Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 Mar 1.
Published in final edited form as: Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2018 Jan 26;47(6):738–752. doi: 10.1111/apt.14519

Table 4.

Peppermint Oil (PMO) Effect on Human Colonic Function

Reference Population Methods Findings
Duthie (1981)59

  • Healthy subjects (n=6)

  • Open label randomized to 0.2 mL PMO or placebo

  • Given 0.5 mg neostigmine and 15 min later motility measured by triple lumen motility catheter

  • PMO inhibited motor activity for a mean of 12 min (P<0.05 vs placebo)
Taylor (1983)87

  • Healthy subjects (n=14)

  • Given either PMO 0.2 mL (n=6) or 0.1 mL citral (found in citrus oils) (n=8) following stimulation of motility by neostigmine

  • Rectosigmoid motility measured using triple lumen tube

  • Complete inhibition of motor activity by both oils
Rogers (1988)88

  • Healthy subjects (n=5)

  • Given neostigmine to simulate motility followed 30 min. later by crossover of PMO 0.1 mL in 20 mL normal saline vs. placebo (saline)

  • Distal colonic manometry

  • 4/5 subjects had cramps/pain/urge to defecate after PMO associated with high amplitude (150-390 mm Hg) pressure waves

  • Activity (motility) index with PMO > placebo
Sparks (1995)58

  • Adult patients undergoing barium enema (n=141)

  • Double blind study with randomization to PMO (30 mL placed in the barium and 10 mL in the enema tube; n=70) or barium alone (n=71)

  • Incomplete studies (n=3) and those receiving hyoscine (n=14) subsequently excluded

  • Assessed colonic spasm (present vs. absent) and exam quality (excellent, good, poor)

  • Patient symptom questionnaire

  • 39/60 (65%) controls vs. 23/64 (36%) PMO with spasm (P<0.001)

  • No marked difference in study quality

  • No marked difference in patient symptoms/ acceptability
Asao (2003)57

  • Adult patients undergoing barium enema (n=383)

  • Assigned to: 1) No treatment (n=97); 2) hyoscine IM (n=105); 3) PMO (30 mL of 8 mL PMO in 100 mL water) via enema tube n=90; 4) PO (30 mL of 8 mL PMO in 100 mL water) in barium

  • Radiologist blinded to treatment assessed spasm in ascending, transverse, descending colon graded none, mild, severe

  • Blinded radiologist assessed for spasm

  • PMO via enema tube reduced spasms throughout the colon vs. no treatment

  • PMO as effective as hyoscine given IM PMO

Unless otherwise indicated data are presented as mean ± standard deviation.