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SPM6.2
Spearmint Research
Mostly mechanism / observationalHigh safety
15 peer-reviewed studies
What the evidence says
Mostly mechanism / observational
Most Spearmint studies are mechanism or observational rather than RCTs that measure a clinical effect — keep findings provisional.
Most evidence is from high-quality randomised trials published 2007–2024 with a typical study size of 52 participants.
Based on 15 studies · 9 RCTs · 576 total participants
Confidence
Moderate
By outcome
Cognitive functionImproved working memory and spatial memory in adults with age-associated memory impairment · 4–12 weeks
Mostly mechanism / observational8 studies
PCOS, hirsutism & hormonalSignificant reduction in free testosterone levels; improvement in LH/FSH ratio · 4–8 weeks · Reduction in androgen-driven symptoms; possible mood and hormonal stabilization · 4–8 weeks
Mostly mechanism / observational4 studies
Safety profile
Mostly mechanism / observational4 studies
Therapeutic & clinical
Mostly mechanism / observational3 studies
InflammationReduced joint pain and stiffness in knee osteoarthritis · 8–16 weeks
Mostly mechanism / observational3 studies
Men's vitalityReduced androgen levels and improved gonadotropin profile in women with PCOS · 4–8 weeks
Joint pain & arthritisReduced knee pain and stiffness in osteoarthritis patients · 8–16 weeks
Too few graded studies1 study
Steady research
3 studies in the last 5 years
200720152024
1Systematic Review2024
Results indicate that Indian pennywort, Sea buckthorn, Spearmint oil and ginger are beneficial in mitigating RINV.
Palatty PL et al. · International journal of radiation biology (2024)
Results indicate that Indian pennywort, Sea buckthorn, Spearmint oil and ginger are beneficial in mitigating RINV.
Also, of the four plants investigated in preclinical models of study, mint oil and ginger seem to be more useful and merit structured systematic translational studies to ascertain the benefit of these two agents.
This review will, therefore, contribute to the rational and economic exploration of spearmint aromatic molecules as natural and safe alternative therapeutics.
Zhang LL et al. · Food & function (2022)
Besides their traditional use, these aromatic molecules have attracted great interest in other application fields (e.g., medicine, agriculture, food, and beverages) especially due to their antimicrobial, antioxidant, insecticidal, antitumor, anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic activities.
This review presents the sources, properties, synthesis and application of spearmint aromatic molecules.
Furthermore, this review focuses on the biological properties so far described for these compounds, their therapeutic effect on some diseases, and future directions of research.
A comprehensive evidence-based review of spearmint covering pharmacology, interactions, adverse effects, and dosing, synthesizing available scientific literature and expert opinion.
Ulbricht C et al. · Journal of dietary supplements (2010)
Spearmint (Mentha spicata) has demonstrated anti-androgenic, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties in available literature.
Clinical evidence supports use for hirsutism management via reduction of free testosterone in women.
The review identified spearmint's rosmarinic acid as a key bioactive compound with anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective potential.
Free and total testosterone levels were significantly reduced over the 30 day period in the spearmint tea group (p < 0.05), and LH and FSH also increased (p < 0.05).
Grant P et al. · Phytotherapy research : PTR (2010)
Forty-one of 42 patients completed this 30-day RCT comparing spearmint tea twice daily to placebo herbal tea.
Free and total testosterone were significantly reduced in the spearmint tea group compared to placebo (p < 0.05).
LH and FSH levels increased significantly in the spearmint group, indicating modulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis.
Supplementation with spearmint extract significantly improved working memory in men and women with age-associated memory impairment compared to placebo.
Herrlinger KA et al. · Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) (2018)
Adults with age-associated memory impairment receiving 900 mg/day spearmint extract showed significant improvements in spatial working memory.
The 90-day RCT demonstrated benefits in both sexes, suggesting broad cognitive applicability.
Rosmarinic acid was identified as a key bioactive compound mediating neuroprotective effects.
Spearmint extract supplementation significantly improved sustained attention and accuracy in a cognitively demanding task compared to placebo in healthy adults.
Falcone PH et al. · Nutrition research (New York, N.Y.) (2019)
Spearmint extract significantly improved reactive agility compared to placebo in a randomized controlled trial, supporting its nootropic potential for sports performance applications.
