Peppermint

Peppermint (Mentha x piperita) contains menthol, menthone, menthyl acetate as major ingredients. Minor ingredients include 1,8-cineole, pulegone, bitter substances, caffeic acid, flavonoids, and tannins. Topical peppermint gel and solutions have been studied for the prevention of pain and cracked nipples and areolas in nursing women. The peppermint preparations were more effective than placebo and expressed breastmilk, and about as effective as lanolin in some,[1-5] but not all studies.[6] A meta-analysis concluded that application of nothing or breastmilk may be superior to lanolin, but good studies are lacking.[7] Menthol and 1,-cineol are excreted into breastmilk in small quantities; the excretion of other components has not been studied. Peppermint is "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) as a food by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Large doses can cause heartburn, nausea and vomiting. Allergic reactions, including headache, have been reported to menthol. If peppermint is used on the nipples, it should be used after nursing and wiped off before the next nursing. Dietary supplements do not require extensive pre-marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Manufacturers are responsible to ensure the safety, but do not need to prove the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplements before they are marketed. Dietary supplements may contain multiple ingredients, and differences are often found between labeled and actual ingredients or their amounts. A manufacturer may contract with an independent organization to verify the quality of a product or its ingredients, but that does not certify the safety or effectiveness of a product. Because of the above issues, clinical testing results on one product may not be applicable to other products. More detailed information about dietary supplements is available elsewhere on the LactMed Web site.