Spearmint

• What other names is Spearmint known by?
• What is Spearmint?
• How does Spearmint work?
• Are there safety concerns?
• Are there any interactions with medications?
• Dosing considerations for Spearmint.

What other names is Spearmint known by?

Curled Mint, Fish Mint, Garden Mint, Green Mint, Hierbabuena, Huile Essentielle de Menthe Verte, Lamb Mint, Mackerel Mint, Menta Verde, Mentha cordifolia, Mentha crispa, Mentha spicata, Mentha viridis, Menthe Verte, Menthe Crépue, Menthe Douce, Menthe à Épis, Menthe Frisée, Menthe des Jardins, Menthe Romaine, Our Lady's Mint, Pahari Pudina, Putiha, Sage of Bethlehem, Spearmint Essential Oil, Spire Mint, Yerba Buena, Yerbabuena.

What is Spearmint?

Spearmint is an herb. The leaves and oil are used to make medicine.

Spearmint is used for digestive disorders including gas, indigestion, nausea, diarrhea, upper gastrointestinal tract spasms, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), bile duct and gallbladder swelling (inflammation), and gallstones.

It is also used for sore throat, colds, headaches, toothaches, cramps, cancer and inflammation of respiratory tract. Some people use it as a stimulant, germ-killer, local pain-killer, and anti-spasm medication.

Spearmint is applied directly to the skin for swelling inside the mouth, arthritis, local muscle and nerve pain, and skin conditions including pruritus and urticaria.

In foods and beverages, spearmint is used as a flavoring agent.

In manufacturing, spearmint is used in health food products, cosmetics, and oral hygiene products such as mouthwash and toothpaste.

Possibly Ineffective for...

• Memory. Chewing spearmint-flavored gum does not appear to improve memory in healthy adults.

Insufficient Evidence to Rate Effectiveness for...

• Male-pattern hair growth in women (hirsutism). Early research suggests that drinking spearmint tea twice daily for up to one month can decrease levels of male sex hormone (testosterone) and increase levels of female sex hormone (estradiol) and other hormones in women with male-pattern hair growth. Also, early research suggests that drinking spearmint tea might reduce the severity of male-pattern hair growth based on patient evaluation in women with male-pattern hair growth due to polycystic ovarian syndrome. However, it does not seem to reduce the amount or location of male-pattern hair growth based on clinical evaluation.
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Early research suggests that using 30 drops of a product containing lemon balm, spearmint, and coriander (Carmint) after meals for 8 weeks reduces stomach pain in people with IBS when taken along with the drug loperamide or psyllium.
• Gas (flatulence).
• Indigestion.
• Nausea.
• Sore throat.
• Diarrhea.
• Colds.
• Headaches.
• Toothaches.
• Cramps.
• Cancer.
• Arthritis.
• Muscle pain.
• Skin conditions.
• Other conditions.

More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of spearmint for these uses.

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate (detailed description of each of the ratings).