Key Takeaways
Various compounds found in tea have health benefits for women with polycystic ovary syndrome. But the strength of the effect is small. Drinking tea has other benefits though, so it makes sense to enjoy it.
While certain PCOS teas may help a little, dietary change can be huge. The mechanisms of action are similar, but the size of the effects greatly differ.
Download my free 3-Day PCOS meal plan here to see a worked example of a PCOS diet. My free 30-Day PCOS Diet Challenge can also help you put these good ideas into action.
The Best Tea for PCOS
In 2021, a team of researchers conducted a systematic PCOS tea review. They looked at all the randomized controlled trials on all kinds of PCOS tea. They also conducted a meta-analysis. This is a method of combining multiple studies to see if there’s a consistent “signal”.
They found that green tea supplements and marjoram tea reduced weight and improved insulin resistance [1]. The effect size was small. But it was statistically significant.
Green tea and spearmint tea also appeared to reduce free testosterone levels. But the evidence supporting this finding was very limited. I explore the potential health benefits of spearmint tea for PCOS here.
The most valuable aspect of this systematic review was that only six studies met their eligibility criteria. These controlled trials all used either green tea, marjoram tea, or spearmint herbal tea. This tells us that there are very few high-quality studies investigating the health benefits of tea in PCOS populations.
Other teas may have health benefits, but only green tea, marjoram, and spearmint tea have PCOS-specific credentials. At least as far as body weight, metabolic health, and hormone parameters are concerned.
Summary
Few studies have looked at the health benefits of different teas specifically for PCOS. Only green tea, marjoram tea, and spearmint tea show “proven” benefits. But the size of these benefits is small.
Green Tea for PCOS
It’s also worth noting that all the green tea for PCOS studies included in the meta-analysis, used green tea extract supplements. They didn’t use a tea beverage. Because of this, it’s not clear that a hot cup of green tea will produce significant results. The dose of active ingredients may be too low.
Essentially, green tea studies are an argument in favor of supplements containing green tea extract. They don’t show that drinking more green tea produces meaningful results.
Summary
Green tea is good for PCOS when taken in concentrated, extract form. It’s unclear if drinking green tea as a beverage will have a meaningful impact on your symptoms.
Other PCOS Herbal Teas
A similar argument can be made about several other PCOS-relevant teas. A 2020 literature review found a range of medicinal herbs that may help in the treatment of PCOS [2]. Many of these can be made into teas. Examples include aloe vera, chamomile, cinnamon, fennel, and many more.
These herbal medicines have a range of health-promoting properties. For example, taking Salacia herbal extracts with a meal can reduce elevated blood sugar levels [3, 4]. Cinnamon extract is also well known to lower blood sugar levels [5, 6]. But it’s unlikely that similar benefits are possible with cinnamon tea. The concentration of bioactive compounds is too low.
Ginger has proven anti-inflammatory properties and favorable effects on high blood pressure [7, 8]. And licorice root can lower testosterone levels [9]. This makes it a useful treatment for PCOS since elevated testosterone levels cause excessive hair growth. But the health benefits of these herbal extracts have not been demonstrated in ginger tea or licorice root tea.
The same goes for chamomile tea, peppermint tea, raspberry leaf tea, nettle tea, and many others. It’s not that they “don’t work”. It’s just they don’t have meaningful studies supporting their efficacy in PCOS patients. Any health claims should be consumed with a teaspoon of caution.
Summary
Many powerful herbal medicines can help regulate blood sugar and lower testosterone levels. But any potential benefits they impart should not be extended to their tea equivalent. The dose of bioactive compounds in herbal teas may be too low to achieve clinically significant outcomes.
Indirect Benefits of PCOS Teas
Randomized controlled trials aside, there are other reasons why tea is good for PCOS. For a start, tea is hydrating. More importantly, though, tea can be a powerful ally for forming better habits.
As I’ve written about before, sugar is at the top of the list of foods to avoid with PCOS. Dairy isn’t great either. By displacing sugar and dairy-containing beverages, the benefits of your favorite tea go beyond the antioxidants they contain.
We can also use tea to improve our sleep and help us relax. Both of which are evidence-based PCOS natural treatments. Chamomile tea would be a good choice for this purpose [10, 11].
