HomeMy WebLinkAboutpeppermint-oil-MRP-NYSIPMhttp://hdl.handle.net/l 813/56135
New York State e ®L s,
I M Integrated Pest Management Cornell Cooperative Extension
P Program on
Peppermint & Peppermint Oil Profile
Active Ingredient Eligible for Minimum Risk Pesticide Use
Brian P. Baker, Jennifer A. Grant, and Raksha Malakar-Kuenenl
New York State Integrated Pest Management, Cornell University, Geneva NY
Label Display Names: Peppermint; Peppermint oil
Active Components: Menthol, menthone, pule -
gone, others
CAS Registry #: 8006-90-4 (Peppermint oil); 2216-
51-5 and 89-78-1 (Menthol)
U.S. EPA PC Code: 500740 (referenced, but not
recognized in cross -search)
CA DPR Chem Code: 2058
Other Names: Brandy Mint; Lamb Mint; Oil of
peppermint; Mentha piperita oil
Other Codes: EC 616-900-7; FEMA 2848; HT
3301.25
Summary: Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is a culinary and medicinal herb that is widely cultivated and
used in various cuisines. Its essential oil is the primary source of menthol. Other active substances found
in peppermint and its essential oil include menthone and pulegone. As a pesticide, the primary active
ingredient, menthol, has biocidal properties and is effective at controlling mites, mosquito larvae, and var-
ious other pests. It also has repellent properties to insects, dogs, and cats. Peppermint oil is an effective
antimicrobial. Because of its history as a flavoring agent, peppermint and peppermint are considered safe
when used properly.
Pesticidal Uses: Insect repellent, insecticide, and acaricide; vertebrate animal repellent, including com-
panion animals; antimicrobial disinfectant, bactericide, and fungicide; herbicide.
Formulations and Combinations: Combined with other essential oils, with vegetable oils, sodium lauryl
sulfate. Peppermint can also be nanoemulsified with modified food starch (Liang et al. 2012).
Basic Manufacturers: Wrigley's; Seely Mint; Labeemint; Cascade Pacific Essential Oils; Camden -Grey;
Foodchem International; Fuzhou Farwell; Jiangxi Baicao; Orchid Chemical Co.; Inan Tarim.
This document profiles an active ingredient currently eligible for exemption from pesticide registration when used in
a Minimum Risk Pesticide in accordance with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) section
25b. The profile was developed by the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program at Cornell University,
for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The authors are solely responsible for its con-
tent. The Overview Document contains more information on the scope of the profiles, the purpose of each section,
and the methods used to prepare them. Mention of specific uses are for informational purposes only, and are not
to be construed as recommendations. Brand name products are referred to for identification purposes only, and
are not endorsements.
I Current affiliation: Bayer US, Fresno CA
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Peppermint & Peppermint Oil Profile
Safety Overview: Peppermint and peppermint oil are widely consumed as common food and flavoring
ingredients. However, overdoses of peppermint oil are possible and near -fatal situations have occurred
due to menthol's anesthetic properties (HSDB 2015).
Background
Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is a perennial herb that is a hybrid of water mint (Mentha aquatica) and
spearmint (Mentha spicata) (Tucker and Naczi 2007). It is cultivated widely in Asia, Europe and North Amer-
ica. Peppermint and its essential oil are used as flavoring agents in foods, liqueurs, and confectionaries.
Fresh peppermint leaves are used as culinary herbs, while dried peppermint leaves are used in herbal
teas. Peppermint's essential oil, dried leaves and flowering tops, as well as the fresh flowering plant are
used medicinally as a carminative, antispasmodic and flavoring agent (Merck 2015). Besides food and
medical uses, peppermint oil —a major source of menthol —is used in many personal care products such
as soaps, toothpaste, mouthwashes, fragrances and hand lotions and even in tobacco products. (Hayes et
al. 2007).
Peppermint oil is the fifth most produced essential oil in the world (Schmidt 2009), and the peppermint
plant itself is presumed to be the most studied source of essential oils (Franz and Novak 2009). Essential
oil yields and composition depend on a number of factors, including the cultivar, plant parts, maturity,
soils, climate, temperature, day length, time of harvest, fertilization, irrigation, and extraction method
(Lawrence 2007; Franz and Novak 2009; Khan and Abourashed 2010).
The United States, China and India lead the world as peppermint producing countries (Denny and Law-
rence 2007); others are Morocco, Argentina, Bulgaria and Georgia (FAO 2015). Through most of the 1911
century, US peppermint production and processing were centered in Wayne County, NY (Russell 1926).
