Cailan Gray

Sniff out Speed, Power, and Endurance

In relations to sports in this, a competitive day and age, an athlete will take every advantage that they may get.  Athletes are going to extremes to achieve their goals.  This is becoming more evident in the growing popularity of steroids surrounding sports across the nation.  However, there are many unsanctioned ways to boost an athlete’s athletic performance.

According to Dr. Raudenbush, the author of Enhancing Athletic Performance through Administration of Peppermint, the sweet aroma of peppermint may be able to play a role in elevating athletic performance.

He conducted a study of 200 athletes from various collegiate teams.  The study would be to test the performance levels in: dynamometer hand grip, a forty meter dash for time, push-ups until exhaustion, and twenty basketball free throws.  Half of the athletes would perform the activities with an unscented tape strip below the nose, while the other half would wear the same strip with two drops of peppermint oil applied to them.

In the test results, the athletes that wore the scented strip were able to run faster, do more push-ups, and achieved greater strength.  However, because the free throw portion was an acquired skill, there was no boost in performance.

The belief behind the greater athletic performance is due to the elevation in mood.  Because the peppermint put the athletes in a better mood, they were able to subconsciously put forth more effort, and in return achieve greater goals.

Obviously, there is a need for more research in this field of study. There is potential to make great strides in the direction of achievement. However, studies like this provide a grasp of hope for those wanting to boost there abilities without breaking the guidelines set forth by the NCAA.

Bibliography:
Raudenbush, B., N. Corley, Eppich, W. Enhancing Athletic Performance through Administration of Peppermint. 2001