Spearmint Tea: Benefits, How to Make It & the Best Brands in Canada

Spearmint (Mentha spicata) has gone from a garnish to a wellness staple over the last five years — mostly on the strength of two small randomised trials in women with hirsutism, where 2 cups of spearmint tea daily for 30 days reduced free testosterone and improved subjective hirsutism scores. It’s not a treatment, but for the right person, it’s a reasonable, evidence-anchored daily ritual.

What spearmint tea actually does

Two randomised trials in women with hirsutism (Akdoğan 2007, Grant 2010) found that 2 cups of spearmint tea per day for 30 days reduced free and total testosterone, increased LH and FSH, and improved patient-reported hirsutism scores. The effect on visible hair growth was small over a one-month window but the hormonal shift was statistically clear.

Mechanism: spearmint’s rosmarinic acid and limonene appear to inhibit 5α-reductase, the enzyme that converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, and lower free-testosterone availability via SHBG modulation.

For PCOS-adjacent symptoms in particular — hormonal acne flares, mild hirsutism, oily skin — spearmint tea is one of the very few non-prescription interventions with any randomised data.

How to brew it for therapeutic effect

Use 1–2 g of dried spearmint leaves (about 1 standard tea-bag or 1 tablespoon loose-leaf) per cup. Pour boiling water, cover the cup, steep 5–10 minutes. Covering matters — the active limonene and menthol are volatile and will steam off an open mug.

For the trial dose, aim for 2 cups per day for at least 4 weeks. Most users notice acne and oil-production changes between weeks 3 and 6. Drink it any time of day; it’s naturally caffeine-free.

Who should be careful

If you’re trying to conceive, are pregnant, or are breastfeeding: skip spearmint tea at therapeutic doses. The hormonal effects, while modest, have not been shown safe for fetal development.

If you take testosterone (gender-affirming care) or are on hormonal medications, talk to your prescriber before adding daily spearmint tea.

A few people experience mild GI upset (heartburn) at 2–3 cups daily — spearmint relaxes the lower oesophageal sphincter.

Best Canadian brands and what to look for

Look for “Mentha spicata” on the label, not “peppermint” (Mentha × piperita) — peppermint is a different species and the hormonal data don’t apply.

Reputable Canadian-stocked brands: Traditional Medicinals Spearmint Tea (Whole Foods, well.ca), Yogi Egyptian Licorice Mint (mostly licorice, but contains real spearmint), Davids Tea Organic Spearmint, and bulk loose-leaf from Steeped Tea or any local tea shop.

Buy organic when you can — conventional spearmint can carry pesticide residues at the leaf surface, which boiling water leaches directly into the cup.

The bottom line

Spearmint tea is one of the few herbal teas with randomised evidence for a specific endocrine effect. If you have hormonal acne or mild PCOS-related symptoms, 2 covered cups a day for 6 weeks is a low-risk experiment worth running — with your doctor in the loop if you’re also on hormonal medications.

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