Most peppermint oil is produced by high pressure steam distillation (Schmidt 2009), a relatively simple
process. Historically, fresh mint would be packed into a retort and steam passed through the chamber
would be condensed. The oil would float on top of the water and be distilled by the different boiling
points of water and oil (Russell 1926). Modern methods introduced higher pressures, a wider range of
temperature control, vacuum distillation, and crystallization —resulting in greater yields, higher quality
and a greater variety of products for specialty applications (Denny and Lawrence 2007).
Chemical and Physical Properties
Peppermint contains 1-3% essential oils (Merck 2015), which commercially yields 0.1-1.0%—usually
0.3-0.4%—of volatile oil that is mostly composed of menthol and menthone (Khan and Abourashed
2010). Related compounds menthyl acetate and menthofuran are also present in significant amounts.
Other constituents of peppermint oil include limonene, pulegone, 1,8-cineole, piperitone, caryophyllene,
viridiflorol, bisabolene, isomenthone, isomenthol, a- and B-pinenes, neomenthol, ledol, d-trans-sabinene
hydrate, and bicycloelemene, among others (Khan and Abourashed 2010). Local growing conditions cause
variation in crop and product quality, and subsequently influences processing of peppermint oil to a suit-
able grade (Krupski and Fischer 1950).
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Peppermint & Peppermint Oil Profile
The primary component of peppermint oil, menthol, is also known as hexahydrothymol, peppermint cam-
phor, 3-p-menthanol, L-menthol, and 5-methyl-2-(I-methylethyl) cyclohexanol (Hayes et al. 2007). Menthol
has also been widely studied for its medicinal and physiological properties. It is used as a local anesthetic
and anti-tussive agent in cold and cough preparations, with delivery through steam vapor, or topically as
an anti-tussive in chest rubs delivered in petroleum jellies (e.g. Vicks Vapo-rub®), or orally through throat
lozenges. Menthol is thought to provide a local anesthetic action on the lungs and throat, suppressing the
cough reflex (Gardiner 2000). Another biologically active constituent is pulegone, but its concentration
varies according to the peppermint oil's origin, with some sources having pulegone levels as high as 4%
(Nair 2001).
Peppermint oil may contain dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) (Burdock 2010), which is usually rectified by an
additional distillation step to make the final oil food grade (Schmidt 2009; Ba§er and Demirci 2012). The
chemical content of the oil is reflected in its physical characteristics. Most notably, viscosity and menthol
content are positively correlated (Swift and Thornton 1943; Fischer et al. 1953).
The physical and chemical properties of peppermint derivatives are reported in Table 1. Values are for
peppermint oil unless otherwise specified.
Table 1
Physical and Chemical Properties of Peppermint Derivatives
Property
Characteristic/Value
Source(s)
Molecular Formula (Menthol):
C10H200
(Royal Society of Chemistry
2015)
Molecular Weight (Menthol):
156.265
(Royal Society of Chemistry
2015)
Percent Composition:
Menthol (29-60%), menthone (15-30%), methyl
(Hayes et al. 2007)
acetate (2-8.5%), menthofuran (1-7%), isomen-
thone (2-5.5%), limonene (1-4%), and germac-
rene D (0.5-3%)
Physical state at 25°C/1 Atm.
Liquid
(Merck 2015)
Color
Colorless to pale yellow
(Merck 2015)
Odor
Strong, penetrating odor of peppermint
(Merck 2015)
Density/Specific Gravity
0.896-0.908
(Merck 2015)
Melting point (Menthol)
41 - 43' C
(Merck 2015)
Boiling point (Menthol)
212°C
(Merck 2015)
Solubility
Very slightly soluble in water; soluble in 70%
(Merck 2015)
alcohol. Insoluble in propylene glycol
Vapor pressure
0.3 mm Hg at 25°C
(EPI 2012)
pH
Not found
Octonol/Water (KJ coefficient
19.94
(EPI 2012)
Viscosity
-380-700 sec at 30°C
(Swift and Thornton 1943)
Miscibility
Not found
Flammability
Flammability Hazard Rating: 2
(Natural Sourcing 2008)
Storage stability
Fair
(US NLM 2016)
Corrosion characteristics
Not found
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Peppermint & Peppermint Oil Profile
Property
Air half life
Soil half life
Water half life
Persistence
0.309 hrs
4,320 hrs
8,640 hrs
4,490 hrs
Human Health Information
Characteristic/ Value
(EPI 2012)
(EPI 2012)
(EPI 2012)
(EPI 2012)
Source(s)
The principal active ingredient in peppermint oil, menthol, has been widely studied for its effects on hu-
man health. Because of its use as a flavoring agent in cigarettes, a number of studies have looked at the
acute, subchronic and chronic toxicity when combined with tobacco. Many such studies compare men-
tholated tobacco with unmentholated tobacco. Because of the confounding health effects of the expo-
sure to tobacco and its toxic components, most of these studies were not considered for this profile. The
constituent pulegone also shows some adverse human health effects.
