Clear glass cup of pale green spearmint tea with a fresh sprig, a small dish of dried spearmint leaves and fresh spearmint sprigs on a cream linen tablecloth

Spearmint Tea for PMOS (PCOS): Does It Work?

You're not imagining it: spearmint tea is all over PMOS (PCOS) feeds, usually with a before-and-after photo and a promise about hair or skin. So does it actually do anything, or is it just a nice cup of tea with good PR?

Here's the honest version. There are two small human trials of spearmint tea in women with excess hair growth, and both measured hormones [1-3]. That makes it one of a small handful of herbal teas tested in women with PMOS (PCOS) at all [4]. It also means the evidence is tiny, short and full of gaps. We sell a botanical tea that contains spearmint, so we'd rather tell you that up front.

The short answer: in the better of the two trials, women with PMOS (PCOS) who drank spearmint tea twice a day for 30 days had lower androgens than those on placebo tea, but the objective hair score didn't change significantly in that time [1, 2]. We found no trial of spearmint tea for acne, periods, fertility or insulin resistance. Spearmint tea isn't a treatment, and it isn't a substitute for seeing your GP.

PCOS has been renamed PMOS (polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome), and the NHS now uses the new name, so we use both here while the change beds in [7]. Your diagnosis is a starting point, not a verdict.

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In this guide:

Does Spearmint Tea Lower Testosterone in PMOS (PCOS)?

In short: Two small trials reported lower androgens after spearmint tea, but one had no placebo group and both lasted 30 days or less.

This is the claim behind the hype, so let's check it against what was actually done. Here's what the research on this looks like when you line the studies up:

Grant 2010 [1, 2] Akdoğan 2007 [3, 8] Pooled herbal tea review 2024 [4]
Women 42 with PMOS (PCOS) and excess hair, randomised to spearmint or placebo tea 21 women with excess hair, hormones compared before and after 6 trials, 235 women, but only 1 trial was spearmint
Length and amount Two cups a day for 30 days Two cups a day for 5 days Varied by tea and trial
Androgens Reported significant fall vs placebo Free testosterone fell, total testosterone did not change significantly No significant pooled effect on total testosterone or DHEAS
Other hormones LH and FSH rose FSH, LH and oestradiol rose FSH rose by 0.56 IU/L across teas
Main limits Small, one month, we could only read a conference abstract and summaries of the paper Tiny, 5 days, no placebo group that we could find, hair not measured during treatment Mostly green tea trials, small, varied designs

Take that in. The Grant trial is the strongest piece of evidence, and it's one trial in 42 women over a month. Its conference abstract reports that androgens fell significantly more on spearmint than on placebo (P<0.05) [2], and summaries of the full paper say both free and total testosterone fell [1]. We couldn't read the paper itself, so we aren't quoting hormone values, and we couldn't find who funded it.

The earlier Akdoğan study is weaker. It followed 21 women for just five days. Free testosterone fell, but total testosterone didn't change significantly, and the authors called the findings preliminary [3, 8].

When the 2024 review pooled six trials of herbal teas in women with PMOS (PCOS), it found no significant effect on total testosterone or DHEAS. But four of the six trials were green tea and only one was spearmint, so that result tells us little about spearmint specifically [4]. The authors say the evidence is limited and call for larger trials [4].

So the fair reading: some signal, a small and short evidence base, and no long-term data.

MyOva Hormonal Balance Botanical Tea, a caffeine-free loose-leaf blend
Botanical Tea
Hormonal Balance Botanical Tea

A caffeine-free loose-leaf blend of Ceylon cinnamon, spearmint, dandelion root, shatavari, ashwagandha and ginger, with added vitamin B6, which contributes to the regulation of hormonal activity. It's a blend, so it isn't the plain spearmint tea used in the trials.

Infographic: what two small spearmint tea trials found in women with excess hair, what was not tested, safety cautions, and when to see a GP including urgent signs

Does Spearmint Tea Help With Excess Hair or Acne?

In short: In the Grant trial the clinician-rated hair score didn't change significantly in 30 days. We found no spearmint trial for acne.

This is the bit that gets left out of most spearmint content. The Grant trial measured hair growth using the Ferriman-Gallwey score, a clinician-rated scale. It did not change significantly between spearmint and placebo [2]. The author suggested the trial was too short for hair follicles to turn over, and predicted longer treatment might help [2]. That's a hypothesis, not a result.

