The Power of Peppermint Oil

I had food poisoning about a month ago.  It was awful, fast acting and after vomiting profusely several hours after I ate some chicken that I knew afterwards wasn’t quite right, I was more or less out of commission for over 24 hours.

The next day was spend lying on the coach and taking my dog out for a 10 minute walk felt exhausting.

Luckily, I came around rather quickly and felt pretty good by the time two more days elapsed.

Almost back to normal, but I suspected I still had a little trace of some nasty little bug in my gut.

Being the huge advocate of natural healing that I am, balanced out with some basic testing to rule out any parasites or bacterial strains that may have required stronger meds (this is one case where I’d personally rather kill the little invader asap rather than wait months for homeopathic remedies to kick in, and I say this after doing the latter years ago with giardia), I sought some natural remedies to help the gut feel better.

 I’d already taken activated charcoal as well as a ginger root tea, but I wanted more.

Enter peppermint oil.

Wow.

Not only does it taste great and not have side effects, it also happens to serve as a digestive aid, dispel gas, ease stomach and bowel spasms and is the best cure for an upset stomach.

*Keep in mind here that this post is intended as a suggestion for stomach ailments like a one-off case of food poisoning which, sadly, can even happen when one is Paleo, not as a go-to for stomach pain that one experiences after eating non-Paleo foods, which happens all too often!   Nor is it meant to suggest that chronic GI distress will suddenly evaporate with a few drops of the green tincture!

In addition to the digestive help, peppermint oil also offers the following health benefits:

• Source of vitamins A and C, omega-3 fatty acids, and minerals including potassium, manganese, iron, magnesium, calcium, and copper.
• Benefits the respiratory system through the menthol it contains. It clears the respiratory tract, acts as an expectorant and provides relief during a regular bout of cold and cough.
• Relieves  headaches when inhaled.
• Can help treat stress and pain: soak yourself in a bath or shower after applying some drops of peppermint oil to your body to refresh and relieve pain.

Head to your local natural pharmacy and pick some up.  Inexpensive and with so many uses, it’s worth keeping on hand.   By the way, gum and mints don’t count….nor are they Paleo!