Acute Toxicity
The acute toxicity of peppermint oil and menthol appears in Table 2. Values are for peppermint oil unless
otherwise specified.
Table 2
Acute Toxicity of Peppermint Oil and Menthol
Study
Acute oral toxicity
Acute dermal toxicity
Acute inhalation
Acute eye irritation (Menthol)
Acute dermal irritation (Menthol)
Skin sensitization (Menthol)
Results
Rat: 2,426 mg/kg
Mouse: 2,490 mg/kg
Rabbit: >5,000 mg/kg
Not found
Rabbit: Severe eye irritation
Mild irritant
Negative
Source(s)
(Eickholt and Box 1965; HSDB 2015)
(Hayes et al. 2007)
(US EPA 2004)
(Hayes et al. 2007)
(Hayes et al. 2007)
More studies have been performed on the toxicity of menthol, which has been linked to atrial fibrillation,
muscle pain, cooling or burning sensations, and eye injuries (HSDB 2015). Adult human subjects exposed
to menthol at 0.5% mixed in light liquid petrolatum developed irritation on the nasal epithelium and mu-
cous membranes (Hayes et al. 2007). Intraperitoneal toxicity of peppermint oil on rats was reported to be
an LDS, of 819 mg/Kg. (Eickholt and Box 1965).
A small percentage of the population appears to be allergic to peppermint and/or to peppermint oil and
its derivatives. Peppermint oil in lip balm has been linked to incidents of acute dermal toxicity in sensitive
individuals (Tran et al. 2010). Another study conducted on human subjects found that menthol caused
skin irritation, with the mean time of onset of sensation —including burning and cooling —being 2.59 min-
utes (Hayes et al. 2007).
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Peppermint & Peppermint Oil Profile
There is also some epidemiological evidence of peppermint, peppermint oil, and menthol's ability to
cause various health issues (Hayes et al. 2007). A 40-year-old woman who attempted suicide by drinking
peppermint oil was comatose for 8 hours and unconscious for 24 hours, and the physicians who treated
her found her vital signs in a near -fatal state (Nath et al. 2012). The dose ingested was not known. Injec-
tion of peppermint oil by an 18-year-old pregnant woman with a history of intravenous drug use —also a
suspected suicide attempt —resulted in pulmonary edema and acute lung injury presumably due to the
increase in pulmonary vascular permeability (Behrends 2005).
Peppermint allergies have been linked to ataxia, 'hot flashes', high blood pressure, shortness of breath,
tremors, drowsiness, hyperextension of the extremities, metabolic acidosis, and unconsciousness (Woolf
1999). Menthol droplet ingestion was attributed as the cause of an 86-year-old man in India falling into
a coma (Baibars et al. 2012). Skin eruptions were observed in one person who used mouthwashes that
contained menthol and peppermint (Fleming and Forsyth 1998).
Sub -chronic Toxicity
The sub -chronic toxicity of peppermint oil and menthol appears in Table 3. Values are for peppermint oil
unless otherwise specified.
Table 3
Sub -chronic Toxicity of Peppermint Oil and Menthol
Study Results Source(s)
Repeated Dose 28-day Oral Toxicity
Study in Rodents
90 day oral toxicity in rodents
90 day oral toxicity in non -rodents
90 Day dermal toxicity
90 Day inhalation toxicity
Reproduction/development toxicity
screening test
Combined repeated dose toxicity with
reproduction/development toxicity
screening test (Menthol)
Prenatal developmental toxicity study
Reproduction and fertility effects
Rats: NOAEL = 10 mg/kg/day
Rats: NOAEL = 40 mg/kg/day
Not found
Not found
Not found
Not found
(Thorup et al. 1983)
(Spindler and Madsen 1992)
Mice, rats, hamsters and rabbits: No (US EPA 2004)
teratogenic effects
Not found
Not found
Rats fed 100 mg/kg/day peppermint oil for 28 and 90 days developed spaces and cysts in the cerebel-
lum (Spindler and Madsen 1992). No other adverse effects were observed and it was unclear what, if
any, health problems were caused by those histopathological changes. An earlier study showed adverse
histopathological effects in the form of lesions at doses as low as 10 mg/kg/day in a 28-day study (Thorup
et al. 1983). The peppermint oil used in the earlier study had higher levels of pulegone and lower levels of
menthol, possibly explaining the anomalous results of the shorter study having the lower adverse effect
level. A 13-week inhalation study of menthol cigarettes had no adverse effects observed on mice inhaling
tobacco with 5,000 ppm of menthol (Gaworski et al. 1997).
