Menthol

Monoterpene

Menthol is a chiral monoterpene used orally, topically, and by inhalation. Route, stereochemistry, formulation, and rapid glucuronidation make those exposures non-interchangeable.

Pharmacokinetic model

A route-level PK model for menthol is being prepared from published data. Dosing references, studies, and documented interactions are below; the app catalog is updated as models are validated.

Key facts

Category
Monoterpene
Suggested cadence
once daily

Research behind this entry

  1. Randomised trial: Peppermint oil (menthol) pharmacokinetics in children and effects on gut motility in children with functional abdominal pain Shulman RJ, Chumpitazi BP, Abdel-Rahman SM, Garg U, Musaad S, Kearns GL · British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 2022 DOI

    Children received weight-based enteric-coated peppermint oil, and menthol glucuronide was used as the exposure marker. The results are formulation- and metabolite-specific and cannot validate a generic free-menthol…

1 published study referenced in the app, each with a plain-language summary.