Peppermint oil applied topically beat placebo for tension headaches—and worked about as well as common pain relievers like aspirin or acetaminophen. A 10% peppermint oil solution in ethanol is approved for headache relief in adults and kids over 6, and it's now considered standard treatment by major medical societies.

This was a review of controlled studies testing peppermint oil's effectiveness against placebo and other treatments for tension-type headaches (the most common headache type).

Funding not disclosed in abstract