Peppermint Polyphenols Ease Allergies

Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is a perennial plant that can be used in raw, dried or essential-oil form. When manufacturing products using peppermint leaves, large volumes of peppermint residue remain. Until now, manufacturers had no use for the residue.

Ogawa & Co., Ltd., produces peppermint extract productsMint polyphenol 30 and Mint polyphenol powder 50that contain high levels of naturally occurring polyphenols. In addition to their high antioxidant content and anti-inflammatory properties, peppermint polyphenols have been shown to have anti-allergy (antipollinosis) effects, according to studies conducted by the company.

After conducting numerous experiments, we found luteolin-7-O-rutinoside to be the active principle of anti-allergy effects in peppermint extracts, says Osamu Nishimura, Ph.D., general manager, research laboratory of health materials, R&D control division. Luteolin-7- O-rutinoside was found to strongly inhibit the release of histamine in mast cells of rats. This mechanism can be presumed to be one of the mechanisms which help relieve pollinosis. The number of Japanese patients suffering from pollinosis has been increasing yearly, and functional ingredients that relieve allergy symptoms, especially those due to Japanese cedar pollen, have been gaining increasing attention in Japan. This product was developed to answer to these needs.

Although Nishimura notes that the United States hasnt seen a similar increase, or a decrease, in hay-fever allergies, the extracts could still help ease the symptoms of those who suffer from hay fever. In 2006, the number of hay fever sufferers was estimated to be more than 24 million, about 9% of the total U.S. population, he says.

The GMO-free peppermint-extract products are extracted using only water and are available in water-soluble liquid and powder form. Specifications of both forms show strict control of the polyphenol content. This is made possible by high-level extraction and purification technology. The flavor of the highly-stable ingredients is not strong, because most of the mint aroma is removed by purification, and the polyphenols are concentrated, which makes them easily applicable to a variety of products, such as beverages and confectionery.

Ogawa & Co., Ltd.
Avri Company, Inc. (U.S. Distributor) 
1080 Essex Avenue 
Richmond, CA 94801 
Phone: 800/883-9574 
Fax: 510/233-0636 
E-mail: [email protected] 
Website: www.ogawa.net/english