Menthol, hhhaaaaaa (simulating me breathing in your face)

For those of you not reading from the link posted on http://www.yourmtb.com/, this was inspired by Walker's new "throat doping" agent deactivated by Halls.
Just for the record; Outstanding job Mr. Enthusiast -In-Chief on a great website that looks to be growing national attention!

Menthol is derived from the peppermint plant and is similar to Spearmint, but the latter is a hybrid and less potent which contains carvone. It's been used for thousands of years and continues to me sold for many uses today. Annual world production of menthol is estimated at over 63 tons.

So why does it help?
I believe it is due a combination of properties of menthol. The first being its anitpruritc properties (reduces itching) by engendering a thermal sensation that replaces the irritation. Menthol also contains chemicals that trigger cold receptors. This creates a more pleasant inhalation and takes the focus off of your breathing. When applied externally, menthol dilates blood vessels (increases blood flow) and reduces inflammation. A study http://http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2856502&dopt=Abstract showed that menthol relaxes smooth muscle in relation to intestinal muscle, but could possibly have the same effects on the smooth muscle of the bronchioles, thus relaxing and opening.

So that's my quick synopsis and my two year old must play. Or must I?

Cheerios mates.