What did improve? The 2008 conference abstract reports a significant improvement in a skin-related quality of life score compared with placebo [2], and summaries of the 2010 paper report that women rated their own hirsutism as better [1]. Those are real findings, but they are self-reported, and in a small trial with one month of follow-up. Neither one tells you spearmint tea removes hair or shrinks follicles.

The Akdoğan study didn't measure hair at all during treatment [8]. And we found no spearmint trial that measured acne, so we can't say whether it helps skin. Our guide to PMOS (PCOS) acne covers what's actually going on and what has better evidence.

If hair growth is bothering you, see your GP. The NHS Wales page on hirsutism lists weight loss if you're overweight, home hair removal, eflornithine cream for the face on prescription, and the contraceptive pill if you haven't reached menopause, with referral if those don't help [5]. Herbal tea isn't on that list. Our guides to hyperandrogenism and hair removal go through the options. Tell your GP if thick, dark hair appears suddenly, your voice lowers or your muscles get bigger, because the NHS says that needs an urgent appointment [5].

What About LH, FSH and the Wider Hormone Picture?

In short: LH and FSH rose in both spearmint trials, but nobody has shown what that means for ovulation. Pooled across herbal teas, only FSH changed.

Here's something the 'spearmint lowers testosterone' posts skip. In both spearmint studies, hormones other than testosterone moved too. In the Grant trial, LH and FSH rose [1]. In the Akdoğan study, FSH, LH and oestradiol rose [3, 8].

The 2024 review found something similar across teas. FSH increased by 0.56 IU/L (95% CI 0.17 to 0.95), but with considerable differences between trials, and LH, total testosterone and DHEAS showed no significant pooled change. The same review found small falls in fasting glucose and BMI across the teas, but with only one spearmint trial among six it can't tell you those came from spearmint [4].

What does a rise in LH or FSH mean for your cycle? We couldn't find research that answers it for spearmint, and neither spearmint trial measured ovulation or periods. So it's a lead, not a benefit. If you're trying to conceive, it's one more reason to talk to your GP before relying on any herbal tea. Our guide to PMOS (PCOS) and fertility covers what has better evidence.

How Is Spearmint Supposed to Work?

In short: The explanation offered is that spearmint reduces androgen production or availability. That comes from lab and animal work, not women.

You'll see confident explanations online: a plant compound blocks this enzyme, lowers that hormone. Here's the honest status. The proposed mechanisms come from laboratory and rat studies, and we couldn't find a human study that confirms any of them. We won't quote specific animal findings here, because we couldn't verify them.

That matters for how you read the trials. If the mechanism were proven, a short trial with a hormone change would be easier to trust. Without it, the human results stand on their own, and they're small. 'Might reduce androgens' is a fair summary. 'Works by X' isn't.

It also means we can't tell you whether a cup of tea delivers anything like the dose in an animal experiment. Rat doses of an extract and a cup of tea are not the same thing.

Who Might Want to Try Spearmint Tea?

In short: Women with androgen-related symptoms are the group studied. Get thick dark hair with irregular periods checked by a GP before anything else.

The trials enrolled women with excess hair growth, most of them with PMOS (PCOS) [1, 3, 8]. So if you're asking whether it could be relevant, that's the group in question, not PMOS (PCOS) in general. We found no spearmint trial in women with PMOS (PCOS) who don't have excess hair.

The first step isn't a tea. The NHS Wales hirsutism page says to see a GP if you have thick, dark hair in places like the face, chest or stomach, especially with irregular periods, and that your GP may do a blood test to check your hormones [5]. It also names PMOS (PCOS) as the most common cause and lists rarer ones, which is why a check matters [5].

If you decide to try spearmint tea alongside your GP's advice, keep it as an extra, not a swap. Don't stop a prescribed treatment because of a tea. Our guide to PMOS (PCOS) supplements sets out what has better evidence.

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Does Spearmint Tea Help With Insulin Resistance?

In short: There's no spearmint trial on insulin resistance. The two spearmint studies measured androgens, so don't use it as an insulin-support strategy.

Insulin resistance is part of the picture for many women with PMOS (PCOS), and it's natural to hope a tea covers it. But neither spearmint trial measured insulin, and the 2024 review's blood sugar finding was pooled across teas with only one spearmint trial [4]. We can't say spearmint helps.

If insulin resistance is your concern, the useful first step is testing. Our guides to PMOS (PCOS) and insulin resistance and the blood tests to ask for give you the words to use.

