Peppermint

Peppermint (Mentha x piperita) is a natural cross between water mint and spearmint. The oil is distilled from the leaves and flowering tops. Its main compound is menthol, the substance behind the cooling taste and smell. In supplements you mostly meet this oil inside a capsule, usually between 50 mg and 200 mg per capsule. Dried leaf, tinctures and pure essential oil for aromatherapy are different products with a different purpose, and they sit alongside the other herbs and plants in our range.

Where the oil is released is the real difference between products

Two capsules can hold the same 100 mg of peppermint oil and still behave differently. What changes is the shell.

• Enteric-coated capsules: the shell resists stomach acid and opens further down, in the small intestine. This is the form used in most clinical research on peppermint oil, and the form least likely to give you minty burps or a burning feeling behind the breastbone.
• Plain softgels: they open in the stomach. Simple and cheap, but menthol in the stomach can relax the valve at the top of it, which is why some people notice heartburn.
• Drops and tinctures: flexible dosing, strong taste, and the same stomach-first release. Never swallow undiluted essential oil.
• Dried leaf and tea: pleasant and mild, but the menthol amount per cup varies and most research has looked at capsules, not tea.

How we choose peppermint at BONO

We look at three things: the form, the amount of oil per capsule and whether the shell does its job. We give priority to enteric-coated capsules, because that is where the research and the tolerability both point. On dosage we compare labels against the roughly 180 to 200 mg per capsule used in studies, so a 50 mg product is honestly presented as a lighter option rather than an equal one. We buy directly from the brands, our compliance team checks every product before it goes live, and independent labs spot-check batches. You can read how we select brands and products.

Who it suits, and what we will not promise

People usually reach for peppermint capsules after meals or during a stretch of stomach discomfort, often next to ginger root capsules or a fibre product. We have to be plain here: the European food safety authority (EFSA) has approved no health claim for peppermint, so we describe the plant, the forms and the practical use, and we leave the promises out. What we can say is concrete. Timing matters: coated capsules are normally taken 30 to 60 minutes before a meal, whole, never chewed or opened, because chewing destroys the coating.

A few practical points from UK guidance are worth knowing before you buy. Leave at least two hours between peppermint oil and an indigestion medicine such as an antacid, since those medicines change stomach acidity and can open the coating too early. Peppermint oil bought over the counter is not meant for weeks of continuous use without asking a pharmacist or doctor. Heartburn and, more rarely, a burning feeling around the anus are the side effects people report most; switching to a coated capsule usually settles the first one.

If your discomfort is a daily pattern rather than an occasional evening, peppermint is one option among several, and our pages on digestion set out the alternatives. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, take prescribed medicines or have gallstones or reflux, check with your doctor or pharmacist first.