- Bergamot Essential Oil
- Black Pepper Essential Oil
- Cajeput Essential Oil
- Camomile Oil
- Cedarwood Essential Oil
- Citronella Essential Oil
- Clary Sage Essential Oil
- Coriander Oil
- Lavender Essential Oil
- Rose Oil
- Eucalyptus Oil
- Fennel Essential Oil
- Frankincense Essential Oil
- Geranium Oil
- Grapefruit Oil
- Essential Oil Jasmine
- Juniper Berry Oil
- Lavandin Oil
- Lavender Oil
- Lemon Oil
- Lemongrass Oil
- Mandarin Oil
- Melissa Oil (Officinalis)
- Cypress Oil
- Aroma Essential Oil
- Aromatherapy And Essential Oils
- Avocado Oil Benefits
- Oil Healing Properties
- Essential Lemon Oil Health Benefits
- Lemongrass Essential Oil Health Benefits
- Mandarin Essential Oil Health Benefits
- Marjoram Essential Oil Health Benefits
- Massage Body Oils Health Benefits
- Melissa Essential Oil Benefits
- Essential Myrrh Oil Health Benefits
- Natural Essential Oil Health Benefits And Uses
- Neroli Essential Oil
- Niaouli Essential Oil
- Essential Oils And Uses
- Organic Essential Oils
- Patchouli Essential Oil
- Peppermint Essential Oil
- Petitgrain Essential Oil
- Rosemary Essential Oil
- Sandalwood Essential Oil
- Sandalwood Massage Oil
- Sunflower (Black) Seed Oil
- Tangerine Oil
- Tea Tree Oil Uses
- Thyme Essential Oil
- Vetiver Oil
- All Natural Oil
- Olive Oil Products
- Almond Oil For Hair,Massage,Cooking And Aromatherapy
- Best Olive Oil In The World - Reviews
- Avocado Oil
- Aromatherapy Essential Oils And Blends
- Essential Oils Aromatherapy
- Catnip Essential Oil
- Spikenard Essential Oil
- Chocolate Essential Oil
- Carrot Seed Essential Oil
- Tuberose Essential oil
- Manuka Essential Oil
- Yarrow Essential Oil
- Galbanum Essential Oil
- Linden Blossom Essential Oil
- Oregano Essential Oil
- Ravensara Essential oil
- Ylang Ylang Essential Oil
- Wintergreen Oil
- Helichrysum Oil
- Clove Oil
- Pine Essential Oil
- Lime Essential Oil
- Lemon Verbena Essential Oil
- How Different Are Mint Oil And Peppermint Oil?
- Vegetable Oils
Spearmint Essential Oil
Spearmint oil is extracted from the flowers of the spearmint tree by a chemical process. The process used is known as steam distillation. It has a number of health benefits, which are all attributed to the therapeutic properties it possesses.
For a long time, spearmint has been used as a substitute for mint. Its properties are similar to mint as similar compounds are present in the essential oils.
Related Articles
Related Blogs
Yoga Questions
Continued...
Spearmint essential oil is suitable for children and those who find peppermint too strong to use. Spearmint oil is both cleansing as well as uplifting. It relaxes the body, unlike peppermint that works by rejuvenating the body. This oil is very useful when it comes to relieving problems like headaches and indigestion. Rubbing a small quantity on the temples and the stomach brings relief from the ailments. .
Physical Properties
This oil has a fresh and sharp smell of menthol and is transparent. It has a tint of yellow, but sometimes it varies between yellow and green.
Origin
Spearmint oil is believed to have originated in Europe. Now, spearmint is cultivated in many places like Asia, Europe, Middle East and the USA. Countries where major production of spearmint oil occurs are USA, England, France, Spain, Russia, India, China, and Germany.
How does one extract spearmint essential oil?
Spearmint oil is extracted from the flowering tops of the spearmint plant by steam distillation. In this process, the flowering tops are placed in a chamber and steam is passed over them. This steam helps in releasing the aromatic molecules from the flowering tops of the plant. The temperature of the steam is carefully controlled to prevent it from destroying the plants. . The steam is then collected in another container and cooled to collect the oil.
Chemical composition
The major constituents of spearmint oil are carvone, limonene, dihydrocarvone, β-bourbonene, β-caryophyllene, myrcene, α-pinene, methanol (0.5%). In comparison, peppermint oil contains 40% methanol.
Precautions
Spearmint oil is considered to be non-toxic.
It also possesses other properties which make it non-irritating and non-sensitizing. Hence, there are not a lot of precautions that one has to note for the use of spearmint essential oil as there are no known side effects associated with it. However, it is best to consult a professional aroma therapist, especially if you are pregnant or have any other underlying health condition.
Benefits
Spearmint oil has numerous benefits because of the constituents and the properties of the oil.
- It acts as good anti-septic for wounds and helps in rapid healing. It has anti-septic properties due to presence of menthol, myrcene and caryophyllene.
- It has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties, which make it a very effective disinfectant. Traditionally, it has been used to cure many infectious diseases like scabies, athlete’s foot, gonorrhea and dermatitis.
- It also helps in relaxing the nerves and relieving stress, depression, and anxiety.
- It is also used in the management of asthma, constipation, sinusitis, acne, and teeth-related problems.
Therapeutic Applications
The various therapeutic applications of spearmint oil are as follows:
- Can be used an anti-septic
- Acts as an effective anti-spasmodic
- Works well as a disinfectant
- Is an effective insecticide
- Is restorative
Blends with
Most of the essential oils have the property of blending well with each other. This means that they mix together easily. In the case of spearmint oil, it has been found that eucalyptus, lavender, basil, jasmine and rosemary have a greater affinity for bonding with spearmint essential oil.
How does one make spearmint essential oil?
To make spearmint oil - Take a dark colored jar and fill it with spearmint. Then add carrier oil like vegetable oil or olive oil into the jar. Keep the jar in sun so that the carrier oil pulls out the oil from the flowering part of spearmint. It will be infused into the carrier oil making it an essential oil. Then, mix a few drops of it in corn starch and let it stay for about a day or two. In this time, the corn starch will pick up the fragrance.
Spearmint Essential Oil
