Molecular target
TRPM8 (Cold/Menthol Receptor)
Cold-sensitive ion channel activated by cool temperatures (~25°C) and by menthol. Agonism produces the cooling sensation of mint and is the basis for menthol's analgesic action on visceral hypersensitivity (peppermint oil's IBS efficacy).
Educational use only. This page summarizes published research and traditional-use records for educational purposes. It does not diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Do not start, stop, or change medications based on this information. Discuss any decisions about therapies — pharmaceutical or botanical — with a qualified clinician who knows your medical history.
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Pharmaceutical agents
Drugs that act on TRPM8 (Cold/Menthol Receptor)
These medications have TRPM8 (Cold/Menthol Receptor) among their molecular targets. Sharing a target is a mechanistic relationship — it does not make any plant below an alternative to, or substitute for, these drugs.
Botanical connections
Plants whose compounds act on TRPM8 (Cold/Menthol Receptor)
Each plant below contains a named compound documented to act on TRPM8 (Cold/Menthol Receptor). The compound and the reason for the connection are shown on every edge — a shared mechanism, not a therapeutic equivalence.
- MentholMonoterpene alcohol
Primary active compound — TRPM8 cold-sensitive ion channel agonist producing cooling sensation and visceral analgesia. Mechanism behind peppermint oil's evidence-supported IBS efficacy.
- Carvone / Caraway essential oil constituents
Caraway essential oil and its monoterpene constituents have documented activity at TRPM8, the cold/menthol-sensitive receptor; carvone-type monoterpenes are recognized TRP-channel modulators contributing to the carminative/cooling sensory profile. Effect is constituent-specific to the volatile oil rather than a generic anti-inflammatory claim.
- 1,8-Cineole (eucalyptol)
1,8-Cineole, a major cardamom volatile, is a documented agonist of the cold/menthol receptor TRPM8 (along with related cooling/airway effects), a compound-specific and well-characterized molecular interaction.
- Limonene
Monoterpene constituents including limonene/eucalyptol-type compounds have documented modulatory activity at TRPM8; included cautiously as a named monoterpene-receptor link. Note as supportive, not primary clinical mechanism.
- 1,8-Cineole (Eucalyptol)
1,8-Cineole is a documented agonist of the cold-sensing TRPM8 channel, a compound-specific, well-characterized molecular interaction underlying its cooling sensation.
- Menthol
Menthol is the prototypical agonist of TRPM8, the cold/menthol receptor — a textbook, compound-specific pharmacological link. Mentha pulegium essential oil contains menthol (and neo-menthol). Note: menthol is a minor constituent here relative to pulegone, so the magnitude of effect in this species is modest, but the compound→target relationship itself is well-documented.
- Carvone / Dill ether (volatile oil)
Dill seed volatile oil is dominated by carvone; carvone and related monoterpenes are documented modulators of TRP channels, but the strongest, most compound-specific link in dill is weak. Rescue offered cautiously only if monoterpene-TRPM8 activity is intended.