Some women also use myo-inositol. The honest summary of that evidence is that the best review calls it limited and inconclusive, and the draft NICE guideline says its metabolic benefit is uncertain. We go through it in our PMOS (PCOS) inositol guide and our myo-inositol explainer.

MyOva Myoplus myo-inositol, vitamin B6, folate and chromium food supplement
Daily Food Supplement
Myoplus

Four tablets a day provide 4,000mg myo-inositol, vitamin B6, folate and chromium. Vitamin B6 contributes to the regulation of hormonal activity. Chromium contributes to the maintenance of normal blood glucose levels. Folate contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

How Much Spearmint Tea Do Trials Use?

In short: Both trials gave two cups a day, for 5 days in one and 30 days in the other. No study has compared other amounts or longer use.

The honest answer is that there's no official recommended amount for spearmint tea in PMOS (PCOS). Here's what was tested:

  • Grant 2010: two cups a day for 30 days, against placebo tea [1, 2].
  • Akdoğan 2007: two cups a day for five days [3, 8].

That's the whole evidence base for dose. We couldn't find a trial comparing amounts, a trial longer than 30 days, or details of the tea strength used, so we can't give you a brewing time or leaf weight that matches the research. Follow the instructions on the pack. There's no evidence that more cups gives a bigger effect, and one source warns that large amounts of spearmint may be unsafe in some circumstances [6].

Different products also contain different amounts of spearmint, and blends contain other herbs. A blend, including ours, can't be assumed to match what the trials used.

Is Spearmint Tea Safe? Who Should Check First

In short: Food-level amounts are likely safe, but avoid large amounts in pregnancy, and check first with a GP or pharmacist if you have liver or kidney disease.

Natural doesn't mean risk-free, and 'a cup of tea' isn't a safety study. A drug-information monograph rates spearmint 'likely safe' in the amounts found in food, and 'possibly safe' in medicinal amounts by mouth [6]. Here's what it says about who should be careful:

  • Pregnancy. It rates large amounts 'possibly unsafe' and advises avoiding them [6]. If you could be pregnant or you're trying to conceive, check with your midwife, GP or pharmacist before making it a daily habit.
  • Breastfeeding. The monograph says there isn't enough reliable information, and suggests sticking to amounts found in food [6].
  • Liver or kidney disease. It says spearmint tea might worsen both, particularly in large amounts [6]. Ask your doctor first.
  • Medicines. It lists two moderate interactions: medicines that can harm the liver, such as paracetamol (acetaminophen), methotrexate and some statins, and sedatives, because spearmint may cause sleepiness [6]. Tell your pharmacist if you take either.

We couldn't find any study of spearmint tea alongside hormonal contraception, metformin or anti-androgen medicines such as spironolactone. 'No evidence of a problem' isn't the same as 'it's fine', so mention it to whoever prescribes them. Trials this small and short can't detect rare problems, and the longest ran for a month.

If you think a food supplement or herbal product has caused a side effect, stop using it, speak to your doctor and report it through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme [9].

Is Spearmint Tea Worth Trying?

In short: It's a personal call made with thin evidence. Check your GP first, give it a month, track one thing, and keep any prescribed treatment.

That's your call, ideally made with your GP, as long as you know it's an experiment and not a proven treatment. If you try it, make it a fair test:

  1. Check the basics first: you're not pregnant or breastfeeding, you've told your GP or pharmacist about any medicines, and none of the cautions above apply to you.
  2. Pick one thing to track, such as how you rate your hair growth, and write down the start date and how many cups you're having.
  3. Give it a month, because that's as long as the best trial ran [1, 2], and be realistic: even in that trial, the objective hair score didn't move in 30 days.
  4. Book a GP review for a date you pick in advance, and keep taking any prescribed treatment.

If nothing has changed, that's information, not failure. Your body is trying to tell you something, and 'this didn't do much' is a legitimate answer. It's not a magic fix. Prefer a ready-made blend? Our botanical tea is one option, though remember it's not the plain spearmint tea used in the trials.

Read this first. Hormonal Balance Botanical Tea and Myoplus are food products. They aren't a treatment for PMOS (PCOS), excess hair or any other condition, and no health claim is authorised for spearmint, shatavari, ashwagandha or myo-inositol. The vitamin wording above refers to those nutrients only. Don't exceed the stated dose, speak to your GP before use if you take medication or are under medical supervision, and ask your doctor first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Free UK shipping on orders of £50 and over.

