![]() Simply inhaling the scent of peppermint oil - or applying a few drops of peppermint oil to a cool damp washcloth and applying to the forehead - has been shown to alleviate nausea in pregnant parents, patients receiving chemotherapy, and patients recovering from surgery. If you aren't experiencing relief after 15 to 30 minutes of peppermint oil, Ravindra advises that patients use more traditional oral pain-relievers like Advil, Aleve, Tylenol, Excedrin, or any prescription headache medications you might have. "Additionally, topical peppermint has been shown to increase blood flow to the area it is applied to, which can speed up healing." "The associated cooling sensation also appears to distract nerves from the pain response," Ravindra says. Scientists aren't exactly sure how peppermint oil eases headaches and migraines, Ravindra says, but it's thought to help by relaxing muscles around the skull. In a small 2010 study, topical menthol was shown to be more effective than placebo at reducing pain for migraines without aura. "For my patients with headaches, I typically recommend initially treating pain with topical treatments like peppermint oil, or with a pain-relieving ointment like Tiger Balm, which contains menthol, a cooling substance derived from peppermint," says Lisa Ravindra, MD, an assistant professor of medicine and a board-certified internal medicine physician at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. ![]() The review authors suggested that it may even be as effective as acetaminophen (Paracetamol or Tylenol), a common over-the-counter medication to relieve pain. Research has found that applying peppermint oil to the forehead and temples can be useful for treating headaches and migraines.Ī 2016 review noted that peppermint oil is recommended for the treatment of tension-type headaches in adults and children over the age of 6 years old. Peppermint oil may help headaches and migraines
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