Loading…
We use essential cookies (authentication, your saved goals/stack) by default. With your permission we’ll also enable privacy-respecting analytics (Vercel Web Analytics, anonymous load-time metrics) and error-replay diagnostics (Sentry — DOM snapshots only when an error fires) so we can fix bugs faster. Learn more about cookies
Head-to-head evidence comparison — which supplement is right for you?
Folic Acid vs Spearmint: Folic Acid has the stronger overall evidence (8 vs 6.2/10); the best pick depends on your goals. Take the 60-second quiz for a pick tailored to your goals.
Folic Acid wins 2 of 3 categories. Both are solid choices — the best pick depends on your specific goals.
Verdict
Too few graded studies
Top outcomes
Verdict
Too few graded studies
Top outcomes
Shared outcomes (2)
Outcomes where both Folic Acid and Spearmint have evidence — compare verdict strength side-by-side.
400 mcg/day for anyone planning or capable of pregnancy (USPSTF: 400-800 mcg); adult RDA 400 mcg DFE/day, 600 mcg DFE in pregnancy, 500 mcg DFE in lactation (IOM)
Any time of day
Folic acid (pteroylmonoglutamic acid)
900 mg/day of standardized spearmint extract (or 2 cups of spearmint herbal tea daily)
Morning with breakfast, Evening with dinner (split dosing mirrors clinical trial protocols)
Standardized aqueous extract (high-rosmarinic acid)
Periconceptional
Weeks
Weeks to months
2–4 weeks
4–12 weeks
4–8 weeks
8–16 weeks
Prevention of the first occurrence of neural-tube defects by periconceptional vitamin supplementation.
N Engl J Med (1992) · Rct
Randomised trial of periconceptional vitamin supplementation for prevention of a FIRST neural tube defect (PubMed publication types: Randomized Controlled Trial, Clinical Trial)
Prevention of neural tube defects: results of the Medical Research Council Vitamin Study. MRC Vitamin Study Research Group.
Lancet (1991) · Rct
Randomised, multicentre trial of periconceptional folic acid for prevention of RECURRENT neural tube defects (PubMed publication types: Randomized Controlled Trial, Multicenter Study, Comparative Study)
Effects and safety of periconceptional oral folate supplementation for preventing birth defects.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev (2015) · Meta analysis
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews CD007950, third edition (PubMed publication types: Meta-Analysis, Systematic Review)
An evidence-based systematic review of spearmint by the natural standard research collaboration.
Journal of dietary supplements (2010) · Systematic review
An evidence-based systematic review of spearmint (Mentha spicata, Mentha viridis) including written and statistical analysis of scientific literature, expert opinion, folkloric precedent, history, pharmacology, kinetics/dynamics, interactions, adverse effects, toxicology, and dosing.
A systematic review of the efficacy of alternative medicine in the treatment of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy.
Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology : the journal of the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (2020) · Systematic review
Spearmint syrup is listed among several herbal options the authors call effective for mild to moderate nausea and vomiting of pregnancy.
Spearmint herbal tea has significant anti-androgen effects in polycystic ovarian syndrome. A randomized controlled trial.
Phytotherapy research : PTR (2010) · Rct · n=42
Forty-one of 42 women with PCOS completed this 30-day RCT comparing spearmint tea twice daily with a placebo herbal tea.
Both points come from one 90-day RCT in 90 adults with age-associated memory impairment, 30 per arm, at 0, 600 or 900 mg of extract a day (PMID 29314866). Quality of working memory improved by 15% and spatial working memory accuracy by 9% versus placebo at 900 mg only, so 600 mg is plotted as no effect. The same trial found no effect of either dose on safety markers over 90 days (PMID 28286189). No dose above 900 mg was tested, and the effect may be smaller in people without memory complaints.
AI-estimated from published studies. Interpret as directional guidance.
Folic Acid has a higher evidence score (8/10 vs 6.2/10) and wins in 2 of 3 categories.
No documented interaction was found in the data searched. This does not establish that this exact combination is safe.
The right pick depends on your goals. Answer a few quick questions for a personalised recommendation — or dig into the full evidence on each.