Spearmint Tea?
 

I was watching Dr. Oz yesterday and he was talking about excessive hair etc. He said that birth control pills were an option ( not for me though because of a medical condition ) but also drinking spearmint tea is a natural alternative. I'm curious if anyone has tried this for some of the PCOS symptoms??

I posted about a month ago, when I was diagnosed, about how my doctor told me to go on an un-processed, organic " diet " to try to clear up some of the symptoms. While I have lost weight and it seems to have regulated my periods, it's done NOTHING for my acne or excessive hair growth on the chin. So I thought about giving the tea a try. He said it blocks androgens ... so I'd think it might help for acne too??

If anyone has had any experience with this, please tell me the good OR bad?

OMG I tried this- it's SO DISGUSTING!

Has he put you on spironolactone? You might want to ask and if you have that much hair ask to go on 100 mg's at least.

If he refuses- find a doctor who will give it to you- seriously I don't understand these doctors not giving their PCOS patients the medication they need. My new doctor is appalled that my old doctor gave me 25 mg of spironolactone when she said I clearly need more. I told her I asked for a higher dosage but my doctor refused. She was like the amount given is based on how much hair you have and you definitely need more than 25 mg.

I'm tired of doctors acting like they know what PCOS is and how to treat it but in effect telling their patients to just "deal with it." Sorry I'm going off on a rant but my one friend who has PCOS recently went to her doctor for help- practically BEGGED him for help and he brushed her off. She changed doctors and is much happier.

I'm not crazy about mint tea. My endoc suggested Spiro and I declined because I was still nursing at a the time. But when I see her again I may bring it up now that I don't nurse any more.

Ugh, tell me about it. I've had my share of the doctor parade not LISTENING to me when I say I feel bad. I was so annoyed when my endoc I finally found and loved because he did listen retired.

Now I see his wife. I will go bananas if she retires on me too.

A.

Good luck- yeah I like mint and this stuff was gross lol.

I couldn't find any spearmint tea in my local store but I found sleepytime tea which has the second ingredient as spearmint. They said its fine as long as its the first or second ingredient. I already had two cups of it. It almost tastes like liquid spearmint gum ( which I love ). I suppose I'll go ahead and give it a try ...

I have been looking for this but can't find it. I did find a mint tea where the first ingredient is black tea and the second ingredient is spearmint.
So I figure that's better than nothing until I can find the real deal!

Interesting. I thought mint tea was pretty easy to find in a grocery? Bigelow Mint Medley? Tetley Peppermint? Celestial Seasonings Peppermint? Twinnings?

I use it for my fam for tummy upset.

My whole leaf tea I order from Mighty Leaf.

www.mightyleaf.com

A.

Funsize - He said as long as spearmint is the first or second ingredient, that it is fine. I haven't been able to find the spearmint either after searching all weekend. I did find some online though ... and also found some spearmint leaves at a local health food store. However, I really like the sleepytime tea ( the one that has spearmint as #2 ingredient ) so I think I'll just stick to this ... I have no problem drinking 4-5 cups of it a day haha.

Astrophe - It has to be " spearmint " ... not just any mint. I had peppermint tea in the cupboard that I can't stand the taste of ... so I was hesitant about the spearmint but honestly it has such a different less abrasive taste then the peppermint and I just adore the tea I found. Yum!

I forgot to mention ... I'm going on my third full day now of drinking 4-5 cups of the tea ... and haven't noticed much regarding my skin ( dont think Id notice anything this fast anyways ) but I started drinking it the day before my menstrual cycle kicked in and yesterday would have been the day for my excessive cramps ... I dont know if the tea had anything to do with it but my cramping was about 1/10 of what it ususally is. It would be nice if that is a benefit of drinking the tea too haha.

I could understand going for the spearmint because it tastes milder than peppermint, but medicinally peppermint is supposed to be a bit stronger with the extra menthol.

Since that's easier to find as tea, wouldn't it be the same? I can't find the Dr Oz article.

Thanks!
A.

i bought some organic Spearmint tea at Trader Joes. It doesnt taste bad, I used it to break up gas when my son was a baby

You can also get spearmint leaves at international markets in the spice section for cheap and make your own tea. Wouldn't it just be steaping the leaves in hot water for awhile?
Sarah in MD

Sarah - yup! That is another way ... I found some spearmint leaves at the local healthfood store and was going to give that a try too. I haven't yet tho, just been drinking the other tea.

