Know2eat

Peppermint

Mentha × piperita

Also known as peppermint, mint, Mentha piperita

SaveCompare

A natural hybrid of watermint and spearmint, grown for its high menthol content and used fresh, dried or as an essential oil. The leaf as eaten and the enteric-coated oil capsule used in clinical research are very different exposures.

Gut & Digestive HealthMuscle & Physical Performance

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Moderate

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Digestive comfort

Gut & Digestive Health
Moderate evidence

Enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules have been tested in irritable bowel syndrome across a number of randomised trials, and meta-analyses report improvement in global symptoms and abdominal pain compared with placebo. The studied product is a standardised oil capsule taken as a medicine, delivering far more menthol than mint leaves or an infusion, and reviews note that trial quality is uneven.

What may be going on: Menthol blocks calcium channels in intestinal smooth muscle, producing an antispasmodic effect.

Moderate evidence. Several human studies point the same way, with real caveats.

4 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Exercise performance

Muscle & Physical Performance
Insufficient evidence

Peppermint oil is marketed as an ergogenic aid on the basis of a very small number of small trials with inconsistent endpoints. There is not enough human research to say anything useful.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Peppermint

Ask about Peppermint

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories70 kcal4%
Protein3.75 g8%
Total fat0.94 g1%
Carbohydrate14.9 g5%
Fibre8 g29%
Water78.7 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.246 g1%
Monounsaturated fat0.033 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.508 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.069 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A212 µg24%
Vitamin C31.8 mg35%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Thiamin (B1)0.082 mg7%
Riboflavin (B2)0.266 mg20%
Niacin (B3)1.71 mg11%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.338 mg7%
Vitamin B60.129 mg8%
Folate114 µg28%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Minerals
Calcium243 mg19%
Iron5.08 mg28%
Magnesium80 mg19%
Phosphorus73 mg6%
Potassium569 mg12%
Sodium31 mg1%
Zinc1.11 mg10%
Copper0.329 mg37%
Manganese1.18 mg51%
Other measured compounds
Ash1.76 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Peppermint, fresh (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 173474).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • rawPreserves menthol and volatile oils

    Peppermint’s volatile oils dissipate with sustained heat, so the leaf is used raw or steeped briefly rather than cooked.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Worth knowing

    Worsens reflux by relaxing the oesophageal sphincter

    Menthol relaxes the lower oesophageal sphincter, which can aggravate heartburn and reflux. This is precisely why the capsules used in irritable bowel research are enteric-coated to open past the stomach.

  • Worth knowing

    Menthol products and young children

    Menthol and related oils applied to or near the face of infants and young children can cause laryngospasm and breathing difficulty. Peppermint oil is not a suitable home remedy for small children.

  • Interaction

    Peppermint oil and drug-metabolising enzymes

    Peppermint oil inhibits CYP3A4 in laboratory work and has been reported to raise levels of drugs handled by that enzyme, such as ciclosporin and some calcium channel blockers. The concern applies to oil capsules rather than mint in a salad.