Combating Nausea: Peppermint Essential Oil

Combating Nausea: Peppermint Essential Oil
For more years than I can remember, I’ve suffered with seemingly random nausea and vomiting.  Naturally, I’ve tried many remedies for nausea to stop it: teas of every kind, ginger, pickle juice, ice packs, soups, even resorting to medication. Nothing I tried made much of a difference.  Chiropractic and massage therapy helped but it didn’t always immediately stop it once it started. When I was a kid, it created an anxiety that I would throw up, making the problem worse and almost guaranteeing a trip to the “oval office.” This has been going on and off again for almost 40 years. Good times.
              A few years ago, a friend introduced me to peppermint essential oil.  It was nothing short of miraculous. I now carry peppermint oil with me everywhere and it has changed my life. I know that sounds overly dramatic but when you have been nauseous for most of your life you tend to be a little dramatic. I’m very thankful that it works so well and now that I am part of doTerra I take their peppermint beadlets everywhere with me.  I keep the essential oil on my shelf for emergencies, however, the beadlets are much more convenient.  Massage therapy and chiropractic care has almost eradicated the nausea, praise God, but in between visits I can quickly grab a peppermint oil beadlet to calm my stomach.
              Apparently, I’m not the only one who thought peppermint for nausea was possible because there are studies showing that it is effective against nausea and vomiting after surgeries and when pregnant with morning sickness. I’ve listed them at the end of this article for some light reading.  Peppermint essential oil has many other benefits such as being antimicrobial and excellent for the respiratory tract and I use it for those purposes as well, but I have been especially blessed that it has worked for nausea. 
I do only recommend doTerra essential oil for the quality.  I have tried other brands and they are helpful; however, I’ve found doTerra to be the best and I don’t have to worry about ingesting something synthetic.
I really hope sharing my story helps someone else who shares my issues with nausea find some relief with peppermint essential oil. If you would like to become a doTerra member to be able to buy with the discounted prices, please let me know so I can help you sign up.
             


References
Fearrington MA, Qualls BW, Carey MG. Essential Oils to Reduce Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting. J Perianesth Nurs. 2019;
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 Jan;56:102587. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102587. Epub 2020 Oct 9. PMID: 33197662.
 
Safajou F, Soltani N, Taghizadeh M, Amouzeshi Z, Sandrous M. The Effect of Combined Inhalation Aromatherapy with Lemon and Peppermint on Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy: A it.