Peppermint Oil for the Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Functional Abdominal Pain in Children: the MINT Study

Summary

Peppermint oil has shown to be effective in the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) symptoms in adults. Few studies of low quality are performed in an paediatric setting. Therefore, the investigators will conduct a multicenter randomized, placebo controlled trial to investigate the effects of an eight-week peppermint oil treatment in paediatric IBS or Functional Abdominal Pain - Not otherwise specified (FAP-NOS) patients.

Timeline

Start

2022-05-12

Primary completion

2024-11-30

Completion

2024-11-30

Outcome

Missed primary endpoint

paper Neither peppermint oil nor peppermint sweets were superior to placebo in treating pediatric IBS and FAP-NOS. PMID 41610933 ↗

Publications

• Vermeijden NK, van der Feen C, Groeneweg M, Hummel T, Zagers D, Bertrams-Maartens I, van Wering H, Hurkmans P, Stapelbroek J, Sauve I, Wessels M, Teklenburg-Roord S, Pruijsen-Nienhuis JM, Theuns-Valks SDM, Plomp TC, Bunkers C, Keszthelyi D, Benninga MA, Vlieger AM. Peppermint Oil and Sweets in Pediatric Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Functional Abdominal Pain: A Randomized Trial. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2026 Jan 27:S1542-3565(26)00042-X. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2026.01.014. Online ahead of print.

Drugs

Indications