Summary
The greatest health benefits of drinking more tea come from displacing less healthy beverages. This means any tea can be good for your PCOS.
Diet Is The Best PCOS Treatment
So, it’s true that certain teas can help with PCOS symptoms. But the direct benefits are small.
Making other changes to your diet will get you much better results. This is because chronic inflammation and insulin resistance are underlying mechanisms that drive PCOS [12-14]. Your gut health and the foods you eat push on these mechanisms for good or for bad.
While tea consumption may help a tiny bit, fixing the rest of your diet can make a big difference.
Here are a few examples of what’s possible from women that have completed my free 30-Day PCOS Diet Challenge.
Click here to learn more about the foods to avoid and foods to include in a PCOS diet. This free 3-Day PCOS Meal Plan can also help you put theory into practice.
Summary
Tea consumption might help a little. But a PCOS diet helps a lot. Switching to a PCOS-friendly diet is the best way to take back control of your health and fertility.
Bottom Line
Green tea, marjoram tea, and spearmint tea have small direct health benefits for women with PCOS. But drinking tea has other indirect benefits too. It improves hydration and can displace other, less healthy beverages.
If you want to take back control of your health and fertility, then changing your diet is key. A PCOS-friendly diet is much more powerful than tea or tea extract supplements.
Author
Combining rigorous science and clinical advice with a pragmatic approach to habit change, Kym is on a mission to show women with PCOS how to take back control of their health and fertility. Read more about Kym and her team here.
References
1Shen, W., et al., Effects of Tea Consumption on Anthropometric Parameters, Metabolic Indexes and Hormone Levels of Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne), 2021. 12: p. 736867.
2Ashkar, F., et al., The Role of medicinal herbs in treatment of insulin resistance in patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A literature review. Biomol Concepts, 2020. 11(1): p. 57-75.
3Heacock, P.M., et al., Effects of a medical food containing an herbal alpha-glucosidase inhibitor on postprandial glycemia and insulinemia in healthy adults. J Am Diet Assoc, 2005. 105(1): p. 65-71.
4Collene, A.L., et al., Effects of a nutritional supplement containing Salacia oblonga extract and insulinogenic amino acids on postprandial glycemia, insulinemia, and breath hydrogen responses in healthy adults. Nutrition, 2005. 21(7-8): p. 848-54.
5Davis, P.A. and W. Yokoyama, Cinnamon intake lowers fasting blood glucose: meta-analysis. J Med Food, 2011. 14(9): p. 884-9.
6Sharma, S., et al., Is Cinnamon Efficacious for Glycaemic Control in Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus? J Pak Med Assoc, 2020. 70(11): p. 2065-2069.
7Ballester, P., et al., Effect of Ginger on Inflammatory Diseases. Molecules, 2022. 27(21).
8Hasani, H., et al., Does ginger supplementation lower blood pressure? A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials. Phytother Res, 2019. 33(6): p. 1639-1647.
9Armanini, D., et al., Licorice reduces serum testosterone in healthy women. Steroids, 2004. 69(11-12): p. 763-6.
10Chaves, P.F.P., et al., Chamomile tea: Source of a glucuronoxylan with antinociceptive, sedative and anxiolytic-like effects. Int J Biol Macromol, 2020. 164: p. 1675-1682.
11McKay, D.L. and J.B. Blumberg, A review of the bioactivity and potential health benefits of chamomile tea (Matricaria recutita L.). Phytother Res, 2006. 20(7): p. 519-30.
12Popovic, M., G. Sartorius, and M. Christ-Crain, Chronic low-grade inflammation in polycystic ovary syndrome: is there a (patho)-physiological role for interleukin-1? Seminars in Immunopathology, 2019. 41(4): p. 447-459.
13González, F., Inflammation in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: underpinning of insulin resistance and ovarian dysfunction. Steroids, 2012. 77(4): p. 300-5.
14Wang, J., et al., Hyperandrogenemia and insulin resistance: The chief culprit of polycystic ovary syndrome. Life Sciences, 2019. 236.
Combining rigorous science and clinical advice with a pragmatic approach to habit change, Kym is on a mission to show women with PCOS how to take back control of their health and fertility. Read more about Kym and her team here.
