Is Spearmint Tea for Acne Legit?
What science says about who should have spearmint tea
Spearmint tea is being used by many people to support healthier and clearer skin. But, is it legit?
Well, as a holistic acne expert, I personally think spearmint tea just a band-aid solution. And, I’ll explain why in this blog post.
I’ll also explain how spearmint tea works (according to science). I’ll also explain what causes acne at the skin level and what inner imbalances trigger acne.
And, if you have been following me on social media or have been reading my blog since 2017, you know that I see skin health as a reflection of inner health. And, that true skincare starts from within.
So, let’s dive into the tea on spearmint tea!
Disclaimer: This post does not constitute as medical advice; is not meant to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any medical conditions or disease; and is meant for educational purposes only. The information in this post does not replace the advice of your medical provider. Speak to your doctor before starting anything new OR schedule your appointment with me.
How spearmint tea works
I’ve posted a lot of information here on my blog post about how acne is driven by hormone imbalance. Specifically that androgen hormones, like testosterone, play a role in the development of acne. Click here to learn about how hormones affect acne.
And, lots of people on the internet speak about how spearmint tea can drive down testosterone and the symptoms of high androgens.
But, what does science have to say?
When looking at the science on spearmint tea, you’ll find that the only human trials were completed on females with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
For those of you not familiar with PCOS, PCOS is a complex metabolic-hormone disruption where females have high levels of testosterone and DHEA, leading to acne and other symptoms of high androgens, such as head hair loss and facial hair growth. Females with PCOS can also experience irregular or absent menstrual cycles and polycystic-appearing ovaries.
Let’s review what science says about spearmint tea!
First spearmint tea study completed in 2007:
Going back to 2007, a small study showed that when females with PCOS took 1 cup of spearmint tea twice a day for 5 days during the follicular phase of their menstrual cycle, it led to reductions in free testosterone, but no changes to total testosterone.
This 2007 study was a promising start in learning more about how spearmint tea works!
And, there was a follow-up study completed in 2010. Keep on reading to learn more.
Follow-up study on spearmint tea in 2010:
A follow-up study completed in 2010 showed that when people with PCOS took 1 up of spearmint tea twice a day for 1 month, it lead to reductions in free and total testosterone, and reductions in subjective changes of high testosterone symptoms.
This sounds promising, right?
Well, researchers noted that when high testosterone symptom scores were compared before and after the 1 month, there was no significant change to objective scores for high testosterone symptoms.
So, people in this study said they had less high testosterone symptoms after being regular with spearmint tea, but when severity was quantified using a system called Ferriman-Galwey ratings, there was not significant change.
Another study completed in 2016?
And after reviewing what colleagues have written about in regards to spearmint tea and acne, many of them mention a study competed in 2016.
But, I was not able to find the citation for this study and was not able to find the study at all after deeper digging. So, if anybody has this study, please comment it down below!
Why spearmint tea is a “band-aid” solution
From what science has looked into so far, the studies looking at spearmint tea’s efficacy in humans were only on people with PCOS. So, that begs the question: Does spearmint tea also work in people without PCOS? We don’t know just yet…
But, with the emerging science that is coming out about PCOS, researchers are starting to see that other hormones could be triggering high androgens in people with PCOS.
Getting to deeper root issues:
According to literature, there could be an insulin hormone issue that is triggering the overproduction of androgen hormones.
What scientists have seen is that when people have high blood sugar. it triggers a cascade of hormone imbalance.
What first occurs is that the pancreas sends out insulin hormone to bring blood sugar down to balance. And, sometimes, more insulin needs to be send out to bring that blood sugar down.
As more insulin is pumped out of the pancreas, researchers suggest that pancreatic insulin hormone tell the ovaries to produce more androgens.
Adrenal health as a root issue?
Beyond that, there could also be an adrenal gland picture that is contributing to high androgens in people with PCOS.
The adrenal glands are stress-responding organs that send out various stress hormones during times of stress. The most-well known hormone it sends out is cortisol. But, the adrenal glands also send out an androgen called DHEA.
DHEA can get converted into other androgens, such as DHEA-S and testosterone. And, researchers have seen that DHEA, DHEA-S, and testosterone are all high in people with PCOS.
Where does that leave us with spearmint tea?
While spearmint tea has been shown to reduce subjective severity of high testosterone symptoms in people with PCOS. Science is also showing that there are potentially deeper root issues triggering this acne-causing hormone imbalance in PCOS.
With that, spearmint tea might be a great option for some people with PCOS, but it might not get to the deeper issues contributing to someone’s acne.
Takeaway:
If people only have the bandwidth and the resources to address the symptom, spearmint tea may be worthwhile for the meantime. But, if someone wants to address the root issue of their acne, there are options that could be done.
Keep on reading to learn more about root issues of acne.
How to address the underlying root issues of your acne
HERE ARE SOME OF THE UNDERLYING ROOT ISSUES OF ACNE & ACNE-CAUSING HORMONE IMBALANCE:
DIET/NUTRITION
Science shows that excessive consumption of specific proteins and carbohydrates could trigger acne-causing hormone imbalance.
When treating my patients with acne, I assert the importance of diet and nutrition, and how it is the foundation of health and wellness. I always provide my patients hormone-supporting dietary recommendations to address overall health for healthier skin.
SUPPLEMENTS
There is literature saying that certain types of protein powders, B-vitamins, and minerals could trigger acne in some individuals.
In my clinical experience, I have seen that swapping out some supplements have been helpful for some of my patients.
MEDICATIONS
It is widely known that some prescribed medications can trigger acne-causing hormone imbalance or just trigger acne in general in some individuals.
STRESS & ADRENAL RESPONSE
As noted earlier, adrenal hormones and stress hormones can trigger acne.
There are many dietary and herbal options that I can recommend to my patients to support optimal adrenal response and healthy stress response.
OVARIAN CONDITIONS
As mentioned earlier, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a complex metabolic-hormone disruption where people have high levels of testosterone and DHEA, leading to acne and other symptoms of high androgens, such as head hair loss and facial hair growth.
There are several tests, imaging procedures, and other work-up options to identify PCOS.
GUT HEALTH & GUT BACTERIA
Science shows that both IBS and gut bacteria imbalance are linked to acne. In people who experience IBS symptoms and acne, I recommend gut bacteria testing. And, I usually see that people with acne have gut bacteria imbalance!
After treating that gut bacteria imbalance, I have seen many of my patients start to achieve healthier and clearer skin AND start to experience positive gut changes. So, get testing first before starting any gut bacteria protocol.
NUTRIENT INSUFFICIENCIES
Science shows that people with acne are more likely to experience vitamin D deficiency and zinc deficiency. And, researchers have found that when these vitamin D and zinc were repleted in people with those deficiencies, it lead to positive skin changes.
There are labs that I can recommend to my patients to see if this is a contributing root issues to understand which supplements and dosages are safe for them.
What if you want to address your skin naturally?
The answer is simple: Work with a licensed naturopathic provider. As mentioned earlier, licensed naturopathic providers are experts in holistic and integrative medicine.
As integrative medicine experts, we are trained in both natural and conventional options. So, you will be able to capture a vast array of treatment options to help you achieve your skin goals when you work with a licensed naturopathic doctor.
If you want to see me, I see patients in-person and virtually. The only caveat is that since I am only licensed in the state of California, I can only see patients who are physically in the state of California (especially for telehealth patients).
If you are outside the state a California, a great resource to find a licensed naturopathic doctor in your state is the Institute for Natural Medicine’s directory: https://naturemed.org/find-an-nd/.
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