People who are into athletics and sports are looking for ways on how to improve their performance. This includes speeding up their running time, enhancing grip stability, increasing their number of push-ups, and even being able to perform better on higher-intensity exercises. These people who continually research and perform athletics deserve to be well supported. To help these people, several studies have been conducted to find ways how to improve supporting and strengthening these sports enthusiasts.
This post presents three investigations about how peppermint oil’s aroma affects the athletic physiological performance of different populations. However, you will notice that the cases presented here are grouped into categories. This is because some studies have confirmed the effectiveness of peppermint’s aroma on athletic performance, while others have only shown a slight change in some variables. As much as possible I want to show you a consistent result, however, it is important to be considerate of the readers. I adhere to presenting fair blog entries even if that means showing differing outputs of different investigations about a particular topic.
Without effect
The effect of inhaling the aroma of peppermint essence on athletes’ physiological performance was investigated in a 2015 study. In this study, 36 female soccer players from the Islamic Republic of Iran were selected to be participants. The subjects were divided into three groups. The control group and the experimental group were the inhalant peppermint essence group and the inhalant peppermint essence + alcohol group. 2 drops of the substance designated to each group were applied on a sterile cotton pad and the participants were asked to inhale it. The inhalant peppermint essence group was given a sterile cotton pad with 2 drops (0.1ml) of the essence. The peppermint essence + alcohol group was also instructed to inhale the mixture of peppermint essence with alcohol. The control group was given a sterile cotton pad with the placebo or 2 drops of Aquapura and asked the participants to inhale it. After which, they exercise using a motorized treadmill while wearing a special mask Gas Analyzer. The finding of the study showed that inhaling neither peppermint oil nor peppermint oil with alcohol does not have any significant effects on athletes’ physiological performance. The researchers reported that inhalation of peppermint oil while running does not affect running time, S-IgA, or cortisol. Hence they recommend considering looking into the effect of inhaling the aroma of peppermint aroma while exercising at a lower intensity for a longer period. (1)
A comparative study in 2021 investigated the difference between uptaking or inhaling 50uL peppermint oil for 10 days on heart rate variability (HRV) and cardiopulmonary regulation during various exercise intensities. The subjects in this study were 48 healthy male participants aged 20 to 30 years old. The participants were allocated into three groups. The peppermint oil uptake group, the peppermint oil inhalation group, and the control group. The uptake group drank peppermint oil water (500mL aqueous solution containing 50uL of peppermint essential oil) for 10 consecutive days while the inhalation group inhaled 50uL of peppermint oil spray for 10 consecutive days. Some of the variables tested were the heart rate variability (HRV), cardiopulmonary regulation respiratory, and metabolic parameters during aerobic, anaerobic, and graded exercise tests. The result of the study revealed that the uptake or inhalation of 50uL MP oil for 10 days does not improve aerobic capacity and maximal exercise performance. The inhalation of peppermint essential oil does not enhance the sympathetic activity and sympathovagal balance at rest but has increased the uptake of peppermint essential oil (2)
With effect
The effect of peppermint scent has been confirmed in a 2001 study that investigated the administration of peppermint aroma on athletic task performance. Forty subjects in this study were assigned to the no-odor or peppermint odor group. The result of the study yielded that those who are under the peppermint odor condition have an increase in running speed, hand grip strength, and several push-ups. However, it does not affect skill-related tasks such as basketball free-throw shots.
In some of the studies above, the researchers indicated the length of time they conducted the research. I think that’s very important. Furthermore, I also think that the time the peppermint oil aroma is being administered is also important. I hope that people who are researching or recommending peppermint oil to sports enthusiasts will choose a specific time, follow it and stick to it. Athletes follow specific routines, and they are so disciplined in making sure that they follow that routine. Hence I also think that being consistent and sticking to a particular time when administering peppermint oil is also important because this will enable you to see clearly the effect of peppermint oil on athletic performance.
Moreover, if you are an aromatherapist, please ask your clients to follow a specific time when applying essential oils. If you are giving different instructions, your client may be confused and even think does my aroma therapist really want to ‘cure or treat’ my health concern? As an aromatherapist, I think we don’t want to make our clients sad and have questions in their minds about whether their aromatherapist is seriously interested in treating them. So I hope that aromatherapists will stick to their treatment plan, and consider having a consistent timed dosage. Meanwhile, if you are a client, I hope you will also follow your aromatherapist’s instructions and not delay or reschedule your appointment. I think it is very important to be disciplined to stick to a particular schedule to make the treatment plan effective.
Be consistent
References:
- Pournemati P., Daneshvar S., Azarbayjani M.A., Pournemati M. The effect of inhaling peppermint essence on some immune responses and cortisol follows one bout of exhausting exercise in female athletes. Journal of Applied Environmental and Biological Sciences. , 5(9S)634-640, 2015
- Mao, T., Huang, C., Liu, D., Chen, C., & Yang, C. (2021). Effects of Mentha Piperita Essential Oil Uptake or Inhalation on Heart Rate Variability and Cardiopulmonary Regulation during Exercise. Montenegrin Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 10 (2), 65-72. DOI: 10.26773/miss.210910
- Raudenbush, B., Corley, N., & Eppich, W. (2001). Enhancing Athletic Performance through the Administration of Peppermint Odor, Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 23(2), 156-160. Retrieved Dec 20, 2022, from https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/jsep/23/2/article-p156.xml
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