Can Peppermint Help To Improve Athletic Performance?

Peppermint Performs Double Duty

In addition to the traditional uses for peppermint, lately it has also been used to attempt to improve physical as well as mental performance.

A study was conducted in a dance club setting, had customers rate their energy level on a scale from calm and quiet to active. Clients decided they felt more cheerful when peppermint was infused into the atmosphere.

Business owners determined that if people have more energy, they'd dance more, and if they danced more, they'd get thirsty, which is always good for the bar business.

Since smoking has been banned in most dance clubs and bars, customers can now smell body odor that they'd never noticed before, since it was masked by the cigarette smoke. When people dance and sweat, it tends to make some people become less than fragrant. The peppermint infused into the air helps in that department too.

A clinical study, The Effects of Odors on Objective and Subjective Measures of Athletic Performance, was published by the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology.

This study involved a group of joggers on treadmills while a collection of fragrances, namely jasmine, lavender and peppermint, were piped into exercise rooms. The consensus among the athletes in the peppermint room was decreased feelings of fatigue and frustration, more drive and enhanced performance overall.

But the researchers wondered if the performance was actually better after smelling peppermint or if it was just a psychological consequence?

A follow-up study was conducted, The Effects of Peppermint on Exercise Performance. The study was of 18 males and 22 females. This study measured physical performance.

This was from the study:

"The actual physical performance can be enhanced as well. Participants did more push-ups, ran faster and showed a trend toward stronger grip strength in the peppermint odor condition than in the non-odorized control condition."

Similar studies were done with basketball players' free throws. The results showed no enhancement. Researchers concluded that making free throws had more to do with skill, which wasn't enhanced by the peppermint.

Scientists warn that there can be too much of a good thing. You can overdose on peppermint oil, as one study in India revealed, because it's extremely concentrated, as well as contains compounds that aren't good when ingested in excess.

In this case, a 40-year-old female patient was nearly comatose when she reached the hospital. Doctors didn't know how much peppermint oil she'd ingested. A subsequent study referenced that peppermint oil may have caused hypoxia, or decreased the oxygen levels in her blood.

One study indicated that gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can be worsened with the use of peppermint oil.

Peppermint, being a stimulant, isn't recommended for everyday use, as excessive amounts can interfere with sleep and may also cause a number of other adverse reactions, such as; depression, urinary problems, stomach pain, skin rashes, slow or rapid breathing, nausea and vomiting. diarrhea, decreased libido and even unconsciousness.

Always be cautious and consult a physician prior to using essential oils such as peppermint and remember that a little bit can go a long way.

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