Spearmint Tea & PCOS: What The Science Says

This post was updated on July 16th, 2022

By Kym Campbell, BSc. | Updated July 16th, 2022

As the creator and host of the free 30-Day PCOS Diet Challenge, I’ve been asked many times about spearmint tea.

If you’re curious about spearmint tea and polycystic ovarian syndrome, this short article tells you everything you need to know.

Can Spearmint Tea Lower Testosterone?

Yes. But maybe not as much as you’d like.

I recently reviewed the science behind various PCOS teas. Spearmint tea was one of only three teas studied in PCOS-specific randomized controlled trials.

In fact, there’s just one study that investigated spearmint tea in women with PCOS.

In this now-famous trial by Paul Grant, women took either spearmint tea or a placebo herbal tea. Each group consumed a cup of tea, twice a day, for one month.

This study demonstrated that spearmint tea reduces androgen levels in women with PCOS [1]. This finding is further supported by research done on rodents [2].

Androgens like testosterone, are often elevated in women with PCOS. This is what causes acne, hair loss, and hirsutism.

While statistically significant, the strength of the effect appears to be small. In the study by Grant, there was a clear change in hormone levels among tea-drinkers. There was also a reduction in the self-reported degree of hirsutism. But there was no significant improvement when using an objective clinical rating system. Grant explains that this is likely due to the trial not being long enough for hirsutism to resolve. But we can’t know for sure either way without a longer-duration trial.

The take-home here is to keep your expectations realistic. Drinking spearmint tea may help on the margins, but it’s unlikely to make a meaningful difference on its own.

Better Ways To Lower Testosterone

If you’re drinking spearmint tea to lower testosterone, then it’s worth keeping this intervention in perspective. In isolation, drinking tea is a tiny part of your total diet. The impact of everything else you consume is much more significant.

This is why a complete PCOS diet is better for lowering testosterone levels.

Studies have shown that insulin resistance aggravates the symptoms of hyperandrogenism. This forms a vicious cycle that promotes PCOS development [3, 4]. A PCOS diet improves insulin regulation. This then leads to lower androgen levels. A PCOS diet is also rich in foods that directly decrease androgen levels. This includes ingredients like flaxseeds [5, 6], nuts [7], and fatty fish [8].

Here are a few examples of the results achieved by women that have completed my free 30-Day PCOS Diet Challenge.

I get that overhauling your diet is often overwhelming, but it all begins with your first step. That’s why many people find that my free 3-Day PCOS Meal Plan is the easiest place to start.

Other Benefits Of Spearmint Tea

Some people claim that spearmint tea may help with cognitive function. It might, but it’s a bit of a stretch of the evidence. Most studies looking into this potential benefit use a proprietary extract made from spearmint. That’s a much more powerful supplement than a couple of cups of tea. The studies also tend to be in people over 60 with age-associated memory impairment. Not exactly a good match for most women struggling with PCOS.

But there’s a big benefit of spearmint tea that isn’t immediately obvious.

Spearmint tea can be a great way to displace other beverages that are less PCOS-friendly.

As I’ve written about before, sugar is number one on the list of foods to avoid with PCOS. This is because sugar drives both insulin resistance and chronic inflammation. These are underlying mechanisms that cause PCOS [4, 9, 10]. Dairy can be a problem too as it may negatively impact gut health in some people. Yet, it’s pretty normal to add sugar and dairy to hot drinks. Many people feel like they NEED it with their coffee for instance.

But unlike many other drinks, spearmint tea tastes best served on its own. Spearmint is sweet and aromatic without being overpowering. Compared to sweet coffee with cream, a cup of spearmint tea provides health benefits beyond the sum of its parts.

Spearmint Tea & PCOS Tips

How much spearmint tea to lower testosterone? The ability of spearmint tea to lower testosterone is likely to be dose-dependent. The more you consume, the greater the effect (to a point). In the study by Grant described above, two cups of spearmint tea per day for a month was enough to lower hormone levels. Because hirsutism takes a long time to resolve, several months may be needed before the benefits are noticeable.

What is the best spearmint tea for PCOS? There’s no published research to show that any one brand of spearmint tea is better for PCOS than others. But, I recommend buying only organic tea products.

How to make spearmint tea for PCOS? To make a hot tea, steep a spearmint tea bag in 6 oz (180 mL) of boiled water for 5-7 minutes. For iced tea, follow the steps above, before pouring over a tall glass filled with ice.

Ready To Take The Next Step?

Join my next free 30-Day PCOS Diet Challenge here. This is a live program where you’ll receive weekly meal plans and helpful video lessons. You’ll also be part of a motivated and inspiring community of like-minded women.

Download my free 3-Day PCOS Diet Meal Plan here. This is perfect for getting started before the next 30-Day Challenge begins.

Join my PCOS Monthly Meal Planning Service here. This service includes hundreds of PCOS recipes within a pre-populated, yet customizable meal plan. It’s designed to save you time and help you apply a PCOS diet.

Sign up for my next Beat PCOS 10-Week Program. This is a comprehensive live program that runs quarterly. Topics covered include diet, PCOS-centric emotional eating, exercise, stress management, and more. The 10-Week Program includes the same recipes and meal plan as my monthly meal planning service.

Author

Kym Campbell

Since 2010, Kym Campbell has used evidence-based diet and lifestyle interventions to manage her PCOS. After getting her symptoms under control and falling pregnant naturally, Kym now advocates for dietary change as part of any PCOS treatment plan. Combining rigorous science and clinical advice with a pragmatic approach to habit change, Kym is on a mission to show other women how to take back control of their health and fertility. Read more about Kym and her team here.

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