Mentha x piperita 'Citrata': eau de cologne mint". Hortiplex.gardenweb.com. 2007-09-12. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06 . Retrieved 2013-07-24. You might have noticed that peppermint typically only makes a prominent appearance in your grocery aisles during the holidays (bring on the peppermint bark and peppermint patties!). While we love making all the leftover candy cane recipes, its also a refreshing flavor to enjoy year-round—and not even necessarily in the kitchen. Peppermint serves a whole slew of medicinal purposes, too. It’s known to soothe sore throats and achy muscles, stop runny noses and relieve stress. a b c d Craker, Lyle E.; Gardner, Zoë; Etter, Selma C. (2003). "Herbs in American Fields: A Horticultural Perspective of Herb and Medicinal Plant Production in the United States, 1903 to 2003". HortScience. American Society for Horticultural Science. 38 (5): 977–983. doi: 10.21273/hortsci.38.5.977. ISSN 0018-5345. S2CID 54203253. Studies have also found that chewing gum may reduce stress and increase feelings of alertness ( 22, 29, 30). A study from 2011 published in Pain showed why peppermint might help people with irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS. The compounds in peppermint actually activate an anti-pain channel in the colon. This channel, called TRPM8, may reduce the pain linked to eating some spicy foods like mustard or chili, according to researchers. Since then, multiple studies have confirmed peppermint oil to be a beneficial treatment for IBS.

Singh, Bharat P. (2010). Industrial Crops and Uses. Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International. p.144. ISBN 9781845936167. Efe Ertürk N, Taşcı S. The effects of peppermint oil on nausea, vomiting and retching in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: An open label quasi-randomized controlled pilot study. Complement Ther Med. 2021;56:102587. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102587 We like Simply Gum because it’s affordable while also being flavorful and made from chicle and healthy plant-based ingredients. It’s also made in Brooklyn, NY by a woman-owned company and comes in a variety of flavors. If you chew a lot of gum, consider buying Glee Gum in bulk in a simple recyclable cardboard tube. This sustainable chicle-based gum is also plant-based, flavorful and from a woman-owned business. What to Look for in All-Natural Chewing GumThankfully, switching to a natural chewing gum doesn’t have to be expensive. Natural chewing gum from The Humble Company cost only about 25 cents per piece. Each of The Humble Company’s oral care products was designed by dentists while also considering its impact on the planet. This line of natural chewing gums is made from just seven or eight vegan, cruelty-free, plant-based ingredients. The sweetener in this gum, xylitol, is derived from xylose, a naturally occurring sugar in the sap of woody plants. The Humble Company doesn’t define what’s in its “natural gum base,” they only say that it comes from trees. In many cases, all-natural chewing gums use sustainably harvested chicle—gum that consists of the coagulated milky latex of the sapodilla tree ( Manilkara zapota), a tropical fruit tree principally from Yucatán and regions of Central America. When these forests are managed sustainably, the sap is extracted without killing the tree and then minimally processed to form the gum base. Many of these forests have been managed for generations within families by workers called chicleros. When choosing an all-natural gum, flavor and texture are paramount, but also look for those brands that mention how they support chicleros with living wages and safe working conditions, especially those that are certified “fair trade.” Medicinal uses of peppermint have not been approved as effective or safe by the US Food and Drug Administration. [58] With caution that the concentration of the peppermint constituent pulegone should not exceed 1% (140mg), peppermint preparations are considered safe by the European Medicines Agency when used in topical formulations for adult subjects. [59] [60] Diluted peppermint essential oil is safe for oral intake when only a few drops are used. [53] [59] a b c Jullien, Frédéric; Diemer, Florence; Colson, Monique; Faure, Olivier (1998). "An optimising protocol for protoplast regeneration of three peppermint cultivars ( Mentha x piperita)". Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture. 54 (3): 153–9. doi: 10.1023/A:1006185103897. S2CID 26626639.

Kumar, Sarita; Wahab, Naim; Warikoo, Radhika (April 2011). "Bioefficacy of Mentha piperita essential oil against dengue fever mosquito Aedes aegypti L". Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine. 1 (2): 85–8. doi: 10.1016/S2221-1691(11)60001-4. PMC 3609176. PMID 23569733.Dolf De Rovira (28 February 2008). Dictionary of Flavors. John Wiley & Sons. pp.420–. ISBN 978-0-470-38484-8. Archived from the original on 27 April 2016 . Retrieved 24 July 2013. Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases at NAL". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases at NAL. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13 . Retrieved 2021-12-13.