Peppermint oil cuts systolic blood pressure by 8.48 mmHg in small trial
Peppermint oil reduces blood pressure by 8.48 mmHg in small study
A 20-day randomized, placebo-controlled trial with 40 adults with pre- and stage 1 hypertension found that taking 100 μL of peppermint oil twice daily significantly reduced systolic blood pressure by 8.48 mmHg compared to placebo. The peppermint group's average systolic pressure dropped from 130.05 to 121.97 mmHg, while the placebo group saw no change. Adverse events and dropout were low, and compliance was high, suggesting peppermint oil could be a simple, low-cost adjunct for blood pressure management.
Given the substantial health and economic burden associated with hypertension worldwide, these findings suggest that twice-daily peppermint supplementation may represent a simple, low-cost, and well-tolerated strategy to support blood pressure reduction in this population.