Peppermint oil: a natural fix for Kids' bathroom troubles?
NCT ID NCT05613153
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study is testing whether peppermint oil capsules can improve symptoms of bladder and bowel dysfunction in children aged 8 to 17 who haven't gotten better with standard behavioral therapy. Thirty participants will take peppermint oil three times daily for 8 weeks, and researchers will compare their symptom scores before and after treatment. It's a small, early-stage trial without a placebo group, so results will be preliminary.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Peppermint oil capsules
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, natural option to ease bladder and bowel symptoms in children who haven't improved with behavioral therapy.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early study with only 30 children and no placebo group, so results may not be reliable or apply to all kids. Peppermint oil can cause heartburn or allergic reactions.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2022
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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8 to 17 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Children aged 8-17 years and weighing 30kg or more with non-neurogenic bladder and bowel dysfunction who have failed behavioral therapy. Behavioral therapy, or also termed standard urotherapy, is defined as encompassing the following components \[15\]: Information and demystification; instruction on avoidance of holding maneuvers, regular bowel habits, proper voiding posture; lifestyle advice encompassing balanced fluid intake and diet, diminished caffeine, regular bladder and bowel emptying patterns; registration of symptoms and voiding habits with bladder diaries or frequency-volume charts; support and encouragement via regular follow up with caregiver. Failure of behavioral therapy is defined as no symptomatology improvement after adherence to behavioral therapy after 6 weeks. * Participants must be able to swallow pills Exclusion Criteria: * Patients with neurogenic bladder, tethered cord, Society of Fetal Urology grade 3-4 hydronephrosis, vesicoureteral reflux, learning disabilities, or those who have undergone surgical therapy for bladder and bowel dysfunction will be excluded. * Patients on medical therapy with oxybutynin within the last 30 days. * Patients with hiatal hernia, severe gastrointestinal reflux or gallbladder disorders or on medications for these conditions will be excluded. * Patient weighing less than 30 kg.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Children's Hospital, Orange County
Orange, California, 92868, United States
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