One of the most popular kinds of tea is spearmint. Drinking it can help with digestion, immunity, and more. It also may be able to lower inflammation, reduce facial hair growth, and improve dental health.
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What is Spearmint Tea?
This tea is made with spearmint leaves, which are used to brew lots of different types of traditional teas. This herb grows up to one meter in height and features quirky, pointed leaves. It’s not just great for drinks, though – the essential oil from the leaves can be highly valuable.
The unique flavor tastes slightly weaker than peppermint, but it also has all the same benefits. This mint plant is able to grow both plentifully and abundantly in a wide variety of cold temperate climates and its leaves can be used in some pretty cool ways.
Nutrition Facts
Spearmint tea is brewed from the peppermint plant without adding any of the other properties of peppermint, so it has its own unique set of benefits. So, let’s look closer at some of these benefits, including the differences between spearmint and peppermint.
Health Benefits
For topical uses, spearmint essential oil has antibacterial properties that help to prevent infections in many ways. As you can see, spearmint tea also has these properties and is often used as an immune system boost.
May Boost Immune System
In addition to its many other properties, spearmint tea can help to quell any stomach upset and nausea. For individuals undergoing chemotherapy treatment, there was a significant decrease in peak scores for the degree of nausea or vomiting. It freed bowel movement by increasing the activity of lipase, which assists in digestion that is important for overall healthy digestion.
May Relieve Nausea
Spearmint tea has the potential to balance hormones. As a result of its high concentration of natural bioactive chemicals, it’s been ascribed antiandrogenic properties that may help with hormonal cycles and hormonal disorders.
May Help Balance Hormone Levels
Spearmint tea can alleviate a hormone imbalance in women, which is known as hirsutism. It’s the growth of unwanted hair on certain women’s bodies, for reasons other than genetics. Spearmint tea does this by reducing male hormones and balancing the rest of her body’s hormones. In a study of 42 patients, spearmint tea was effective in measurably reducing hormonal imbalances associated with hirsutism.
May Reduce Hirsutism
All tea has a unique combination of nutrients, and there’s a natural variation among individual responses to what it does for your body. This particular type of tea is known to reduce negative effects of free radicals and may also be associated with increased neuron activity, in terms of improving memory, concentration, and focus. The plant mint is thought to have a beneficial effect on spatial memory and reduce anxiety overall, which would help tackle cognitive tasks at hand.
May Improve Memory
According to an article by Stephanie Liou of Stanford University, free radicals are possibly highly reactive and can cause damage to DNA, cell membranes and more through a process called oxidation. The antioxidants found in spearmint tea, however, can react with and neutralize these free radicals so that the body remains healthy without putting undue strain on the immune system.
May Prevent Chronic Diseases
In a research study,Dr. Roderick Dashwood, from the Texas A&M College of Medicine, found that spearmint infusion is helpful in inhibiting carcinogenesis and another study published in the Journal of Functional Foods showed that piperitenone oxide found in spearmint has strong anticarcinogenic properties, especially against colon cancer
May Prevent Cancer
The compounds in spearmint can help reduce swelling and headaches, relieve joint pain, and decrease markers of inflammation like white blood cell counts in animal models.
May Reduce Inflammation
Spearmint has been a traditional medicine plant for centuries due to its potent antifungal activity. With the use of spearmint tea, an antifungal agent, can be effective and it is shown within very short periods of time that “a 95% reduction in the number of metabolically active cells” will occur.
May Prevent Fungal Infections
Making a cup of spearmint tea isn’t difficult. It takes only about 15 minutes and you can have some every few. You have the option to drink the tea daily if you enjoy the taste. However, for those who are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication, it is best to speak with your doctor before adding large quantities of pearmint tea or making any other significant changes to your diet. This is considered a mild tea and there are no reported interactions with any prescribed medications, but it’s best to play it safe and get a doctor’s opinion if you’re unsure.
How to Make Spearmint Tea?
Making your own spearmint tea is incredibly easy, and there are only a few simple steps to make it. You can have it every day if you like the taste. While this is considered a mild tea, do check with your doctor before drinking too much or making any other significant changes to your diet.