Mint is a perennial plant that hails from Europe and Asia but now it is commonly cultivated around the world. Multiple researches have shown that mint leaves help balance hormone levels to keep your body at its optimal levels, support digestive health and improves brain function. Here are 5 surprising ways mint can help with relieving hormonal imbalance symptoms.

1. Reduce polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
PCOS is a condition suffered by women that is usually accompanied by excess levels of androgens. Androgens, although they are commonly referred to as “male sex hormones,” are a group of hormones produced by both men and women. One of the main androgen is testosterone, which is responsible for maintaining strong bones and muscles, and regulate healthy sexual desire. Excess levels of androgen in women can cause unwanted health troubles to occur, and PCOS is a classic sign.
Mint has anti-androgen effects, it helps to reduce testosterone, to keep hormone levels in better harmony. A study showed that drinking spearmint herbal tea significantly decreases testosterone levels.

2. Potentially Reduce Facial Hair in Women
Another symptom of excessive androgen levels is the growth of hair on the face, chin, chest and stomach. Drinking spearmint tea is a common herbal remedy for unwanted hair growth in Middle Eastern countries2. The same 30-day study women with PCOS, women who drank two cups a day of spearmint tea reported a reduction in their facial hair1.

3. Reduce Hormonal Acne
Acne is one of most distressing signs of excess levels of male hormones. While you can outsmart them with a good daily skincare routine, it’s worth using mint leaves to reduce hormonal acne from even occurring at all by lowering high androgen levels. Buy some spearmint or mint leaves from the supermarket, and add them into a mug of freshly boiled water. The water must be really hot in order to extract the volatile oils from the mint leaves. Cover the mug to keep the good stuff in, and let the herb steep for 4 hours. Drink it cold of gently heat it back up.

4. Improves Digestive Health
Women are about twice as likely to have IBS as men. A growing body of research shows that sex hormones, like estrogen and progesterone, may be the reason. This may help to explain why you have more flare-ups at different points of your menstrual cycle. Mint is popularly known for its stomach-soothing properties thanks to the presence of menthol, which relaxes the muscles in the digestive tract to provide relief. It helps to relieve abdominal pain, constipation and bloating.

5. Boosts Brain Function
Sex hormones have fundamental roles in cognitive and neural health. In women, estrogen and cortisol (our body’s natural stress hormone), is responsible for chemical communications in the brain. Estrogen levels decline over time, especially during peri-menopause, causes gradual memory loss. While this is a natural process of aging, it can be managed with natural hormone supplementation and diet adjustments. There is some evidence that mint may help to improve memory. Even the mere smell of mint could be enough to bump up brain power and improve cognitive function.  In recent study, older adults with memory impairment who were given daily supplements containing 900 mg of spearmint extract experienced a 15% improvement in working memory3.

The Bottom Line
Mint is a delicious, easy to obtain herb that may have beneficial effects on hormone imbalance symptoms and your health. It’s high in antioxidants and other beneficial plant compounds that may help balance hormones, improve digestion and improve memory.

To achieve holistic improvements in hormone balance, Meditrina’s range of women’s wellbeing products can be incorporated into your lifestyle. Ageless Herbal Cream, an herbal alternative to hormone replacement therapy along with diet, exercise and lifestyle adjustments can help reduce the inconvenient symptoms of hormone imbalance.

Bibliography:

1. Spearmint herbal tea has significant anti-androgen effects in polycystic ovarian syndrome. A randomized controlled trial. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19585478
2. An update on plant derived anti-androgens. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23843810
3. Spearmint Extract Improves Working Memory in Men and Women with Age-Associated Memory Impairment. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29314866