# Peppermint tea



## StressedOut (Nov 14, 2001)

Hi all,I just thought I would share with you all my recent experience with drinking peppermint tea. My ibs symptoms have been both C and D but with chronic gas (FAO: Flux I know it's gas cos I pass it throughout my day, excessively! No odour just volume.







)Anyways for a bit of history I've been on a restrictive diet... no gluten/wheat, caffine, alcohol, fruit/veg (= bad gas), dairy etc. So I have been going through a C patch for a couple of months, only two bowel movements per week which wasn't fun. I could tell two days before that I needed to "go" but it just couldn't be rushed! Afterwards I'd feel hollowed out and with abdominal discomfort for the rest of the day. I was (and still am) eating plenty of brown rice for fibre and my water intake was high. But hey, it least it wasn't D!So I decided what the heck and to use up some of the herbal tea I'd bought previously it did nothing for me then (when I was in a D patch) and scary things started to happen! Scary only in that they were (gasp!) normal...ish.Sept 1stHad a c-type bowel movement. Mid-afternoon I drank a cup of peppermint tea (2 hours after eating lunch and 2 hours before having my tea).Sept 2ndMid-afternoon had a suprise normal bowel movement. About ten minutes before my tea I had a cup of peppermint tea. At bed time my abdomen was rumbling quite a bit and I was having lots of burps which I figure are better than it coming out the other end!!!Sept 3rdWoke with a small amount of pain, more of an ache behind my right hip bone and had a normal bowel movement. Lunchtime was another normal bowel movement. Drank peppermint tea about 20mins before eating mid-afternoon.Sept 4thWoke and had a normal bowel movement. Drank my peppermint tea twenty minutes before my lunch.I just thought this info might be helpful to someone else. I am a bit shocked as to how normal things have become so suddenly. My gas volume has remained the same but if I had all that backed up inside me it's got to get better once it is all out! Better out than in surely! I'll keep you guys posted with how it goes over the next few days. This is a definite improvement on my C situation but I'm concerned over what will happen when the peppermint tea is erm, done dealing with all the backlog!I have been keeping a detailed food diary (under dieticians instructions) since March and my eating has remained the same throughout this peppermint tea thing. I was having 200ml of tea but today I dropped it down to 150ml (the two bowel movements yesterday were a bit too scary!)Any thoughts on the time of day when I'm drinking the tea? Maybe after meals would be better?Advice greatfully received!


----------



## matrixd (Jul 31, 2003)

is peppermint oil useful for those who suffer from ibs-c only. i am ibs -d and use immodium to control my BMs. longest i ever went without a BM is 24hrs so i'm definetly not ibs-c.my doctor prescribed me peppermint oil capsules today and i'm afraid they might make my D worse have any ibs-d sufferers had luck with these?


----------



## jack_c81 (Aug 10, 2003)

I cant recommend Peppermint oil capsules enough. I realise all ibs sufferers have differing symptoms, however i have personally found 80% improvement in both C & D.Ive also found that for best results, make sure the peppermint oil capsules are 'enceric' coated. This means basically that they wont dissolve until in your lower stomach, thus logically more effective than peppermint tea. Or so i've found.I take one capsule 30 mins before each meal, and wouldn't consider going a day without them.


----------



## anonymoose (Jul 20, 2003)

my experience with peppermint tea is that, when drank in the morning, i have almost zero pain throughout the day. i ****ing love the stuff. and it tastes great







. also, i have both c and d.


----------



## jodys (Apr 8, 2002)

Hi all, I just got some peppermint capsules. Can anyone tell me if there are any side effects from them? Someone once said to watch for allergic reactions. Is that true?? I dont know if I'd be able to even try one then, I'd be so scared! Jody


----------



## crankypants (Aug 25, 2002)

Jody, you've eaten mints, haven't you? Or other things likely to contain peppermint oil such as chocolate chip mint ice cream? I don't think you're going to have a problem. FWIW, I have spent some time on aromatherapy message boards and peppermint seems to be regarded as one of the least antagonistic essential oils. I would encourage you to go ahead and try the capsules. I, too, find them substantially helpful. In recent years I tried using them at the beginning of menstruation to control pain, and I found that I didn't need anything else. (I guess a lot of pain I was blaming on the uterus was really bowel pain, possibly from endometriosis.) Matrix, I can't see how the peppermint could make D worse unless you have an atypical reaction or overdose on it and get a rebound effect. It seems to stop pain by stopping spasms, and that should help with D.


----------



## matrixd (Jul 31, 2003)

had to post back straight away today. i'm not gonna get my hopes up cause i know what happens when i do that, but this is the end of day 1 on these peppermint oil capsules and unbelievablely i'm feeling 50% better with the cramps, pains urgency and BMs. can it really act so quick? the real test will come after a 2 week trail thats when usually new things i try pack in, but defo off to a good start with this stuff. also might be a combination of the immodium, peppermint oil and calcium carbonate.


----------



## nmwinter (May 31, 2001)

peppermint is an antispasmodic so I could see it helping both. I know I get cramps with both C and D. I typically use it more for D but now that I think about it, I should try it for the C too.I beleive the only problem with peppermint is if you have GERD - it can increase the acid production. They do say you should never give peppermint to infants since they can;'t deal with it. for the rest of though, it's good thing


----------



## california123 (Jun 8, 2003)

My understanding is that mint "relaxes" the digestive system, so it can cause a problem for those with acid reflux since it relaxes the area that separates the stomach from the esophogous (sp?). Sorry I can't give you the technical terms.


----------



## Robbin (May 22, 2002)

Can anyone please advise as to which brands they use for both the peppermint tea and the peppermint capsules. I have been drinking Lipton brand peppermint tea, is there a better brand? Also where can I buy the peppermint capsules. Thanks so much.


----------



## Jupiter119 (Aug 8, 2001)

StressedOutYour avatar is Tubbs from LOG???My FAVOURITE TV prog. I'm a huge LOG fan & even went to the village where it's filmed. Drinks are best taken an hour before or an hour after meals. Nutritionist told me that if you drink with a meal it all goes into one big 'sludge' & is more difficult to digest.


----------



## StressedOut (Nov 14, 2001)

Hi all,Well things are still on the up with the peppermint tea. Had another normal bm this morning so am thrilled as well as anxious about this sudden change in symptoms. Pity the gas hasn't decreased but it doesn't seem to be any worse!I'm in the UK and the peppermint tea I'm drinking is made by Twinnings. It might also be worth mentioning that I've tried the coated peppermint capsules a couple of times, during both C and D phases and they did nothing for me.My plan today is to drink the tea about an hour before my lunch.And yes my avatar is Tubbs. I just love the look on her face! Hilarious TV show!


----------



## Guest (Sep 5, 2003)

Peppermint is a natural antispasmodic. You can buy them over the counter, i can't remember what they are called but they are an aid to digestion. They shouldn't cause D. They are fine normally. Peppermint tea is not the same as the oil. I don't think i would ingest the oil.


----------



## wlwoodma (Jun 16, 2003)

I am glad everyone is having such good luck with peppermint. I too have had similar experiences with both the enteric coated capsules and the tea. However, the last time I used the capsules I didn't get any relief. I am trying to save them for the worse attacks but maybe the last time I used them the pain was from a stomach virus instead of IBS. Has anyone else had a time when they stopped working?By the way, I think the peppermint tea has additional benefits over the oil. It might just be psychological but sometimes just the smell of the tea is so soothing that it helps to relax my gut. Also, I carry peppermint altoids in my purse when I need a little help and cannot brew a cup of tea.If I learn someone has IBS, I now recommend peppermint in any form. SG


----------