Frequently Asked Questions About Spearmint Tea and PMOS (PCOS)

Does spearmint tea work for PMOS (PCOS)?

Two small trials reported lower androgens, but they lasted 30 days or less and the objective hair score didn't change significantly. It isn't a treatment for PMOS (PCOS) [1-3].

Does spearmint tea lower testosterone?

In the Grant trial, androgens fell more on spearmint tea than on placebo tea over 30 days. The evidence is limited to one small placebo-controlled trial [1, 2].

How many cups of spearmint tea should I drink?

Both trials gave two cups a day. No study has tested other amounts, and large amounts may be unsafe in some circumstances, so follow the pack [1, 3, 6].

How long does spearmint tea take to work?

The best trial ran for 30 days and found no significant change in the clinician-rated hair score in that time. There's no long-term evidence [1, 2].

Can I drink spearmint tea while pregnant or trying to conceive?

A drug-information monograph advises avoiding large amounts of spearmint in pregnancy. Check with your midwife, GP or pharmacist first [6].

Can I drink spearmint tea with PMOS (PCOS) medication?

We couldn't find interaction studies with hormonal contraception, metformin or spironolactone. Tell your prescriber or pharmacist, and don't stop prescribed treatment without advice.

Does spearmint tea help acne?

We found no spearmint trial that measured acne. See your GP or pharmacist about options with better evidence.

The Bottom Line

Spearmint tea isn't a scam and it isn't a fix. The human evidence is two small, short studies, one of them without a placebo group, with some signal on androgens and no significant change in the objective hair score in 30 days. We found no trials for acne, periods, fertility or insulin resistance, and nothing on how it interacts with PMOS (PCOS) medicines. It's probably fine as a cup of tea if none of the cautions apply to you, and it's not a reason to delay seeing your GP about hair, skin or periods.

This is what I wish someone had told me: you can try a low-risk extra and still expect honest answers from the research. Hormonal literacy isn't complicated, it's just rarely taught. We'd rather tell you that than sell you a story.

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Related Reading

This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Details are accurate to the sources cited at the time of writing. MyOva products are food supplements and foods, not medicines, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Food supplements should not replace a varied diet. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or have a medical condition, speak to your GP, midwife or pharmacist before taking any herbal product or supplement.

References

  1. Grant P. Spearmint herbal tea has significant anti-androgen effects in polycystic ovarian syndrome. A randomized controlled trial. Phytother Res. 2010;24(2):186-188. doi:10.1002/ptr.2900 (summaries read; full text not accessible to us)
  2. Grant P. A randomised clinical trial of the effects of spearmint herbal tea on hirsutism in females with polycystic ovarian syndrome. Endocrine Abstracts. 2008;15:P282 (SFEBES 2008). https://www.endocrine-abstracts.org/ea/0015/abstracts/poster-presentations/reproduction/ea0015p282/
  3. Akdoğan M, Tamer MN, Cüre E, Cüre MC, Köroğlu BK, Delibas N. Effect of spearmint (Mentha spicata Labiatae) teas on androgen levels in women with hirsutism. Phytother Res. 2007;21(5):444-447. doi:10.1002/ptr.2074
  4. Abbasi E, Hajhashemy Z, Askari G, Saneei P. Association of herbal tea and follicle-stimulating hormone, anthropometric parameters, and fasting blood glucose levels among polycystic ovarian syndrome women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials. Clin Nutr Res. 2024;13(3):201-213. doi:10.7762/cnr.2024.13.3.201
  5. NHS 111 Wales. Hirsutism. https://111.wales.nhs.uk/Hirsutism/ (accessed October 2026)
  6. RxList. Spearmint: uses, side effects and interactions. https://www.rxlist.com/supplements/spearmint.htm (accessed October 2026)
  7. NHS. Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), formerly polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Last reviewed 30 June 2026. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/polyendocrine-metabolic-ovarian-syndrome-pmos/
  8. HealthDay. Spearmint tea may help women with hirsutism (press coverage of Akdoğan 2007). https://www.healthday.com/health-news/women-health/spearmint-tea-may-help-women-with-hirsutism-602080.html
  9. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Yellow Card scheme. https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/
Leila Martyn

Leila Martyn

Leila is the founder of MyOva, a UK-based hormonal health brand for women with PMOS (PCOS), endometriosis, perimenopause, PMDD and fertility challenges. Drawing on lived experience and scientific research, she shares evidence-based guidance to help women feel informed about their hormones and cycles.

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References