Spearmint Tea Benefits: What the Science Actually Shows

Before you read on:

• Spearmint is not peppermint that difference in chemistry explains why it behaves so differently in the body
• Two small clinical trials show it does shift androgen levels in women; the effect is real, the scale is modest
• The cognitive research is interesting and deeply compromised at the same time you’ll want to know why before deciding anything
• “How long until I see something?” is answered honestly in the brewing section, because almost nobody gives you a realistic timeline
• Every health claim in this article links directly to its source

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I started exploring spearmint tea benefits without much of a plan. It was in the cupboard, it smelled good, and I’d read enough about it to be curious. No fixed time of day, no ritual just whenever I felt like it. Within a few days I noticed my digestion was calmer. Less of that afternoon bloating I’d half accepted as normal. It wasn’t dramatic, but it was consistent enough that I kept going and eventually went looking for the actual research.

Note: this is anecdotal and not medical evidence. Individual responses vary the studies below are where the real data lives.

What I found was more nuanced than most articles let on. Some benefits hold up well under scrutiny. Others rest on studies with real problems worth knowing about. A few are plausible but almost entirely theoretical. Here’s the honest version.

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What you’re actually drinking

Spearmint is Mentha spicata a mint, but not the same plant as peppermint (Mentha × piperita). The distinction matters because the two plants are built around completely different compounds.

Spearmint’s dominant compound is carvone, which accounts for the majority of its essential oil composition alongside rosmarinic acid, luteolin, and other flavonoids, as documented in a 2021 comprehensive phytochemistry review. Peppermint, by contrast, is dominated by menthol, which gives it that sharp, icy quality. Spearmint’s menthol content is negligible by comparison a key reason it’s considerably gentler to drink regularly, and why some people who don’t tolerate peppermint well find spearmint an easier option.

Spearmint is also completely caffeine-free. It’s an herbal infusion, not derived from the Camellia sinensis tea plant, so there’s no caffeine to account for.

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1. Digestive relief

Evidence level: Moderate the biological mechanism is well-established; clinical trials used combination formulas rather than spearmint alone

Carvone acts as an antispasmodic on smooth muscle the kind that lines your digestive tract. When that muscle relaxes, bloating, cramping, and gas tend to ease with it. This is the most plausible explanation for what I noticed personally, and it’s consistent with how spearmint has been used across traditional medicine systems for centuries.

The clinical evidence is solid in principle but imperfect in execution. The most cited study is a 2006 pilot RCT that tested a herbal preparation called Carmint spearmint combined with coriander and lemon balm in IBS patients, finding real reductions in abdominal pain and bloating. The catch: with three herbs in the formula, spearmint’s individual contribution can’t be isolated. A 2021 review in the Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine looked specifically at carvone and flatulence, which is about as close to standalone spearmint data as the literature currently offers.

The mechanism is sound, it’s generally well tolerated in typical amounts, and it’s the benefit I’d feel most confident recommending to someone weighing up whether to try it.

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2. Antioxidant activity — the most solid ground

Evidence level: Strong well-characterised phytochemistry plus a clinical trial with real-world outcomes

Rosmarinic acid is not a trace compound in spearmint it’s present in measurable concentrations and has demonstrated consistent free-radical scavenging activity across multiple lab studies, as reviewed in Mahendran et al. (2021). The plant also contains flavonoids that contribute to its overall antioxidant profile.

What takes this beyond chemistry is a 2014 randomised controlled trial that gave knee osteoarthritis patients a high-rosmarinic-acid spearmint tea for 16 weeks. The result was statistically significant improvement in pain and stiffness on the WOMAC scale a validated clinical measure. That’s a real outcome in real patients.

One honest caveat: the tea used in that trial was a standardised, high-polyphenol preparation, not a standard supermarket tea bag. Rosmarinic acid content varies considerably between products. But the antioxidant case for spearmint is the best-grounded part of its research profile.

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3. Hormonal effects — real, modest, and worth understanding properly

Evidence level: Moderate two RCTs with consistent findings; limited by small samples and short durations

This is why most people find this article. Let’s be thorough.

Spearmint appears to have anti-androgenic properties: it may reduce free and total testosterone while nudging LH, FSH, and estradiol upward.

Two studies establish this:

• A 2007 pilot study in 21 women with hirsutism found a notable reduction in free testosterone after drinking spearmint tea twice daily for five days. The number looks striking, but the study had no control group and a tiny sample it’s hypothesis-generating data, not proof.
• A 2010 randomised controlled trial in 42 women with PCOS ran for 30 days and found statistically significant reductions in total testosterone, with improvements in how participants rated their hirsutism. Objective hair growth scores didn’t reach significance within that timeframe which makes sense, because hair growth cycles are slow and 30 days isn’t enough to see them change.

Both studies used two cups of spearmint tea per day.

