Organic Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract
Mentha Piperita or commonly known as peppermint is a popular herb in the Swiss Alps. Peppermint is a hybrid mint plant, a cross between watermint and spearmint. It can be used in numerous form, for instance, in the form of oil, leaf, leaf extract or leaf water.
The leaves and flowering tops are used to extract its oil and essence. They are collected and extracted as soon as the flowers begin to bloom. The wild form of the plant is less suitable for this purpose as cultivated plant has been tested and proven to provide more oil content as well as essence of higher quality.
Mentha Piperita has a high menthol content. The oil extracted contains menthone, carboxyl esters and menthyl acetate. It also contains small amounts of other compound such as limonene, pulegone, caryophyllene and pinene. The oil has a high concentration of natural pesticides, mainly pulegone and to a lesser extent, menthone. It is known to repel pest and insects such as mosquitos and so on. Due to that, it has been commonly used in organic gardening.
In skin care, its usage allow the brightening of dull skin complexion, control of excessive oil production and encourages natural skin repair. It activates cold-sensitive TRPM8 receptors in the skin and mucosal tissues, thus, providing the cooling sensation that follows the topical application of peppermint oil. This soothen and provide reliefs from dry skin, minor irritation, skin rashes and skin burns.
In hair care, it can stimulates the hair follicles and facilitate blood circulation to the hair scalp, thus, promoting growth of stronger and healthier hair. It can help to balance up and maintain the ideal pH value of the scalp, which is about 4.5 to 5.5, hence, allowing the hair to grow and stay healthy.