Benefits of Peppermint for Health Peppermint is believed to have many benefits regarding the health of the human body. Although many people link peppermint to the extract we put in foods to give them flavor during the holidays, peppermint oil is used in aromatherapy. Part of its use is to help irritable bowel syndrome, indigestion, relieve headaches and improve mental concentration. Because of peppermint oil's many health benefits, it has become a common essential oil used in modern aromatherapy. The peppermint plant (also known as black mint, candied mint and, in commercial use, Mitcham), is an aromatic perennial herb of the Lamiaceae family (1). Peppermint oil is extracted from the plant and is the part used. The oil from this plant can be used to repel insects and harmful animals from the house. Many people enjoy the scent and have used peppermint oil to not only keep nuisances such as mice, cockroaches, flies and fleas away from their homes, but have permanently eradicated infestations. (4) Peppermint oil is safe to use in homes with children and pets. It's easy to find in grocery stores, in the baking aisles next to other flavors. The scent is strong, compared to other deterrents peppermint is much cheaper. Studies on the toxicity of the plant have received controversial results. Some authors have reported that the plant can induce liver disease, while others have found that it protects against liver damage caused by heavy metals. Plant toxicity can vary between cultivars and depends on dose, an effect likely related to pulegone. With the limitation that the concentration of pulegone should not exceed 1%, it was concluded that peppermint oil, peppermint extract, peppermint leaves, and peppermint water are safe when used in cosmetic formulations. When peppermint oil products are taken with antacids, they dissolve quickly and can cause heartburn and nausea. Due to the menthol component, topical use of peppermint oil around the face or chest of infants and young children, especially around the nose, may induce apnea, laryngeal and bronchial spasm, acute respiratory distress with cyanosis, or breathing problems.