About Vaping
Can Menthol E-Liquid make quitting smoking easier?
Menthol has been around for a long time and is used in a variety of different things, from inhalers to essential oils, and more recently menthol e-liquid Menthol was included in cigarettes to create a smoother minty experience for smokers, but this was banned back in 2020 in an effort to combat people smoking and for the government’s plan to continue for England to become SmokeFree by 2030.
In this article, I’ll explain in depth what exactly menthol is, how it’s created, what it’s used in and why choosing a menthol vape juice can help in making the job of quitting cigarettes that little bit easier.
How Menthol E-Liquid can make it easier to quit smoking
Giving up smoking is one of the hardest things to do, but more and more people in the UK are choosing to make the switch, with the number of adult users of E-Cigarettes at an all time high. This is down to the fact that people are opting to use an E-Cig as their quitting tool, rather than any other Nicotine Replacement Therapy options.
Menthol cigarettes were hugely popular when they were available on the market, as I explained above, and people still use methods to give their cigarettes a menthol taste in different ways. This is why I think using Menthol vape juice could make the transition from smoking to vaping a lot easier, as you’ll get the refreshing minty/cool effect of the Menthol, just without the rank aftertaste of tobacco you normally got with cigarettes!
What is menthol?
Menthol is an organic compound found within the oils that are extracted from Mentha, which are a group of plants found within the mint family. Peppermint plants are the most commonly used plants to extract the Menthol compound from, but it can also be synthetically made within a laboratory.
In it’s raw form, Menthol is a solid waxy, clear or white crystalised substance at room temperature but does have a very low melting point which is very beneficial for when it needs to be used.
How does it work?
Menthol provides a cooling and soothing effect to aid any pain you may be suffering from. It has previously been stated to give a mild “anaesthetizing” effect to users but does not have any official medicinal properties.
As mentioned above, Menthol crystals have a low melting point and they are commonly sold within Pharmacies in their raw form which can be added to a bowl of boiling water and inhaled to clear congestion.
The health benefits of Menthol
Whilst Menthol doesn’t have any medicinal gain, there are a lot of health benefits from using it. I’ll list a few key ones below that you may not have known about;
- It helps brain function – I didn’t actually know this until I began my research for this article, but Peppermint Oil can in fact help your brain function better. Scientists have proved that people who smelt Peppermint Oil a short time before taking a test had better results in memory than those who did not smell the oil. Studies also showed that drivers who were suffering from fatigue and tiredness became more alert after a quick whiff of Peppermint Oil. Pretty interesting don’t you think?
- Got a headache? Reach for the Peppermint Oil – Scientists found that applying Peppermint oil to your forehead when suffering from a headache will help sooth the pain you’re feeling and begin shifting the pain away. This is due to the Menthol in it helping to relax the muscles within your forehead. Some Pharmaceutical have produced specific balms that are filled with Peppermint oil for this exact reason. Clever stuff!
- Increases alertness – As mentioned above, Peppermint Oil helps drivers suffering from fatigue, but this doesn’t just apply to drivers, it applies to anyone suffering from fatigue. Menthol found in Peppermint Oil can help ventilation and brain oxygen concentration when inhaled to give a swift boost of energy when its needed.
- Relieves Indigestion and IBS symptoms – I’ve mentioned above about the benefits of using peppermint oil/menthol to aid with digestive problems as Peppermint Oil will help with digesting food a lot quicker if taken, as well as reducing the amount of symptoms people suffer from if they have IBS.
Why did companies start using it in cigarettes?
Cigarette manufacturers first added Menthol in to tobacco products way back in 1920-1930s but it didn’t really take off until the late 1950s and into the early 1960s.
Menthol was added to tobacco and cigarettes to create a cooling, soothing effect that reduced the harshness of cigarette smoke and any irritation caused by nicotine.
A lot of manufacturers also used Menthol as a characteristic to appeal to targets audiences like younger smokers to encourage them to smoke, something which was heavily scrutinised by multiple organisations and something that subsequently led to the menthol cigarette ban.
Why did menthol cigarettes get banned?
Menthol cigarettes were banned from being produced and sold in the UK on May 20th 2020. This was part of a new directive to government imposed to curb the amount of young people taking up smoking due to the attractive characterizing flavour of menthol cigarettes that taste better than a traditional cigarette.
Conclusion
I do believe that Menthol vape juice can help somebody quit smoking if they were a big menthol cigarette smoker. Whilst some manufacturers have released flavouring tools for current smokers to still get a menthol taste, but nothing will be as satisfying and safer than opting to use menthol vape liquid.
