Spearmint tea for PCOS: what the studies found
Spearmint tea is one of the cheapest, lowest-risk things you can try for PCOS (now officially PMOS). The evidence is modest, but it is real. Here is what the trials actually found.
Evidence-based · Sources cited · Updated July 2026
Two small randomised trials found that drinking about 2 cups of spearmint tea a day significantly lowered free and total testosterone, with a modest improvement in unwanted hair over time. It acts as a mild anti-androgen. It is an adjunct, not a treatment, and it will not fix PCOS on its own, but as a daily habit alongside the bigger levers it has little downside.
What the trials found
Two small randomised trials tested spearmint tea in women with PCOS. Drinking about 2 cups a day significantly lowered both free and total testosterone. Over a longer stretch, they also saw a modest improvement in unwanted hair growth, which is what you would expect if testosterone is coming down. These were small studies, so read the effect as promising rather than settled.
How it works
Spearmint acts as a mild anti-androgen. In PCOS, high androgens like testosterone drive a lot of the visible symptoms: acne, scalp hair thinning, and unwanted hair growth. By nudging testosterone down, spearmint targets that side of the condition. It is gentle, which is the point. You are not going to get a large hormonal swing from a cup of tea, but you are also not risking much.
The honest limits
Be clear-eyed about this. The trials are small, and spearmint tea is an adjunct, not a treatment. It will not fix PCOS on its own, and it does nothing for the insulin resistance that sits under most cases. Think of it as one small, pleasant habit stacked on top of the bigger levers: how you eat, how you move, sleep, and the better-studied supplements like inositol.
Where it fits
The 2023 international guideline does not name spearmint specifically, but its general position on this kind of low-harm supplement is that it could be considered, given the low risk of harm.[1] That is a fair way to see spearmint tea. Low cost, low risk, modest evidence. If you like the taste and you are already working the bigger levers, there is little reason not to add it. If you want to know whether it is doing anything for you, retest testosterone after a few months.
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Sources
- [1] 2023 International Evidence-Based Guideline for the Assessment and Management of PCOS. PMC10505534
This article is educational and is not medical advice. Talk to a clinician before starting, stopping, or combining treatments.