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Peppermint & Peppermint Oil Profile
Pulegone is hepatotoxic (Sullivan et al. 1979). Peppermint oil and pulegone are also linked to neurotoxici-
ty in 28-day sub -chronic feeding studies (Olsen and Thorup 1984). Peppermint tea has been implicated in
kidney damage in rats (Akdogan et al. 2004). Rat spermatogenetic activity was reduced by peppermint tea
consumed at doses of 20 g/L (Akdogan et al. 2004). Peppermint oil is sometimes used to induce menstru-
ation, and exposure should be avoided during pregnancy (Gardiner 2000; NLM 2016).
Chronic Toxicity
The chronic toxicities of peppermint oil and some selected constituents appear in Table 4
Table 4
Chronic Toxicity of Peppermint Oil and Selected Components
Study Results Source(s)
Chronic toxicity Ames Test: (Andersen and Jensen 1984; Nair
Peppermint oil, menthol and Pulegone= 2001; Belsito et al. 2008)
Negative
Menthone=Reactive
Carcinogenicity Mice: Peppermint oil=Negative (Nair 2001)
Combined chronic Hamster=Equivocal (Nair 2001; Belsito et al. 2008)
toxicity & carcinogenicity Human cells: Menthol=Negative
Peppermint, peppermint oil, and peppermint oil's major components are not classified as carcinogenic
by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC 2014); are not on the California Proposition 65
list of known carcinogens (Cal -EPA 1997); and do not appear on the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Basis of
OSHA Carcinogens (US EPA 2015).
Most chronic toxicity tests found for peppermint, peppermint oil, and peppermint water extracts were
negative. Peppermint's chemical isolates also tested negative in most cases, but in a few cases produced
equivocal or even weakly positive results (Nair 2001). Peppermint oil was negative in the Ames test and
a mouse lymphoma mutagenesis assay but gave equivocal results in a Chinese hamster fibroblast cell
chromosome aberration assay (Nair 2001).
Human Health Incidents
The National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) received 14 reports of human health incidents related to
the use of peppermint or peppermint oil from April 1, 1996 to March 30, 2016 (NPIC 2016). Most involved
formulated products with multiple active ingredients. Two involved only peppermint oil and other mint
oils as ingredients. One was accidental inhalation and the other involved ingestion by a two -year -old
infant who was asymptomatic. The outcomes were not reported.
Environmental Effects Information
Effects on Non -target Organisms
The effects of peppermint oil and its main active component, menthol, are summarized in Table 5.
Page 6 of 18
Peppermint & Peppermint Oil Profile
Table 5
Effects of Peppermint Oil and Menthol on Non -target Organisms
Study Results Source(s)
Avian Oral, Tier I Not found
Non -target plant studies Tomato (Lycopersium esculantum): MIC=900 pl/L-' (Mandavikia and
Radish (Raphinus sativus): MIC=1,800 pl/L-' Saharkhiz 2015)
Non -target insect studies (Menthol) Honey bees (Apis mellifera) LC,, = 5.3 pg/ml (Ellis and Baxendale
1997)
Aquatic vertebrates (L-menthol) Pimephales promelas ECSo(96 h) = 18.4 mg/I (OECD 2003)
Donio rerio: LCSo (96 h) = 15.6 mg/I
Oryzios latipes: LCSo (48 h) = 26 mg/I
Aquatic invertebrates (L-menthol) Daphnia magna: EC,, (24 h) = 37.7 mg/I (OECD 2003)
EC,o (48 h) = 26.6 mg/I
No results documenting the direct effects of peppermint oil alone on non -target organisms were found.
Various studies of peppermint oil's main constituent, menthol, were available. While no avian toxicity
studies were found for wildlife models, peppermint is used as a feed supplement for poultry. Peppermint
fed to Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica) as a feed supplement at rates between 20 and 40 g/kg/week did
not result in any significant difference in body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, or feed intake (Mehri et
al. 2015).
