History/Traditional Use

Source: http://www.faqs.org/
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Peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) belongs to the large family Lamiaceae, which is the oldest group of traditional and medicinal herbs. Although pepper-flavoured mint was first described in England by John Ray in 1696, the use of dried peppermint leaves dates back to at least 1000 BCE in ancient Egypt (Spirling & Daniels, 2001). Since then, peppermint has been cultivated all over the world, and has been used for a wide variety of purposes. In ancient Greece, peppermint leaves were traditionally used as a digestive aid and as treatment for gallbladder disease (Kligler & Chaudhary, 2007). It was also used as an inhalant to treat upper respiratory illnesses (Kligler & Chaudhary, 2007).  In the eastern part of the world, the Japanese used peppermint oil as a component of eye wash in 984 AD (Ellis & Stevenson, 1950).

            
               By the time peppermint was first medically described, as many as 40 ailments were said to be treated with peppermint (Haas, 2010). These included flatulence, dyspepsia, headaches, biliary disorders, and GI tract problems (McKay & Blumberg, 2006). The most common method of administration of peppermint across all cultures was by ingestion in order to treat the internal problems that it was traditionally used for.  In specific instances, such as treating upper respiratory illnesses, peppermint was administered as an inhalant to provide the quickest and most efficient route through the nasal passage to the lungs.