The honest read: the hormonal effect is directionally consistent across two trials. It’s not dramatic, it’s not fast, and it hasn’t been replicated in a large independent study. For women with mildly elevated androgens who want a low-risk supportive habit alongside whatever else they’re doing, it’s a reasonable thing to try. It is not a treatment.

For a deeper look at how this applies to PCOS specifically, see our guide to spearmint tea and PCOS.

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4. Memory and focus — promising research, compromised source

Evidence level: Moderate, with a conflict of interest worth knowing about

Two well-designed RCTs are in this space. A 2018 trial in 90 adults with age-related memory concerns found a 15% improvement in working memory after 90 days. A 2019 trial in 142 people found improved sustained attention and faster sleep onset.

Here’s what most articles don’t mention: both studies were funded by Kemin Foods, the company that manufactures and sells Neumentix, a patented spearmint extract. The lead researchers on both papers have Kemin affiliations. The trial design was rigorous and the outcomes were real, but industry-funded nutrition research has a well-documented tendency to produce favourable results, and independent replication simply hasn’t happened yet.

There’s also a practical gap. Both studies used a concentrated spearmint extract not brewed tea. Brewed tea delivers substantially lower polyphenol levels than a standardised supplement. Whether a cup or two daily produces any cognitive effect is, for now, unknown.

Worth watching. Not worth acting on with full confidence yet.

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5. Skin, oral health, and stress — early signals, not conclusions

Skin and acne

The proposed mechanism is logical: spearmint reduces androgens → lower androgens reduce sebum production → less sebum means fewer breakouts. A 2017 in vitro study found spearmint essential oil reduced inflammatory markers in human skin cells in a lab setting. No clinical trial has yet tested spearmint tea directly on acne patients. The pathway is biologically plausible; the endpoint hasn’t been measured in humans.

Oral health

Spearmint’s essential oil inhibited Streptococcus mutans the main bacteria behind tooth decay in a 2023 lab study, and showed broad antibacterial activity against food-borne pathogens in a 2015 study. Both tested essential oil concentrations far higher than what’s present in brewed tea. Interesting direction; not a reason to replace your dental hygiene routine.

Stress and sleep

Carvone has shown interactions with GABA receptors the same pathway that many calming compounds target in animal and cell studies, as noted in the Mahendran 2021 review. The 2018 cognitive trial also noted improved sleep onset as a secondary finding. No standalone clinical trial exists for stress or sleep. Traditional use is consistent with a calming effect; the science hasn’t confirmed it yet.

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Spearmint vs. peppermint — a proper comparison

	Spearmint	Peppermint
Plant	Mentha spicata	Mentha × piperita
Key compound	Carvone (dominant)	Menthol (dominant)
Menthol content	Negligible	High
Taste	Mild, slightly sweet	Strong, intensely cooling
Best known for	Hormonal support, gentle digestion	IBS relief
Reflux tolerance	Often better	Can be a trigger for some
Caffeine	None	None

Peppermint has a well-established role in IBS management the European Medicines Agency recognises its traditional use for digestive spasms. That said, peppermint can worsen reflux symptoms in some people. If reflux or GERD is a concern, many people find spearmint easier to tolerate.

For anyone weighing spearmint against caffeinated options with their own evidence profiles, our green tea benefits guide covers a very different set of mechanisms.

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How to brew it and what to realistically expect

Brewing: One tea bag or a spoonful of dried leaves in a standard cup of just-boiled water, steeped for several minutes longer for more depth, shorter if you prefer it mild. Find your threshold.

How much: Both hormonal trials used two cups per day that’s the most evidence-aligned target if hormonal or antioxidant effects are your goal. I drink it less consistently than that and still notice the digestive difference.

Realistic timelines — the part almost nobody tells you:

• Digestive comfort: a few days of consistent drinking
• Hormonal markers in bloodwork: within a few weeks in trials (2007, 2010)
• Visible changes skin, hair, cycle regularity: months, not weeks
• Cognitive effects: the trials ran 90 days minimum; nothing will show up in a fortnight

Hot or iced both work. Lemon and honey are fine and won’t interfere with anything.

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Who should be careful

A 2017 safety study found no adverse effects at moderate doses over 30 days, and spearmint is widely used as a food ingredient and flavouring. Most healthy adults can drink a cup or two daily without concern.

That said, talk to a clinician first if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, have a chronic condition, or take prescription medications especially hormone-related or sedating ones. Evidence on therapeutic daily herbal use in these groups is limited, and your doctor is the right person to assess your individual situation.

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Spearmint Tea Benefits: The Bottom Line

Spearmint tea is one of the more credible options in the herbal space. The antioxidant case is strong. The hormonal evidence is real but modest. Digestive support is biologically plausible and consistent with what many people experience. The cognitive research is early and entangled with who paid for it.

Drink it because you want the supporting role it can actually play not because someone promised it would fix everything. Used that way, it earns its place in a daily routine.

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Frequently Asked Questions