Menthol is commonly applied to honey bees (Apis mellifera) for the control of tracheal mites (Acarapis
woodii). Although it has a wide margin of safety between the effective dose for tracheal mites and bee
mortality, menthol is one of the most toxic essential oil isolates to bees. Menthol was 18.9 times more
toxic to mites than to honey bees at LC50 concentrations, but only 5.7 times more toxic at LC90concentra-
tions (Ellis and Baxendale 1997). Menthol's LC50 for tracheal mites was found to be 0.3 pg/ml, making the
LC50 for honey bees 5.67 pg/ml. Despite its relatively high toxicity to bees, menthol had the widest margin
of safety of all the acaricides tested in the study.
Two species of aphid predators—Adalia bipunctata (two -spotted ladybird beetle) and Coccinella septem-
punctata (seven -spotted ladybird beetle) were exposed to vapors of essential oils, including peppermint
oil (Kimbaris et al. 2010). The LC50 after 24 h exposure to peppermint oil vapors at 21 OC for A. bipunctata
was 0.62 ml/L and was 0.67 ml/L for C. septempunctata. Peppermint oil was one of the more toxic essen-
tial oils to the beneficial parasitoid Cotesiaglomerata, but was still significantly less toxic than the insecti-
cide dichlorvos, with an LD50 of 0.3 mg/paper (Yi et al. 2007).
Peppermint oil and peppermint water extract are phytotoxic to tomatoes (Lycopersium esculantum): and
radishes (Raphinus sativus) (Mandavikia and Saharkhiz 2015). Crop plants were more susceptible than
weeds to peppermint oil and peppermint water extract damage, making it undesirable as a foliar treat-
ment or selective herbicide.
NPIC received 12 reports of animal incidents related to the use of peppermint from April 1, 1996 to March
30, 2016 (NPIC 2016). Most involved non -fatal incidents with dogs and cats, although one cat fatality due to
renal failure was reported. The formulation also had lemongrass oil and cinnamon oil as active ingredients.
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Peppermint & Peppermint Oil Profile
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Animal Poison Control Center report-
ed multiple flea product incidents between 2006 and 2008; 39 involved the exposure of cats and nine
incidents involved dogs. These flea products contained peppermint oil and other ingredients are eligible
to be EPA exempt from registration (Genovese et al. 2012). Three formulated products accounted for
the incidents, and their symptoms included skin erythema, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, edema, ataxia,
seizures, weakness, recumbent, tachycardia, agitation, anorexia, hyperactivity, hypersalivation, panting,
retching, tremors, vocalization, and renal failure. The following three incidents were particularly poor
outcomes: a 7-month-old kitten died with inappropriate use; a 3-year-old dog was euthanized 6 days after
appropriate use; and a 13-year-old cat was euthanized 72 hours after appropriate use. All the formula-
tions were sprays, shampoos or spot-on treatments and included peppermint oil as one of multiple active
ingredients.
Environmental Fate, Ecological Exposure, and Environmental Expression
No studies on the leaching, photodegradation and biodegradability of peppermint and peppermint oil
were found.
Environmental Incidents
NPIC received 29 reports of incidents involving the use of peppermint not related to human or animal
exposure from April 1, 1996 to March 30, 2016 (NPIC 2016). Most involved spills or misapplications.
Efficacy
Peppermint and peppermint oil have been studied as insecticides, acaricides, antimicrobials, fungicides,
and herbicides.
Insecticidal Activity
Peppermint oil can be used as a mosquito larvicide. When 3 ml/mz of peppermint oil was added to water,
the mortality rate of the third instar larvae of Anopheles stephensi, Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus
was 85%, 90%, and 100%, respectively (Ansari et al. 2000).
Peppermint and three other essential oils were evaluated for their toxicity to third instar larvae of three
mosquito species (Anopheles stephensi, Culex quinquefasciatus, and Aedes aegypti). Peppermint oil was
toxic against An. stephensi and Ae. Aegypti, with LDSOs of 21.36 ppm and 26.19 ppm respectively (Pathak
et al. 2000). However, in a comparison of 41 essential oils, peppermint performed relatively poorly, with
no third instar larvae mortalities caused by a 50ppm solution within an hour, and 53.3% mortality in 24
hours. By comparison, 13 of the essential oils screened were able to achieve 100% mortality in 24 hours
(Amer and Mehlhorn 2006).
