Got a cold? Try sucking on a peppermint, say scientists

There seem to be plenty of colds going around at the moment - so here's a possible aid you might not have considered: peppermints.

Newly published research from scientists at Cardiff University says sucking on them can increase alertness in people who are ill with the common cold. They monitored 81 students over 10 weeks, during which time 17 developed a mild illness.

Six of them were given peppermints, six were given butterscotch, and five were not given any sweets at all. Of the 64 who remained healthy, 21 sucked peppermint, 22 were given placebo sweets, and 21 did not eat any.

All participants were then tested for their mood, performance, and reaction times - with those who had a cold being slower and suffering reduced alertness. But they found sucking a peppermint increased alertness in both those with colds and those who were healthy.

Why? Because the sweets soothed the signals between body and brain. Read more from Sky News:SpaceX test launches Starship rocketShearer and Caine join smacking campaign Dr Andy Smith, who led the research, explained: "When people are sick with a mild upper respiratory tract illness, they will likely experience malaise - a general discomfort and a lack of wellbeing.

"This can impact performance and reduce our alertness. "Vapours are known to have therapeutic benefits - and aromatics, such as mint, have been shown in previous research to have an impact on our wellbeing when ill and in perfect health.

"We thought it was plausible that peppermints might help reduce the malaise associated with the common cold and its symptoms." And so they did. Dr Smith said the results showed that "with the right understanding, simple things can be done to improve our wellbeing when unwell - and that includes eating a peppermint to help with a cold".

The study was published in the World Journal Of Pharmacy And Pharmaceutical Sciences..