Got a cold? Scientists say sucking a peppermint can help

Got the sniffles? Feeling a bit bleurgh? Scientists have discovered that a simple peppermint sweet might help you feel more alert when you've got a cold.

Scientists at Cardiff University wanted to find out if eating peppermints could make people feel brighter and sharper when they were under the weather.

Over ten weeks, researchers kept an eye on 81 students and during that time 17 of them caught a cold.

Six of the poorly students were given peppermints, six got butterscotch, and five got no sweets at all.

And they took special tests to measure their mood, speed, and reaction times.

So what were the results?

To compare with the poorly students, those who stayed healthy were also given peppermint, 21 did not get any sweets and another 22 were given a placebo - a fake treatment.

The healthy and unwell participants were given tests for their mood, performance, and time reaction tasks.

The study, published in the World Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, showed that having a cold really did slow people down - their eyes and reactions were slower, and they felt less alert.

But there was some sweet news: the research showed that peppermints perked people up, increasing alertness whether they were sick or not.

But while it made people feel more alert, the evidence didn't show that it actually improved their work.

Having a cold can make you feel pretty fed up

Dr Andy Smith, who led the research, said colds 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," said Dr Smith, who added that: "These results show 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."