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Review
. 2018 Sep 28;11(2):75-81.
doi: 10.1016/j.jtcme.2017.08.011. eCollection 2021 Mar.

Mentha spicata L. essential oil, phytochemistry and its effectiveness in flatulence

Mohaddese Mahboubi  1
Affiliations
Review

Mentha spicata L. essential oil, phytochemistry and its effectiveness in flatulence

Mohaddese Mahboubi. J Tradit Complement Med. .

Abstract

Flatulence as the continuous feeling of abdominal distension is equal to "Nafkh" in Iranian Traditional Medicine. Nafkh is believed to derive from the amount of stomach temperature, humidity of food or abnormal humidity in digestive tract and their interactions. Mentha spicata as cool and spicy plant with astringent and digestive property is recommended for treatment of flatulence. The information was extracted from accessible international databases, traditional books, electronic resources, and unpublished data. M. spicata essential oil with main component of carvone has potency for treatment of flatulence related to indigestion, cesarean section and dysmenorrhea. Also, it can reduce the pain severity during the colonoscopy or dysmenorrheal conditions. No hazardous effects were reported for M. spicata essential oil, if it is used in proper dosages. M. spicata essential oil can be applied for other intestinal complaints with pain and flatulence such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) that needs more deep clinical trials for demonstrating its potential.

Keywords: Essential oil; Flatulence; Mentha spicata; Nafkh; Pain; Rih.

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Figures

Image 1
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The chemical structures of main components of Mentha spicata essential oils.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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