Falcone PH et al. · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (2018)
Supplementation with a standardized spearmint extract significantly improved reactive agility scores compared to placebo.
Improvements in choice reaction time and agility were observed after 4 weeks of supplementation.
Results suggest spearmint extract benefits extend beyond memory to include real-world executive function and reaction speed.
9Safety and tolerabilityRCTCited 4×n=103 · medium study2017
Ingestion of both 600 and 900 mg/day of dried aqueous spearmint extract for 90 days had no effect on plasma levels of follicular stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, thyroid stimulating hormone, or other safety parameters.
Lasrado JA et al. · Regulatory toxicology and pharmacology : RTP (2017)
600 and 900 mg/day of standardized spearmint extract for 90 days was safe and well-tolerated in healthy adults with age-associated memory impairment.
No significant effects on FSH, LH, or TSH were observed at these doses, indicating hormonal safety in a mixed-sex population.
No severe adverse events were reported; the frequency of adverse events did not differ significantly between treatment and placebo groups.
10Nausea and vomiting symptomsSystematic ReviewCited 17×2020
Herbal medicines such as matricaria chamomilla, elettaria cardamomum, pomegranate and spearmint syrup, lemon provide safe and effective medical alternatives for treating pregnant women with mild to moderate nausea and vomiting of pregnancy.
Khorasani F et al. · Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology : the journal of the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (2020)
Spearmint syrup was identified as one of several herbal alternatives showing efficacy for mild-to-moderate pregnancy nausea and vomiting.
Ginger demonstrated the strongest evidence across all reviewed herbal interventions for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy.
Mentha preparations showed variable results, with some positive effects on nausea but not consistently on vomiting.
After treatment with spearmint teas, there was a significant decrease in free testosterone and increase in luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone and estradiol.
Akdoğan M et al. · Phytotherapy research : PTR (2007)
Twenty-one hirsute women (12 PCOS, 9 idiopathic) consumed spearmint tea twice daily for 5 days in the follicular phase.
High-rosmarinic acid spearmint tea significantly reduced knee osteoarthritis pain and stiffness compared to commercially available spearmint tea over 16 weeks.
Connelly AE et al. · Journal of medicinal food (2014)
Sixty-two participants with medically diagnosed knee osteoarthritis consumed high-rosmarinic acid or commercial spearmint tea twice daily for 16 weeks.
The high-rosmarinic acid spearmint group showed significantly greater reductions in pain and stiffness scores compared to commercial spearmint.
Physical function improvements were noted in the high-rosmarinic acid group at 16 weeks.
Spearmint extract containing rosmarinic acid attenuated declines in executive functioning and physical performance following a fatiguing tactical operation.
Ostfeld I et al. · Journal of special operations medicine : a peer reviewed journal for SOF medical professionals (2018)
Spearmint extract supplementation reduced the decline in executive function measures after a physically and cognitively demanding tactical operation.
Physical performance metrics were better maintained in the spearmint extract group compared to placebo following the operation.
Results suggest potential utility of spearmint extract in high-stress military and occupational settings.
Volatile terpenes from Mentha species interact with central nervous system receptors and demonstrate in vitro cholinergic and GABAergic activity relevant to cognitive and mood enhancement.
Kennedy D et al. · Nutrients (2018)
Terpene constituents of Mentha essential oils demonstrated inhibition of acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase in vitro.
GABA-A receptor binding activity was observed for multiple volatile terpene fractions.
In a crossover RCT, inhalation of peppermint essential oil (closely related to spearmint) produced cognitive and mood effects.
15Herbal medicine use patterns and safetySystematic ReviewCited 41×2014
Spearmint and other mint-family herbs are among the most commonly used herbal medicines by elderly patients, with a generally favorable safety profile but potential for interactions with conventional medications.
de Souza Silva JE et al. · Archives of gerontology and geriatrics (2014)
Spearmint was identified as one of the most frequently consumed herbal medicines in elderly populations globally.
The review highlighted the importance of considering herb-drug interactions in elderly patients on polypharmacy regimens.
Overall safety of mint family herbs was found to be acceptable, with most adverse effects being mild and transient.