L'olio essenziale di menta, in particolare della menta piperita (Mentha piperita), è costituito da mentolo, mentofurano, limonene ed acetato di metile.

A cosa serve e dove si usa

Medicina

E' stato utilizzato dalla medicina tradizionale come rimedio per una varietà di disturbi: rilassante muscolare, problemi cutanei, mal di teta, tosse e raffreddore.

La composizione chimica di questo olio essenziale è complessa e le concentrazioni dei costituenti, monoterpeni, monoterpenoidi, composti fenolici, variano molto a seconda delle condizioni climatiche, stagione del raccolto, metodo di estrazione ed altri fattori.

Il mentolo è il principale principio attivo  con una percentuale che varia dal 29 al 45%, mente in percentuali minori si trovano menthone, menthofuran e menthyl acetate.

A questo olio sono state riscontrate attività antibatteriche e antifungine contro batteri Gram-positivi e Gram-negativi (1), come efficace trattamento alternativo a breve termine della sindrome dell'intestino irritabile (2) e agente di potenziamento dell'ozono nel controllo dei microrganismi che causano malattie orali in medicina (3).

Viene utilizzato come aroma nel settore alimentare, farmaceutico, medicinale.

Olio essenziale di menta studi

Cosmetica

Ha la duplice funzione di antibatterico e fragranza.

Bibliografia________________________________________________________________________

(1) Oumzil H, Ghoulami S, Rhajaoui M, Ilidrissi A, Fkih-Tetouani S, Faid M, Benjouad A. Antibacterial and antifungal activity of essential oils of Mentha suaveolens. Phytother Res. 2002 Dec;16(8):727-31. doi: 10.1002/ptr.1045. PMID: 12458474.

(2) Khanna R, MacDonald JK, Levesque BG. Peppermint oil for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2014 Jul;48(6):505-12. doi: 10.1097/MCG.0b013e3182a88357. 

Abstract. Goals: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules compared with placebo for the treatment of active irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Background: IBS is a common disorder that is often encountered in clinical practice. Medical interventions are limited and the focus is on symptom control....Conclusions: Peppermint oil is a safe and effective short-term treatment for IBS. Future studies should assess the long-term efficacy and safety of peppermint oil and its efficacy relative to other IBS treatments including antidepressants and antispasmodic drugs.

(3) Floare AD, Dumitrescu R, Alexa VT, Balean O, Szuhanek C, Obistioiu D, Cocan I, Neacsu AG, Popescu I, Fratila AD, Galuscan A. Enhancing the Antimicrobial Effect of Ozone with Mentha piperita Essential Oil. Molecules. 2023 Feb 21;28(5):2032. doi: 10.3390/molecules28052032. 

Abstract. This study aimed to obtain and analyse Mentha piperita essential oil (MpEO) for the prospect of being used as an enhancement agent for the antimicrobial potential of ozone against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and fungi. The research was done for different exposure times, and it gained time–dose relationships and time–effect correlations. Mentha piperita (Mp) essential oil (MpEO) was obtained via hydrodistillation and further analysed by using GC-MS. The broth microdilution assay was used to determine the strain inhibition/strain mass growth by using spectrophotometric optical density reading (OD). The bacterial/mycelium growth rates (BGR/MGR) and the bacterial/mycelium inhibition rates (BIR/MIR) after ozone treatment in the presence and absence of MpEO on the ATTC strains were calculated; the minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) and statistical interpretations of the time–dose relationship and specific t-test correlations were determined. The effect of ozone on the following tested strains at maximum efficiency was observed after 55 s of single ozone exposure, in order of effect strength: S. aureus > P. aeruginosa > E. coli > C. albicans > S. mutans. For ozone with the addition of 2% MpEO (MIC), maximum efficacy was recorded at 5 s for these strains, in order of effect strength: C. albicans > E. coli > P. aeruginosa > S. aureus > S. mutans. The results suggest a new development and affinity regarding the cell membrane of the different microorganisms tested. In conclusion, the use of ozone, combined with MpEO, is sustained as an alternative therapy in plaque biofilm and suggested as helpful in controlling oral disease-causing microorganisms in medicine.