Understanding androgens, hormonal balance, and the science behind spearmint tea
If you've spent any time researching PCOS, polycystic ovary syndrome, (now PMOS), excess hair growth, or hormonal balance, you may have come across claims about spearmint tea and its effect on androgens. This topic gets a lot of attention online, but the actual science is nuanced. In this article, we'll walk through what researchers have studied, how the body's hormone system works, and what the current evidence does, and doesn't, show.
What Are Androgens, and Why Do They Matter?
Androgens are a group of hormones, including testosterone, that everyone's body produces in some amount, regardless of sex. They play a role in many everyday body functions, such as supporting muscle tissue, bone health, and hair follicle activity.
In some people, androgen levels can be higher than what their body typically maintains. This is one of several factors that researchers associate with PCOS, a common hormonal condition. Elevated androgen activity is one piece of a larger, complex picture that can also include insulin sensitivity, ovarian function, and genetics.
It's important to understand that hormonal balance is influenced by many interacting systems in the body, including diet, sleep, stress, and metabolic health, not any single factor alone.
Why Hair Growth Is Connected to Hormonal Health
Hair follicles are sensitive to hormone signals, including androgens. This is why some people notice changes in hair growth patterns, on the scalp or elsewhere on the body, when their hormone levels shift. This connection is one reason researchers have looked into whether certain foods or botanicals might interact with the body's androgen pathways.
It's worth noting that hair growth cycles are slow. Hair follicles move through growth, transition, and resting phases that can take many months, so any factor that influences hormones would not be expected to change visible hair growth patterns quickly.
What Does the Research Say About Spearmint?
Spearmint (Mentha spicata) is a common culinary herb that has been studied in a small number of clinical trials for its relationship to androgen levels.
One frequently cited study, published in Phytotherapy Research, followed 42 women with PCOS over 30 days. Participants drank either spearmint tea or a placebo herbal tea twice daily. Researchers measured hormone levels and used a standardized clinical scale to assess visible hair growth patterns. The study reported that participants drinking spearmint tea showed measurable changes in circulating testosterone levels, along with self-reported improvements in quality-of-life around hair growth. However, objectively measured hair growth scores did not show a statistically significant difference between groups over that short study window. The study's authors suggested this may be because the trial period was too short to reflect visible changes, since the relationship between androgen hormones and hair follicle turnover unfolds over a much longer timeframe than 30 days.
An earlier, smaller study from Turkey similarly explored spearmint and peppermint teas in women with self-reported excess hair growth and also observed changes in hormone measurements over a short trial period.
A more recent trial, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, examined a larger group of participants over 12 weeks and continued to explore how consistent spearmint intake relates to androgen measurements over a longer timeframe.
Taken together, this line of research is early-stage. The studies are small, short in duration, and focus primarily on laboratory hormone measurements rather than confirmed, long-term outcomes. None of this research supports spearmint, as a tea, extract, or supplement, as a treatment, cure, or prevention for PCOS or any related condition.
What This Means for You
If you're navigating questions about hormonal health, here are a few general, evidence-informed wellness habits that researchers commonly discuss in relation to overall hormonal and metabolic wellness:
- Balanced nutrition: A varied diet with adequate fiber, protein, and micronutrients supports overall metabolic health.
- Regular movement: Physical activity is associated with healthy insulin sensitivity, which is one factor connected to hormonal balance.
- Sleep quality: Hormone regulation, including cortisol and insulin, is closely tied to consistent, quality sleep.
- Stress management: Chronic stress can influence multiple hormone systems in the body over time.
- Working with a healthcare provider: Because hormonal health involves many interconnected systems, a licensed provider can help interpret lab results and personal health history.
Nutrient deficiencies, lifestyle habits, and hormonal fluctuations are all interconnected. Rather than looking for a single fix, understanding your body's overall patterns, supported by conversations with a qualified healthcare professional, tends to be the most informed approach.
The Bottom Line
The research on spearmint and androgen levels is genuinely interesting, and it reflects a growing body of scientific curiosity about how everyday botanicals may relate to the body's hormone systems. At the same time, the current evidence is preliminary. Small sample sizes, short study durations, and a lack of long-term safety data mean it's too early to draw firm conclusions about outcomes.
At Wholesome Story, we believe in giving people clear, honest information rooted in the actual state of the science, not exaggerated promises. Understanding how your body works is a powerful first step in feeling more informed about your own health.
References
- Grant, P. (2010). Spearmint herbal tea has significant anti-androgen effects in polycystic ovarian syndrome: A randomized controlled trial. Phytotherapy Research, 24(2), 186–188. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.2900
- Akdoğan, M., Tamer, M. N., Cüre, E., Cüre, M. C., Köroğlu, B. K., & Delibaş, N. (2007). Effect of spearmint (Mentha spicata Labiatae) teas on androgen levels in women with hirsutism. Phytotherapy Research, 21(5), 444–447.
- Najafi, M., et al. (2024). [Randomized controlled trial on spearmint tea and androgen levels]. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
