Summary
Menthol has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Asthma would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Asthma. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 1 registered trial linking Menthol to Asthma: 1 is active or not yet recruiting. The most advanced is Phase 2 (NCT07500974). It plans or enrolled 20 participants. Registered activity dates to 2026. The literature layer holds 2 publications for this pair: 2 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 1993 to 1995. These are primary trial reports rather than syntheses, so results have not yet been pooled or graded independently.
The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Asthma ranks 642 candidate therapeutics from Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and PubMed; only a minority carry direct clinical evidence, and this page covers one of those. Spontaneous remission context recorded for the condition: 26% of childhood-onset asthma in clinical remission by adulthood; <20% adult-onset achieves sustained remission; 65% long-term remission in mild-moderate vs 16% in severe.
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | A · Strong |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 27.0 (trials 3.0, literature 4.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 1 total: 0 recruiting, 1 active / not yet recruiting, 0 completed, 0 other |
| Linked publications | 2 (2 clinical trial publications) |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | Not recorded |
| Data sources | Open Targets, ChEMBL |
How the evidence score is calculated
- Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
- Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
- The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
- Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
- The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.
Registered clinical trials
| NCT ID | Title | Status | Phase | Enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT07500974 | Efficacy of L-menthol on Breathlessness in Asthma 2026 | not yet recruiting | Phase 2 | 20 |
Published literature
- Clinical trial publication Effect of menthol vapour on airway hyperresponsiveness in patients with mild asthmaTamaoki J, Chiyotani A, Sakai A et al. · Respiratory medicine · 1995 · PMID 7480981
- Clinical trial publication Comparative taste evaluation of aerosolized formulations of triamcinolone acetonide, flunisolide, and flunisolide with mentholSilvers WS, Cohen R, D'Alonzo G et al. · Clinical therapeutics · 1993 · PMID 8111818
Mechanism and notes
No mechanism of action is recorded for this pair in the source databases.
OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in Open Targets and ChEMBL. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Menthol approved for Asthma?
Menthol has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Asthma would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Asthma. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Menthol in clinical trials for Asthma?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 1 registered trial linking Menthol to Asthma: 1 is active or not yet recruiting. The most advanced is Phase 2 (NCT07500974). It plans or enrolled 20 participants. Registered activity dates to 2026.
What does the evidence show for Menthol in Asthma?
Trials of Menthol in Asthma are registered but none has completed, so there is no outcome evidence from those studies yet; the record is a signal of research interest. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in Open Targets and ChEMBL. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Cite this page
Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-05. Page built 2026-10-07.