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Not medical advice. The Atlas is not a substitute for a clinician who can examine you.

Spearmint Tea

Mentha spicata Infusion and Antiandrogen Effects

Evidence grade 3 of 5, Mixed. Read how the Atlas grades evidence.

The written rationale for this grade is still being prepared.

FDA
Not FDA evaluated (herbal beverage)

Reference only. Not medical advice.

What can go wrong

Spearmint tea in culinary amounts is generally safe. The relevant concern in this category is its antiandrogen direction: men aiming to raise testosterone should not consume it as a 'boosting' tea, and very high regular intake is theoretically counterproductive. The robust antiandrogen evidence is in women; data in men are limited.

This is something to take to a clinician. The Atlas can tell you what is known about spearmint tea in general. It cannot tell you what is happening in your body, and the difference matters most for exactly the symptoms that bring people to this page.

Spearmint tea is one of the better-documented natural antiandrogens, studied primarily in women with hirsutism and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Akdogan et al. (2007) found that spearmint tea twice daily lowered free testosterone in women with hirsutism, and a randomized controlled trial by Grant (2010) in 42 women found two cups daily for 30 days significantly reduced total and free testosterone versus placebo tea. Its relevance to men is as a testosterone-LOWERING agent: men seeking to raise testosterone should not view spearmint as helpful, and high regular intake could theoretically reduce androgen activity.

Best-documented as an antiandrogen, studied to LOWER testosterone, mostly in women.

What people take it for

These are the reasons people give for taking it. They are not effects it has been shown to have.

  • Used for hirsutism and PCOS-related excess androgens (in women)
  • Promoted as a natural antiandrogen / acne aid
  • Common culinary and digestive herbal tea

How it is supposed to work

Spearmint appears to reduce circulating androgens; proposed mechanisms include effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary axis (the hirsutism studies reported rises in LH, FSH, and estradiol with falling free testosterone) and possible peripheral antiandrogen activity. The mechanism is not fully characterized in men.

Studied in women, extrapolated to men

Nearly all controlled human data come from women with androgen excess, where lowering testosterone is the therapeutic goal. There is little controlled data on whether ordinary or high spearmint intake meaningfully lowers testosterone in healthy men. For a men's testosterone-optimization audience, the honest framing is that spearmint is an antiandrogen candidate, not a booster, and heavy daily use is not advisable for men trying to maximize testosterone.

What people get wrong

  • Often saidSpearmint tea boosts testosterone

    ActuallyThe opposite: controlled trials show spearmint lowers testosterone. It is studied as an antiandrogen, mainly in women with excess androgens.

  • Often saidIt is a safe daily tea for men wanting more testosterone

    ActuallyGiven its documented antiandrogen direction, heavy daily intake is at best neutral and theoretically counterproductive for men trying to raise testosterone.

Who profits, and who pushes back

  • PCOS and dermatology researchers

    Pushes backAuthors of the hirsutism trials

    Spearmint can be an option for mild hirsutism, reflecting a genuine antiandrogen effect, though hair changes realistically take months.

What we do not know

  • Does habitual spearmint intake measurably lower testosterone in healthy men? Largely untested.
  • Is the effect strong enough to matter at normal culinary intakes?

At a glance

Direction
LOWERS testosterone (antiandrogen)
Best evidence
Women with hirsutism/PCOS
RCT
Grant 2010 (42 women, 30 days)
Male data
Minimal; relevant as a T-lowering signal

What this entry does not yet cover

What follows is unfinished work on our side, not a finding about Spearmint Tea. A short entry is not a safe entry.

  • Timeline. We have not built the dated record of research and regulatory events.
  • Cost and market. We have not documented what it sells for or who sells it.
  • Supply chain. We have not mapped where it is made.
  • Who uses it. We have not documented the user groups.
  • What could change. No forward-looking summary yet.
  • How it compares. We have not set it against the alternatives.
  • Children and teenagers. We have not checked what is known about younger people.
  • Where we land. We have not taken a position on this yet.

Sources

The studies below are named and described, but not linked. You cannot open them from here and check our reading against them, which means this page is our summary of the literature rather than a document you can verify. Weigh it accordingly until the links exist.

The studies that matter

  • Akdogan et al. (effect of spearmint teas on androgen levels in women with hirsutism, Phytother Res)2007

    Spearmint tea twice daily for 5 days during follicular phase significantly decreased free testosterone and raised LH, FSH, and estradiol in 21 women with hirsutism

  • Grant (spearmint herbal tea antiandrogen effects in PCOS, randomized controlled trial, Phytother Res)2010

    42 women; two cups daily for 30 days significantly reduced total and free testosterone versus placebo tea