A - You can find the Dr. Oz segment on his tv show website. It was on late last week ... it was the segment about excessive hair growth in women. A question about the peppermint ... you said its medically stronger? Does it block androgens like the spearmint tea does? That is why he said to drink the spearmint tea because it blocks androgens. I thought peppermint and spearmint were two different things but maybe I'm wrong??? If its the same then I'll down the nasty peppermint tea if I'm going to get results haha.

That's why I wanted to see the Dr Oz thing. I'll try again later when I can fuss with my computer -- I'm having trouble with video clips.

I looked it up in my herbal books and they all indicate that peppermint is stronger medicinally.

I also found this big long thread on it elsewhere:

http://www.acne.org/messageboard/Spe...s-t227320.html

A.

Thanks for that link A! I just read through it and it seems as though the tea is hit or miss with some people. Definitely worth a try though. I'm on Day 3 right now and like I stated earlier, so far I haven't seen a change in my skin and don't expect to right away. I saw where they were talking about peppermint too. Since I do have peppermint tea I will go between the two teas ... even though I find the peppermint disgusting, I'll drink anything that might help! :) Thanks again for that link! Oh and the Dr. Oz video clips sometimes take a lil' bit to load ... not sure why but I have the same problem with it sometimes.

I actually have ALWAYS loved peppermint or spearmint tea. I look for any blend of tea that have either one, I love them. If, however I can't find a blend, I always steep 1/2 chamomile and 1/2 peppermint or spearmint(so yummy and soothing). With any tea, though, the problem usually comes from the brewing or steeping method. If you steep to long or heat the water to hot, the tea releases oils that become quite bitter. You should only heat water just TO the point of boiling, pour over your tea bag or leaves, and steep for NO more than 3-5 mins. and then remove the bag or tea leaves. Give it a try, you might be surprised.

I'm a big fan of peppermint tea for my IBS, but I had no idea about the benefits of spearmint tea. Maybe switching to spearmint could kill 2 birds with one stone!

Traditional Medicinals has Organic Spearmint. I love their teas. The organic peppermint is amazing, I would imagine the organic spearmint is too!

UPDATE -

Hi ladies,

It's been a little more than two months since I started the spearmint tea. I was a little disappointed after about 4 weeks of not seeing much difference but I actually enjoyed the spearmint tea so I continued to drink it about 4-6 cups a day. After about 6 weeks I started to notice a difference. I still had some acne but not nearly as much as usual. And the acne that I did get was very sparse and not as abrasive as before. I still was having a bit of hair growth on the chin and upper lip ... but I wasn't plucking every day ... more like once a week. I'm 2 months into it and I have one blemish on my entire face right now and its so tiny and light that you can barely see it even without make up on. I still get a little bit of acne here and there but like I said, NOTHING like I did before. I've had so many people notice including my doctor.

It may not work for everyone ... but two months into it, its definitely working for me. It's worth a try tho if you are looking for alternative ways to help the acne.

What a great thread. Thanks. I'm looking for that link to the video on the oz website...

smilette, I thought I had Sleepy Time tea in the cupboard, but I don't. Tomorrow I am buying Sleepy Time/and or Spearmint Tea. Thank you so much for giving us your update. I don't expect miracles, but if it even helps a little, that would be great.

Again, thanks for posting about this simple remedy that might help some of us.

You're welcome Grace. I know it doesn't work for everyone, as I've seen on the boards and a few people in a PCOS support group I go to but there are a few of us that it has helped atlesat moderately.

I had a very hard time finding spearmint tea. As long as the spearmint or peppermint is the first or second ingredient, its fine. I actually do not like peppermint, its too strong for me but I found the sleepytime ( spearmint is the second ingredient ) hit the spot and I love love love it. I also get spearmint leaves at a local health food store and I steep those when I want to change up from my sleepytime tea. I have continued to drink no less than 4 cups of tea a day ... but usually end up drinking around 6. Hey, one less symptom ... or atleast manageable now. I really hope it works for you. Let us know.

ps - be patient ... as I stated I didnt' see results til 6 weeks into it.

Thanks! I am drinking Sleepytime tea as it's the only spearmint tea I can find. I really like the taste.

I've also started following The Insulin Resistance Diet.

Yes It Works!!!
 

