This week's Young Living Oil test is another common oil: peppermint. Now peppermint oil and I had a bit of a precarious initial run-in. I have a good friend of mine that also is into the oils. I was visiting her house, which is about 2.5 hours from mine when I felt a migraine coming on. I did not have my trusty over the counter medicine with me, so she suggested the peppermint oil. Now here is a key warning about peppermint...it MUST be mixed in a carrier oil, like unrefined coconut oil or my personal favorite olive oil. She mixed up a batch, and I applied it to my head as she directed and then it started burning my eyes! I seriously thought I wouldn't be able to see again the burning from the fumes and on my skin was so intense! Luckily, she added some more carrier oil to my face and things calmed way down!! It helped the pain quite a bit and I've been sold on peppermint oil for headaches ever since. Sometimes I'm still having to combine with the painkiller right now. But instead of taking multiple doses and waiting for a while for it to kick in, the peppermint oil has made a great supplement. Maybe one day it will be the only thing I need.
Aside from headaches, I learned at conference a few weeks ago that peppermint enhances learning in the brain. At the conference, they suggested having the students suck on a mint or have a peppermint air freshener going during key learning times in the day. Bingo! You know what you will smell in my classroom twice a day this year? Peppermint! I am planning on diffusing it during my literacy centers and math block in the afternoon. I even tried it out a few days ago when I was having difficulty in concentrating on some work for my TeacherPayTeacher store. I dabbed some under my nose and went straight to work. It definitely calmed my ADD mind and helped me focus only at the task at hand. I can't wait to see if diffusing it is going to make a noticeable difference in the kids.
The other way to use peppermint that is pretty common is for digestive issues. I became gall bladder free in 2003, and since then I've struggled with all kinds of GI discomfort, including nausea and heartburn. The other night, I was feeling sick to my stomach again and feeling like some heartburn was coming on. Now, I hate chewing Tums. HATE IT. The texture and the crunching you have to do make me gag. I'd rather have the nausea and heartburn. So rather than suffer, as usual, I put one drop of peppermint oil under my tongue. Within minutes, I began to feel much, much better. And no gross chalky residue in my mouth. Instead, it was like a fresh feeling of Christmas...and who doesn't love to be reminded of Christmas?
The final way and my favorite way I have used peppermint is in an "Allergy Bomb," where I have combined it with lavender and lemon. I am OBSESSED with the allergy bomb. I'm not a good candidate for a lot of the over-the-counter allergy medicine because they all can turn me into Queen of Hyperactivity or Sleeping Beauty. With my allergy bomb, my symptoms are under control and I'm not on top of the world or drowsy. I will have to share more in a future post.
If you are looking for more ways to use peppermint, check out this page: http://www.got-oils.com/?s=peppermint. Happy Oiling!
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