A budget brand getting the fundamentals right — the best bulk value.
NOW Peppermint Gels are the proof that a budget brand can get the fundamentals of a peppermint oil right. The category's make-or-break feature is the enteric coating — and unlike the cheap non-enteric bottles that release in the stomach and cause heartburn, these are genuinely enteric-coated. On top of that they carry a generous peppermint dose and fold in ginger and fennel, two carminatives that target the gas and bloating peppermint alone doesn't, all at one of the lowest per-softgel prices on the entire list.
NOW's in-house QC labs are among the most consistent in the industry, backed by decades of household-brand trust. It's not the most-studied or the gentlest for severe reflux, but as a correctly enteric, well-made peppermint at minimal cost, it's the value workhorse. Here's how it scores on the four numbers that decide a peppermint oil's worth.
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Read the complete Peppermint Oil guide →A genuine enteric coat that releases in the intestine, not the stomach — the essential gut-targeting, and the feature that separates it decisively from the non-enteric budget bottles. It's a standard single coat rather than IBgard's SST microspheres or Heather's 50%-extra coat, so it sits a notch below those on delivery sophistication, but it does the core job correctly at a budget price, which is exactly its appeal.
A generous 362 mg peppermint oil per serving — above the ~187 mg classic softgel — plus 35.2 mg ginger oil and 38.6 mg fennel oil, with all three stated. The dose is comfortably in (indeed above) the effective range. The minor caveat is reading the panel to confirm whether 362 mg is per softgel or per 2-softgel serving, and that the combination means you can't isolate peppermint.
Among the best on the list. NOW's in-house QC labs are some of the most consistent in the supplement industry, the facility is GMP-certified, and the product is non-GMO, with decades of household-brand trust. For a budget-priced product this manufacturing rigor is well above what the price suggests — a genuine differentiator.
Near the top of the category. At roughly $0.13 per softgel it's one of the lowest per-softgel prices on the entire list, and unlike the cheaper non-enteric bottles, this is a real enteric dose — so it's genuinely cheap per gut-delivered dose, not just cheap per pill. The 90-count bottle adds a long bulk runway. Excellent value.
Good real-world fit: it delivers the evidence-backed enteric peppermint active (Khanna 2014, Ford 2008) plus ginger and fennel for the gas/bloating symptoms peppermint alone doesn't target. Solid for the bloating-dominant budget buyer; it scores below the trialed IBgard and the extra-coat Heather's because its delivery is standard and the carminatives carry lighter evidence than peppermint.
“Enteric-coated for targeted release in the intestine.”
A genuine enteric coat that releases in the intestine rather than the stomach — the essential gut-targeting the category requires, and what separates it from the non-enteric budget bottles. Correctly applied and the product's core strength at its price.
“362 mg of peppermint oil per serving plus ginger and fennel.”
All three oils and their amounts are stated on the supplement-facts panel, and 362 mg peppermint is a generous dose above the classic ~187 mg softgel. Transparent multi-oil labeling; just confirm per-softgel vs per-serving on the panel.
“Ginger and fennel support healthy digestion and ease gas.”
Ginger and fennel are traditional carminatives reasonably aimed at gas and bloating and are well tolerated — but their IBS-specific clinical evidence is far weaker than peppermint's. The addition is sensible and plausibly helpful, but rests on traditional use more than RCT data.
“Manufactured in NOW's GMP facility with in-house quality testing.”
Consistent with NOW's well-documented in-house QC labs and GMP-certified, non-GMO manufacturing — among the most consistent quality control in the industry, and a genuine differentiator for a budget-priced product.
“Gentle, non-irritating peppermint relief.”
True for intended whole-softgel use because the enteric coat keeps the oil out of the stomach — but it's a standard single coat (less reflux-tolerant than Heather's extra coat #2), and peppermint can still aggravate reflux in people with significant GERD. Accurate for most users; not a guarantee for reflux-disease patients.
The trap in the budget tier is bottles that are cheap precisely because they skip the enteric coating — they release in the stomach, work poorly for IBS, and cause heartburn (Nutricost #10 is the cautionary example). NOW avoids that trap: it's genuinely enteric-coated at one of the lowest per-softgel prices on the list. That single fact is why it's a real value rather than a false economy. A cheap non-enteric bottle isn't cheap per effective dose; a cheap enteric one like NOW actually is.