A study on the larvicidal and adult repellency effects of peppermint oil against Ae. aegypti, LC50 and LC90 of
peppermint oil were 111.9 and 295.19 ppm in 24 hrs for the fourth instar mosquito larvae. Human test
subjects were protected from the adult bites for at least 150 min (S. Kumar et al., 2011). Of five essen-
tial oils screened, peppermint oil was found to be the most effective, deterringAe. aegypti female mos-
quitos from ovipositing in cups under laboratory conditions, and suppressing egg hatch. No mosquito
larvae hatched at concentrations of peppermint oil as low as 1 % (Warikoo et al. 2011). Adult mosquitos
Page 8of 18
Peppermint & Peppermint Oil Profile
were repelled by peppermint oil applied to human skin. The percent protection and length of protection
against C. quinquefasciatus, Anopheles culicifacies, and Anopheles annularis was 84.5% (6.7 h), 92.3% (9.6 h),
and 100% (11.0 h), respectively. The authors concluded that the repellent action of peppermint oil was
comparable to the commercially available repellent known as mylol oil, which is a mixture of dimethyl and
dibutyl phthalates. (Ansari et al. 2000).
Terminixg ALLCLEAR® Sidekick, a blend of 5.3% peppermint oil and other active ingredients cinnamon
oil, lemongrass oil, eugenol, and geranium oil reduced Aedes albopictus attacks by over 95% and Culex
pipiens attacks by over 92% (Revay et al. 2013). The article did not identify whether the formulation was
EPA registered or EPA exempt.
In another study, peppermint oil failed to repel Ae. aegypti at concentrations of 5% and 10% (Barnard
1999).
Houseflies (Musca domestica) are susceptible to the volatiles generated by peppermint oil with acetone on
treated filter paper. One study reported the 24 hour contact LC50 concentration for housefly larvae was
3.39 pl/cmz and the 24 hour contact LC90 was 6.09 pl/cmz. The 24 hour fumigation LC90 was reported to be
79.53 pl/L (P. Kumar et al. 2012).
The cecidomyiid gall midge Camptomyia corticalis, a dipteran pest of shiitake mushrooms, was treated
with 49 essential oils and dichlorvos. Peppermint oil was more effective than the median essential oil, but
not the most effective. The fumigant LC50 was estimated to be 0.70 mg/cm3 and it achieved 100% mortali-
ty of the third instar of the cecidomyiid gall midge at a rate of 1.41 mg/cm3 (Kim et al. 2012).
Human head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) is resistant to the synthetic pyrethroid permethrin but was
reduced by 93% using a combination of peppermint oil (5%) and eucalyptus oil (5%) (Audino et al. 2007).
Addition of 1-dodecanol as an adjuvant gave 100% control, showing that peppermint oil can be part of
an effective program to manage permethrin-resistant head lice. Five essential oils, including peppermint
oil, were tested on the buffalo louse, (Haematopinus tuberculatus). The LC50 for peppermint oil after four
minutes of exposure was 12.35% (Khater et al. 2009).
Tests on the chewing louse (Bovicola (Werneckiella) ocellatus), an external parasite of donkeys, exposed the
pest to various levels of peppermint oil for 300 minutes. This resulted in a LC50 determined to be 1.24%
(Talbert and Wall 2012).
Post -harvest pests can also be effectively managed by the use of peppermint oil. Among the insects
studied were Tribolium castaneum (red flour beetle), Callosobruchus maculatus (pulse beetle), Attagenus
fasciatus (black carpet beetle), Rhyzopertha dominica (false powderpost beetle), Oryzaephilus surinamensis
(sawtoothed grain beetle), Sitophilus oryzae (rice weevil) and Lasioderma serricorne (cigarette beetle).
One study found that peppermint oil effectively reduced red flour beetle populations. The oil in the form
of fumigant used against the first, second, third, and fifth instar larvae resulted in LC50 values of 0.76, 2.14,
11.88, and 20.4 ml/100 ml respectively (Misra and Kumar 1983). The authors determined that LC50 values
for adults after 24-h and 48-h exposure were 3.04 and 3.21 ml/100 ml, respectively. A 90% kill rate was
obtained for the emerging first instar larvae when they were exposed to 4.0 mL/100 ml, but the eggs were
unaffected. Another study determined that the LD50 and a LID 5 for T. castaneum exposed to volatiles from
the essential oil of peppermint were 25.8 ml/I and 33.1 ml/I air respectively (Lee et al. 2002). C. maculatus
Page 9 of 18
Peppermint & Peppermint Oil Profile
adult males are more susceptible to peppermint oil fumes than the females of C. maculatus (El Nagar et
al. 2012). Peppermint oil was found to be ovicidal in the same study.
