Peppermint (mentha x piperita)

Jasper’s favourite essential oil is peppermint, when Dena Schwartz came out last year it was the only oil he showed any interest in & I have been offering it to him again since New Year.

Peppermint is an incredibly versatile essential oil having many, many uses, which makes it an absolute must for your horse first aid kit.

It is a useful anti-inflammatory for skin that is not broken, so great in the treatment of muscle & tendon strains & aches. If you try the oil on yourself you will feel its odd sensation offering both cool & heat, this makes its action twofold, the heat helps relax strained over exerted muscles whilst the cooling helps control the blood flow (similar to Deep-Heat which you might have used yourself).

You may remember that it was part of both the fly repellant & sweet-itch remedy that i mentioned in blogs last summer. It is great for sweet itch (or any other itchy condition) as it numbs the nerves & cools the skin at the same time, thus alleviating the itch. It seems to repel flies & can also be useful for fleas, a few drops in some powdered clay dusted over your cats & dogs, makes a great natural flea repellant.

It is also useful for your horses ( & indeed your own) emotional state, it helps overcome mental fatigue & depression it helps you to gather your thoughts in stressful situations & can be particularly useful after a shock or fright. It will also help with combating the feelings of lethargy & boredom & where confidence is lacking.

Peppermint oil is incredibly useful on the digestive system as well, I know my mum has used a few drops of peppermint oil added to a glass of water for years to combat nausea & indigestion, taken like this it is also useful to help with travel sickness.

Caroline Ingraham in her Aniaml Aromatics Workbook also recommends it for burns, where she has found it particularly useful in taking the heat away & stimulating healing.

If you want to know more I recommend Caroline Ingraham’s book, The Animal Aromatics workbook.

Until Next time

With Love

Fiona & Jasper