Like Heather's Tummy Tamers, NOW pairs peppermint with ginger and fennel, so it addresses both the cramp/pain axis (peppermint, well-evidenced) and the gas/bloating axis (carminatives, traditional). The difference is positioning: Heather's tunes the formula for reflux sensitivity with a 50%-extra coat and charges more; NOW delivers the same broad idea at the lowest per-softgel cost in a 90-count bottle. For a buyer who wants gas-and-bloating coverage and value over maximum reflux protection, NOW is the efficient route.
The quietly important strength here is manufacturing. NOW runs some of the most consistent in-house QC labs in the supplement industry, in a GMP-certified facility, with non-GMO sourcing and decades of household-brand reputation. For a product this cheap, that level of quality control is unusual and meaningful — it's the reason a budget peppermint from NOW is trustworthy in a way a generic value-house bottle (Carlyle #9) isn't as easily verified. You're getting brand-grade QC at a budget price.
The one thing to check before dosing: NOW lists 362 mg peppermint per serving and a serving of 1-2 softgels, so confirm on the supplement-facts panel whether that 362 mg is delivered by one softgel or two, and dose accordingly to land in the effective range. It's a generous dose either way, but precise dosing matters for hitting the clinical window consistently. Start at the lower end, take it 30-90 minutes before meals, swallow whole, and titrate to symptoms.
NOW's value comes from bundling — peppermint plus ginger and fennel in a fixed combination — which is exactly wrong for a buyer who wants peppermint alone with a precisely stated dose. For that, Nature's Way Pepogest (#3) is the clean choice at a clearly labeled 0.2 mL (~187 mg). NOW is the pick when you want the broader gas-and-bloating coverage cheaply and don't mind (or actively want) the extra oils; it's not the pick when you want a single-ingredient, dose-pure peppermint.
NOW Peppermint Gels are the value pick of the list. They get the one thing that decides the category right — a genuine enteric coat that releases in the intestine, not the stomach — and they do it at one of the lowest per-softgel prices anywhere here, in a 90-count bottle, with NOW's industry-leading in-house QC behind them. The added ginger and fennel broaden the formula into gas-and-bloating support, and the peppermint dose is generous. For anyone upgrading from a non-enteric budget bottle, or just wanting a trustworthy enteric peppermint cheaply, this is the efficient answer. The reasons to spend more are specific: IBgard (#1) for the strongest single-product evidence and SST delivery, Heather's Tummy Tamers (#2) for the extra coat if peppermint heartburn is your issue, or Nature's Way Pepogest (#3) for single-oil simplicity with a precisely stated dose. But none of those is cheaper, and NOW gives up surprisingly little for the price. Confirm the serving size on the panel, take it 30-90 minutes before meals, swallow whole, titrate to symptoms, and give it a couple of weeks before judging it.
The most-studied IBS peppermint — SST microspheres target the small intestine, its own positive RCT (Cash 2016), and the lowest heartburn risk. The step up if you want the strongest evidence and best delivery, premium accepted.
See it on the list →The same enteric-peppermint-plus-ginger-and-fennel idea but with a 50%-extra coat tuned for reflux sensitivity — pay up for this if peppermint heartburn is your specific problem.
See it on the list →A clean single-oil enteric softgel at the exact 0.2 mL (~187 mg) trial dose — the choice if you want isolated, precisely stated peppermint rather than a carminative blend, at similar value.
See it on the list →Systematic review and meta-analysis of nine RCTs (726 patients): enteric-coated peppermint oil was significantly superior to placebo for global IBS symptom improvement (RR 2.23) and abdominal pain (RR 2.14). Validates the enteric peppermint active at the core of NOW's blend.
Landmark BMJ meta-analysis: peppermint oil was the most effective of fibre, antispasmodics, and peppermint oil for IBS, with a number-needed-to-treat of about 2.5. Establishes the peppermint component of NOW's blend as a front-line IBS therapy.
4-week randomized, placebo-controlled trial of a small-intestine-targeted sustained-release peppermint oil: 40% reduction in Total IBS Symptom Score at 4 weeks versus 24.3% on placebo. Underscores that delivery to the intestine — which NOW's enteric coat provides — is what makes peppermint effective.
Meta-analysis of 12 RCTs (835 patients): peppermint oil significantly better than placebo for global IBS symptoms (RR 2.39) and abdominal pain (RR 1.78), with no significant excess of adverse events. Confirms the safety and efficacy of the peppermint active in NOW's blend.