An assessment of the efficacy of 28 essential oils against Rhyzopertho dominica, Oryzaephilus surinamensis,
Tribolium castaneum, and Sitophilus oryzae found that peppermint oil was one of 11 essential oils active
against all four species (Shaaya et al. 1991). At concentrations of 15 pl/L of air, peppermint caused over
75% mortality of all four.
Peppermint oil volatiles produced the highest level of toxicity to the adults and larvae of the black carpet
beetle (Attagenus fasciatus) and cigarette beetle (Losioderma serricorne) compared with three other essen-
tial oils. These beetles feed on furs, hides, insect specimens stored in the museums and the wool articles
and oil seeds. In tests using peppermint oil volatiles, black carpet beetle larvae and adults had an LDso
1.09 and 1.67 ml/80 cm3; for cigarette beetle larvae and adults the numbers were 1.28 and 1.80 ml/80 cm3
respectively. The adults had malformed antennae and associated sensilla when exposed to peppermint
oil vapors when they were third instar larvae (Bakr et al. 2010).
The variegated cutworm (Peridoroma saucia), a pest of vegetable crops, will also damage peppermint.
Even though the variegated cutworm will feed on peppermint, some of the monoterpenes found in
peppermint inhibit feeding. Larvae fed a diet with menthone and pulegone weighed less than the control
because of feeding inhibition. Similarly, menthol caused molting abnormalities and inhibited pupation
at doses similar to content in peppermint oil (0.05 - 0.2% wet weight). The microsomes of the midgut of
sixth instar larvae of variegated cutworm were observed to metabolize the monoterpenes present in the
peppermint oil (Harwood et al 1990). The metabolic activity explains how the variegated cutworm can
develop tolerance to peppermint oil.
A comparison of the fumigant toxicity of 66 plant essential oils to Plutella xylostella (diamondback moth)
larvae found peppermint oil to be one of the more effective active substances with an LDS, of 24.08 mg/
filter paper (Yi et al. 2007).
A Japanese company manufactured a flea collar for dogs using a mixture of the essential oils eucalyptus,
cedarwood, citronella, and peppermint, then added the mixture to ethylene -vinyl acetate polymer. The
collar has shown some effectiveness in controlling dog fleas (Regnault-Roger 1997), but it may not be
25(b) exempt in the U.S., because eucalyptus oil is not an active ingredient eligible for exemption and the
type of cedarwood oil was unspecified.
Laboratory assays were conducted to evaluate the repellency and contact toxicity of six essential oils to
the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) and the red imported fire ant. Both species crossed barriers treat-
ed with multiple rates of peppermint and other essential oils less frequently than paired control barriers
(Wiltz et al. 2007). After 24 hours of exposure to peppermint oil, Argentine ant mortality was almost 90%.
The results were confirmed in a study that found I % peppermint oil to be an effective repellent of Argen-
tine ants for a period of one week (Scocco et al. 2012).
In a lab study, eggs, nymphs and adults of greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum, were exposed
to vapor treatments of peppermint oil. At 0.0023 ml/ml air, adult whiteflies had a 100% mortality rate; at
a peppermint oil vapor concentration of 0.0093 ml/ml air, whitefly nymphs and eggs had 98 and 100%
mortality, respectively (W. Choi et al. 2003). An experiment comparing the efficacy of 92 essential oils in
the control of Sweetpotato whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) found peppermint oil to be one of the more effective,
with an LCso of 0.82 mL/cm3 and 100% mortality at a rate of 2.4 mL/cm3 (Kim et al. 2011).
Page 10 of 18
Peppermint & Peppermint Oil Profile
Four species of aphids —Aphis fabae (black bean aphid), Macrosiphoniella sanborni (chrysanthemum
aphid), Acyrthosiphon pisum (pea aphid) and Myzus persicae (green peach aphid) —were exposed to vapors
of peppermint oil. The LC50 values of peppermint oil vapor for the fourspecies ranged between 0.46 and
0.99 ml/L after 24 h exposure at 21 IC (Kimbaris et al. 2010).
Peppermint oil repelled Japanese beetles (Popilla japonica), but it was never the most effective among the
many essential oils screened, and results were inconsistent in different years (Youssef et al. 2009).
