.
3. Sinus Problems.  Peppermint leaves are very useful in reducing sinus congestion when added to a bowl of steaming or boiling water. A rub made with carrier oil and essential oil can be applied to chest, back of neck area, and behind ears. A few drops of oil in a vaporizer at night will help ease congestion as well.
4. Digestive System.  Peppermint leaves can help relax the muscles of the digestive tract to relieve the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Beyond drinking a tea after meals, you can add one drop of peppermint oil to a sugar cube for an emergency fix to relieve intestinal cramps.
5. Relieve menstrual or abdominal cramps by drinking an 8 ounce glass of water infused with peppermint.  This can be an iced tea made by steeping a tsp. of peppermint leaves or stirring up 1 to 2 drops of oil into the water.  If you make regular tea you can also stir it with a toothpick dipped in peppermint oil.  Peppermint is also said to relieve Hot Flashes!
6. A Peppermint tea is also effective at reliving a sore throat.  Blend peppermint leaves with horehound and/or  for additional benefits.
7. Relieve congestion by placing mint leaves in a warm compress and lay on your chest.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS: Keep all oils out of the reach of children. Pregnant women should consult a physician before using any essential oil, but especially peppermint oil. Avoid all contact with eyes. Some people may be allergic to mint oil. This information is in no way intended as a substitute for medical consultation by a health care professional.

If you love the scent of Peppermint we at the Backyard Patch have made a wonderful bath soak with oil of peppermint that is only available in the winter.  To see this and our other bath salts, visit our e-store http://stores.ebay.com/backyardpatchherbs

By Marcy Lautanen-Raleigh

Yesterday I began this post with a list of 10 great uses for peppermint oil.  I am continuing that list today with 10 more uses for peppermint, including how to use the leaves in addition to the oil.  (To read yesterday's post too, click here.)

Just remember never apply essential directly to the skin always blend it with a carrier.