Overview

• The 10-week study tracked 81 students, 17 of whom developed mild upper respiratory illnesses during monitoring.
• Ill participants were assigned to peppermint (6), butterscotch (6), or no sweet (5), while healthy controls received peppermint (21), placebo sweets (22), or no sweet (21).
• Cold sufferers showed slower reaction times and reduced alertness, and sucking a peppermint increased alertness in both unwell and healthy participants.
• The researchers found no significant improvements on performance tasks and suggested mint aromatics may help ease malaise.
• The study was published in the World Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, as UKHSA reports rising rhinovirus activity in the UK.