The best peppermint oil in the world for IBS grows in my backyard!

Yep, that's right. Mint oil is a major crop in all of the Pacific Northwest, but Washington is the top-producing mint state in the entire nation. And Eastern Washington produces the best peppermint oil of all. Why?

Because the volcanic soil of the river valleys, the water, and sunlight conditions produce a biting volatile oil profile that can contain over fifty percent total menthol, as well as menthylesters, menthone, and menthofuran. In fact, peppermint oil includes more than 300 chemical compounds. And this can hold true for Washington peppermint oil despite annual fluctuations in the crop.

That's magic for IBS. Here's why.

Menthol is the main volatile oil in peppermint, and it has several mechanisms of action. 

1. Smooth muscle relaxation - the very thing you need to calm your gut.

Your entire gut is smooth muscle tissue.  Calcium and magnesium together regulate gut muscle contractions. Magnesium relaxes, but calcium contracts...

2. Peppermint blocks the calcium channel, so your gut muscles can relax.

3. Peppermint also seems to act directly on the entire nervous system of the gut as a whole to relax muscles.

That makes it an incredibly powerful anti spasmodic. Plus menthol has calming effects on smooth muscles. And it has powerful analgesic - pain-killing – properties. Magic!

Interestingly, in the 1940s, studies by agricultural experiment stations found that the length of the day was a critical factor in the oil production of peppermint plants. Researchers discovered that peppermint is a long-day plant that produces its greatest yields in geographical zones with a photoperiod of sixteen to eighteen hours - just like our lengthy Washington state summer days. This is quite a high daylight requirement, and not many regions meet it.

Researchers also found that peppermint plants metabolized nitrogen into a variety of different compounds depending on that day length. Plus, the cooler nighttime temperatures in Washington specifically encouraged oil development in peppermint.

It's also important that the ideal time to harvest mint is when oil yield and oil quality are at their peak. This is especially true for peppermint, whose oil quality varies considerably more than spearmint as harvest time approaches.

And that's why I have my Tummy Tamers peppermint oil grown specifically for me, by farmers dedicated to nothing but peppermint, in Eastern Washington - my own backyard!

From my backyard to your tummy! 

XOXO
Heather
You are not alone!



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