Thursday, August 18, 2011

Menthol Oil

The botanical name of peppermint is Mentha piperita and it belongs to the Lamiaceae family.
The part of peppermint that is used medicinally is the aerial part, which contains volatile oils (menthol, pulegone, cineole), bitter principles and tannins.
Menthol is the main constituent of mentha oil and slow cooling through refrigeration, crystallization, centrifugation and drying is done to obtain it. It is used in the manufacture of lozenges, toothpastes, pain balms, cold balms etc.
Peppermint Oil is used to cure indigestion, headaches, colic, gingivitis, irritable bowel syndrome, spasms and rheumatism. It is also used in the manufacture of Mint sweets and chocolates.

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