Is Peppermint Tea Good for Diarrhea?

Partly: peppermint tea may help during mild diarrhea by providing fluid, and peppermint compounds may relax gut muscles, but the tea is not proven to stop diarrhea.

Can peppermint tea help with diarrhea?

For an adult with mild diarrhea and no warning signs, peppermint tea can be one way to drink fluids. Some people may find a warm drink comforting, but there is no good evidence that peppermint tea treats the cause of diarrhea or makes it resolve faster.

Diarrhea can cause the body to lose both water and salts. Peppermint tea does not adequately replace those salts, so an oral rehydration solution may be more useful, particularly when stools are frequent or watery. See the best drinks for diarrhea for more on fluid replacement.

How might peppermint tea work?

The most certain contribution of peppermint tea is hydration: it is mostly water. Drinking fluids helps replace some of the water lost through diarrhea, although water alone does not replace all the electrolytes, such as sodium, that are also lost.

Peppermint contains compounds that may relax smooth muscle in the digestive tract. That has led researchers to study concentrated peppermint oil for irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS. A possible effect on muscle spasms does not establish that peppermint tea reduces diarrhea.

Diarrhea has many possible causes, and easing a feeling of cramping is different from treating its cause. Peppermint tea should not be used as a substitute for an assessment when symptoms are severe, persistent or accompanied by warning signs.

What does the evidence show?

The available evidence is limited and concerns peppermint oil rather than peppermint tea. In a randomized controlled trial of 72 adults with IBS, a specially formulated peppermint oil product improved an overall IBS symptom score more than a placebo over four weeks.

The participants had IBS with diarrhea or IBS with a mixture of diarrhea and constipation. The study measured overall IBS symptoms; it did not establish that peppermint tea stops diarrhea. Its results also cannot be assumed to apply to diarrhea caused by an infection or another condition.

Peppermint tea and the studied oil formulation are not interchangeable. They contain different preparations and amounts of peppermint compounds, and the trial does not provide a proven tea dose for diarrhea.

How should you use peppermint tea during diarrhea?

If you are an adult with mild symptoms and can drink normally, prepare plain peppermint tea according to the package directions. Let it cool to a comfortable temperature and sip it as part of your fluid intake. Stop drinking it if it seems to aggravate your symptoms.

Do not rely on peppermint tea alone if you are losing a lot of fluid. A commercial oral rehydration solution provides water, sugar and salts in proportions designed to improve absorption; prepare it exactly as the package directs. If you have a condition that requires you to limit fluids or salts, ask your clinician what is appropriate for you.

Peppermint essential oil is not the same as brewed tea. Do not add essential oil to the drink or take it by mouth to treat diarrhea. Concentrated products have different risks, and the oil trial does not establish a safe or effective amount to add to tea.

Who should be careful, and when should you see a doctor?

Peppermint can worsen heartburn or reflux in some people. If you have gastroesophageal reflux disease or notice burning after peppermint tea, avoid it and discuss ongoing symptoms with a clinician. Anyone with a peppermint allergy should avoid it.

Seek urgent medical care for bloody or black, tarry stools; severe abdominal pain; high fever; confusion; fainting; or an inability to keep fluids down. Signs of dehydration, such as very little urine, a very dry mouth or dizziness on standing, also need prompt medical assessment.

For infants and children with diarrhea, contact a pediatric clinician promptly rather than relying on peppermint tea. Oral rehydration solution is generally preferred for replacing lost fluids and salts; seek urgent care for dehydration or other warning signs. During pregnancy, ask a clinician about diarrhea that persists or makes it difficult to stay hydrated.

Older adults and people with kidney disease, a weakened immune system or other significant health conditions should seek medical advice promptly. Also contact a clinician if diarrhea persists or keeps returning, or if it occurs after taking antibiotics or following travel. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without medical advice.