Spearmint Tea for PCOS/PMOS: What Two Small Studies Found

Two cups of spearmint tea a day is the first of the three daily rituals in my Anti-Androgen Plan, and these two small studies are why: in both, women who drank it twice a day had lower free testosterone.

Is spearmint tea good for PCOS/PMOS?

Yes, for the androgen side of PCOS. Spearmint tea naturally lowers androgens like testosterone, the hormones behind unwanted hair, acne along your jaw and thinning hair on your head, which is why it earned a place in my protocol rather than staying a nice cup of tea.

The human evidence for spearmint tea and PCOS/PMOS comes from two small, short studies. Both used the tea twice daily and reported a decrease in free testosterone. The longer randomized trial also found lower total testosterone and better self-rated hirsutism.

How much spearmint tea did the studies use?

Two cups per day. Both studies used spearmint tea twice daily, and two cups a day is the goal I set every woman on my Anti-Androgen Plan.

The best way to make it at home is to cover it and steep a teaspoon of loose leaf, or a bag, for 10 to 15 minutes, so the oils stay in the cup. If hot tea is unappealing, brew a big batch, chill it and drink it iced, or use the cooled tea as the base of a smoothie instead of milk.

When is the best time to drink spearmint tea?

Have one cup in the morning and one in the evening. Hang them on things you already do: one with breakfast, one after dinner.

The evening cup will not keep you up, because spearmint has no caffeine, and it makes a good swap for an after-dinner coffee.

Can you drink spearmint tea during your period?

Yes. The two cups are a daily ritual, and that includes the days you are bleeding. Keep them going through your whole menstrual cycle.

How long does spearmint tea take to work?

Give it five to six months before you judge what it is doing for hair growth. Hair is slow: a follicle that is already producing coarse, dark hair does not reverse in a fortnight, and that is true of every anti-androgen approach. The blood changes the studies measured showed up sooner:

• In the five-day study, free testosterone fell within five days.
• In the 30-day trial, free and total testosterone fell and the women rated their unwanted hair growth as improved.

What does the evidence mean for facial hair, acne, and fertility?

Spearmint tea works on the androgens behind unwanted hair and acne, which is why it sits first in my Anti-Androgen Plan.

Lower testosterone on a blood test: The two studies reported a short-term free-testosterone change. The randomized trial also reported lower total testosterone.

Unwanted facial or body hair: Participants in the randomized trial rated their hirsutism more favorably after 30 days.

Acne or scalp hair loss: Acne along your jaw and thinning hair at your part line are driven by the same androgens, which is why the tea sits beside the PCOS Repair Breakfast and, for faster results, an anti-androgen supplement in my plan.

Periods, ovulation, or fertility: In both studies, luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone rose, and in the five-day study estradiol rose too. If irregular periods, ovulation or a pregnancy is your goal, inositol is my first choice, and it is generally considered safe while you are trying to conceive.

Are capsules, extracts, peppermint, and spearmint tea equivalent?

Drink spearmint as tea, the form both studies used, and look for it by name: peppermint has not been tested in women for this. Spearmint capsules, often sold at 400 to 1,000 mg, are a different preparation from a cup of tea, so stick with the tea.

Check the label for the botanical name, Mentha spicata. “Mint” alone is not specific enough.

When I sourced our Androgen Relief Tea, I chose 100% certified organic loose-leaf spearmint, Mentha spicata, the species the studies used, free from the hormone-disrupting chemicals plastic tea bags can leach. Each bag holds 60 servings, a full month at two cups a day.

The optional third ritual of my Anti-Androgen Plan is a supplement, and ours is AndroEase Plus: saw palmetto, reishi, nettle, green tea, zinc and copper in one formula, so you are not taking a handful of separate pills. Leave it out if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to conceive, when inositol is my choice instead, and check with your doctor first if you are on the pill or another regular medicine.

What about pregnancy, trying to conceive, and medications?

Leave spearmint tea out while you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

When symptoms need assessment instead of a tea experiment

If unwanted hair or acne is new or getting worse quickly, especially with a deepening voice, more muscle or other masculine changes, see your doctor before you start the tea (Elhassan et al. 2025).

For everything else, the tea buys you relief while you work on why your body is making too many androgens. That is where the four root causes come in: insulin-resistant, adrenal, post-pill and inflammatory. My free root cause quiz tells you which one you are working with in a few minutes, and The PCOS Repair Protocol sets out the full plan for each type, with spearmint as ritual one of three.

My guide to reducing androgens naturally covers the testing worth asking for and the rest of the plan.