A patent also claims certain peppermint oil formulations to be effective in the control of three household
pests: American cockroaches (PeriplanataAmericana), German cockroaches (Blatellagermanica), and har-
vester ants (Pogonomyrmex barbatus) (Bessette and Enan 2003). Some of these formulations have been
commercialized as 25(b) pesticides.
Acaricidal Activity
Tetranychus urticae (two -spotted spider mite) and its predator, Phytoseilus persimilis, were exposed to dif-
ferent concentrations of peppermint oil by placing them in plastic containers holding soaked filter paper.
Placement was such that the mites were directly exposed to the volatiles. (Choi et al. 2004). The pepper-
mint oil vapor killed almost 99% of the T. urticae adults at 0.014 ml/ml while only 0.0047 ml/ml air was
required to kill 97% of the predatory mite (P. persimilis) adults and 84 % of eggs of T. urticae.
Another study exposed different groups of adult T. urticae as well as a predatory mite Neoseilus californi-
cus to the vapor of peppermint oil. One group was acaricide-susceptible, and various strains resistant to
the acaricides chlorfenapyr, fenpropathrin, pyridaben and abamectin were also exposed. In all groups
of T. urticae the LC50 values of peppermint oil ranged from 22.8, 24.4, 23.5, 23.9 to 26.9 mg/cm3 for the
susceptible, chlorfenapyr-resistant, fen propath ri n-resistant, pyridaben-resistant, and abamectin-resistant
strains of T. urticae adults, respectively. An LC50 of 28.6 mg/cm3 was determined for N. californicus show-
ing that the conventional acaricide-resistant T. urticae could be managed using peppermint oil volatiles.
Predatory mites were slightly more tolerant to the volatiles than T. urticae (Han et al. 2010). A comparison
study of the efficacy of 34 essential oils found that peppermint oil was one of five oils able to achieve
100% mortality of T. urticae at a rate of 10 pl/L at a temperature of 250C (Lim et al. 2011).
Peppermint oil's main constituent, menthol, is used to control tracheal mites (Acarapis woodii) in honey bees
(Apis mellifera). Menthol was found to have an LC50 of 0.3 pg/ml on tracheal mites, with both the greatest
efficacy and largest margin of safety of any of the essential oil isolates tested (Ellis and Baxendale 1997).
Bactericidal, Fungicidal and Antiviral Activity
Peppermint oil inhibits a broad range of gram -negative and -positive bacteria, fungi, and yeasts (Shah and
D'Mello 2004; Pauli and Schilcher 2009; Khan and Abourashed 2010). After the essential oil from Eucalyp-
tusglobulus, peppermint oil created the second largest area of exclusion for the fungal pathogen Candida
albicans (Agarwal et al. 2008). Antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus
aureus was not increased by nanoemulsification of peppermint oil, but the nanoemulsified formulation
provided a period of antimicrobial activity for more than a day longer than the pure peppermint oil that
was not nanoemulsified (Liang et al. 2012).
Peppermint oil also has reported antiviral properties (Alankar 2009). The active substance menthol has
been found to be antiviral to influenza, herpes, Newcastle's virus and Vaccinia virus (Gardiner 2000).
Page 11 of 18
Peppermint & Peppermint Oil Profile
Herbicidal Activity
The phytotoxic effects of peppermint oil and peppermint water extract were examined with the weeds jun-
gle rice field (Echinochloa colonum), field bindweed (Convulvolus arvensis) and purslane (Portolaca oleracea).
The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for germination of seeds was 1,200 pl/Lfor the jungle rice and
1,800 pl/L for the field bindweed and purslane. The concentrations were higher than for tomatoes.
Vertebrate Repellency
Cardboard treated with a combination of peppermint and wintergreen oils with ink repelled various rats
in field conditions compared with a no -treatment control and four other combinations of natural plant
repellents in inks, including chili, geranium oil and bergamot oil (Kalandakanond-Thongsong et al. 2011).
Standards and Regulations
EPA Requirements
Peppermint and peppermint oil are exempt from the requirement of a tolerance and can be applied to
food crops [40 CFR 180].
FDA Requirements
Essential oils, solvent -free oleoresins, and natural extractives, including distillates from peppermint are
Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) by the FDA, when used in food [21 CFR 184.201.
Other Regulatory Requirements
Peppermint and peppermint oil are allowed by the USDA's National Organic Program (NOP) [7 CFR 205].
However, it is not clear whether the nanoemulsified versions would comply.
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