I FOUND OUT BY MISTAKE!! LOL!! I know this sounds bad, however, I never ever wanted to be a mom. BUT, spearmint and folic acid has gotten me pregnant! I have PCOS, and major testosterone issues with it. Plus, I have Hypothyroid, so getting pregnant was NOT supposed to happen. I have NEVER gotten pregnant before! Well, it just so happens that I was at home depot and brought a spearmint herb plant home to put in my window, and I began to add it to my tea in the morning. I wondered what health benefits it could have so I looked it up. Well, apparently, it lowers testosterone! I thought this was great because I get acne on my face, and I wondered if it would help. NOT ONLY DID THE ACNE CLEAR UP, BUT I GOT PREGNANT FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!! I didn't even think about getting pregnant when I was chewing on those stupid spearmint leaves everyday with my tea!!! lol!! I starting feeling depressed around allergy season so I beefed up on the B vitamins (which are fortified with Folic Acid). The folic acid primed the garden while the spearmint lowered the testosterone, and my eggs stopped turning into hormonal mush. I can't believe this has happened! Although, I don't want to be a mother, I know that there are so many PCOS'ers that want to get pregnant so badly, so I thought I would share my crazy story. Good look ya'll! Praying!

Not sure I've tried exactly what he was referring to, but I do drink Twinning's mint tea. I was on the line about it the first couple of times I drank it, but I actually like it now. I don't like all mint teas, though. But it is good for digestion, heart burn, stomach problems (which I have), and can be a bit calming, so works mildly for anxiety, which I like. I drink it when I have anxiety or heart burn, if I'm at home. But I've not really read anything about it helping the things you've mentioned - but that doesn't mean it won't.

Boston's Mint-in-Tea...is my favorite.

Hey guys

This is the first time I have posted in a forum but I just had to share my story as I'm now at a place where my pcos and insulin resistance is under control. Sorry it's so long

I'm now 27 but when I was 19 I started to get acne, yes as I was going through puberty I got the odd breakout here and there but nothing out of the ordinary for a teenage girl, my periods were always regular and my body hair was normal, 4 years on from when my acne got bad at 19 I had tried evey lotion potion and vitamin my last resort was accutane and contraception, my skin was beautiful after about 8 months I didn't notice any major depression or anything from accutane. 2 years after accutane I went off pill to give myself a break and after a week or 2 my skin started to break out, then it got really bad, even worse then the first time but this time around I got excess hair too, lower back arms face hips and butt, it was long and course and pigmented but not black.

I was diagnosed with pcos but only months later was told by another specialist I didn't have pcos I was just sensitive to normal levels of testosterone as my hormones were normal, he put me back on the pill which gave me daily headaches for years, I was put back on accutane :-(

After another 2 years I was sick of being on the pill, my periods were absent and I still got breakouts I just knew there was something wrong with my body so I went to an endo and she tested me for insulin resistance and of course... I HAD IT! Since then I have exercised 5-6 days a week, I cut sugar, I cut carbs and kept my diet clean and natural as possible with lots of spearmint tea (supposed to balance out androgens) White peony, licorice and chaste berry and I can happily say I am off the pill completely with no acne whatsoever, my periods are back and my body hair has settled down! No pill no accutane no spiralactone just 100% natural which I didn't think was possible and I had soecialists telling me I'd have to be on the pill for the rest of my life. I read a couple of people think the spearmint to is disgusting but that to me is a matter of opinion I love it and find it so refreshing! I have never found it in a supermarket but it can be ordered online as can the White peony, licorice and chaste berry supplements :)

It is possible ladies :-)

Spearmint... YUM!

Spearmint is edible, so I don't see any potential downsides to drinking tea. But by the same token, I'm a bit skeptical about the medicinal upsides. *shrug*

I love tea. I love spearmint (really don't like most mint though, and especially not peppermint). What I do sometimes is put whole leaves into my smoothies (other ingredients are frozen mango, frozen raspberries, water, and sometimes honey or agave... occasionally vodka). I also like to make mint juleps, my mashing up mint leaves and sugar then mixing in crushed ice and bourbon. Yes, most of my uses of mint involve alcohol.

As for tea, I think lots of things are supposed to be helpful. Raspberry leaves are supposed to be really good for reproductive health. David's Tea (one of my favourite places) has a raspberry leaf-based tea, and I'm sure there are many others, or you can probably order straight raspberry leaf.

Another thing: It's totally easy to grow your own mint. Consider buying a mint plant or seeds from your local garden store and keeping a plant in the window. It'll cost the same as a bundle of mint from the grocery store, but you'll only have to buy it once to have mint for a long time. :)

I heard about it and tried it. I like the way it tastes but I think you need to drink like 3 cups a day of it but spearmint raises estrogen levels and for some of us that is not a good thing so I stopped drinking it.