Spearmint Tea vs Green Tea for PCOS: Which Should You Choose?
By Khawaja Saad Aslam · · Updated · 4 min read
Quick answer: For PCOS, spearmint tea has the more specific published research, on testosterone levels, while green tea’s research is mostly on weight and blood-sugar markers and mostly used extracts rather than brewed tea. Neither is a treatment for PCOS, and spearmint tea is caffeine-free while green tea is not.
Spearmint tea and green tea are both popular herbal drinks, but they're genuinely different plants with different research behind them — including different, specific answers for anyone comparing them for PCOS rather than just everyday drinking.
The Core Difference: What They're Made From
Green tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant — the same plant black tea comes from, just processed differently. Spearmint tea comes from an entirely different plant, the spearmint herb, and contains no tea leaves at all. This is the single biggest difference and explains most of the others.
Caffeine
Green tea naturally contains caffeine, though less than black tea or coffee. Spearmint tea is naturally caffeine-free, since it's not derived from the tea plant at all. This makes spearmint tea a better fit for evening drinking or for anyone specifically avoiding caffeine.
Flavour
Green tea has a grassy, slightly bitter, earthy flavour. Spearmint tea is naturally sweet-minty and refreshing, with no bitterness to manage — part of why it's an easy tea to drink daily without needing sugar or milk.
Spearmint Tea vs Green Tea for PCOS: What the Research Actually Shows
This is where the two genuinely diverge, and it's worth being precise rather than vague. Spearmint is currently the better-studied tea specifically for PCOS-related androgen levels: a randomized controlled trial published in Phytotherapy Research found that women with PCOS who drank spearmint tea twice daily for about 30 days had measurably lower free testosterone than a placebo-tea group, with some improvement in self-reported hirsutism. It's real, specific research — but still early, with small sample sizes and a short study duration, so it's not enough to call spearmint tea a treatment.
Green tea's research angle is different. Some studies have found that green tea's catechins (particularly EGCG) may reduce androgen levels and improve insulin resistance in women with PCOS — but almost all of that research — including a systematic review of green tea extract in PCOS — used a concentrated green tea extract or capsule, not a brewed cup of tea. As an actual beverage, green tea hasn't been shown to have the same direct effect on PCOS symptoms that the extract studies suggest. That distinction matters: "green tea extract may help with PCOS" and "drinking a cup of green tea helps with PCOS" are not quite the same claim, and it's one a lot of content on this topic blurs together.
Put simply: spearmint's real evidence is specifically about androgens and hirsutism, from tea as an actual drink. Green tea's real evidence is more about metabolic markers like insulin resistance, and mostly from extract studies rather than the brewed tea itself. Neither is a medical treatment for PCOS.
Which Should You Choose?
If you want a caffeine-free, naturally sweet, easy-to-drink-any-time herbal tea — and especially if androgen-related symptoms are your specific concern — spearmint has the more direct, beverage-level research behind it. Organzo's Spearmint Tea is 100% pure spearmint leaves. If you're drawn to green tea for its traditional metabolic-wellness reputation, it remains a reasonable everyday choice, though it's worth remembering the strongest research used extract rather than brewed tea, and that it does contain caffeine. Some women use both, for different reasons. For a blend formulated specifically around broader hormonal wellness rather than spearmint alone, PCOS Glow Tea is the more targeted option — see our full PCOS Tea vs Spearmint Tea comparison.
Explore our herbal teas to see what fits your routine, or read more on how spearmint tea fits into women's daily wellness.
For the full study details behind the spearmint findings, see spearmint tea and PCOS: what the two studies actually found.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on your main concern. Spearmint tea has real randomized controlled trial evidence specifically for lowering androgens (like free testosterone) in women with PCOS, from drinking the tea itself. Green tea's PCOS research is more about metabolic markers like insulin resistance, but is based mostly on concentrated extract, not brewed tea. Neither is a medical treatment — talk to your doctor about managing PCOS.
Some studies suggest green tea's catechins may help lower androgen levels, but most of that evidence comes from green tea extract or capsules, not a brewed cup of tea. As an actual beverage, green tea hasn't been shown to have the same direct effect that spearmint tea has demonstrated in real clinical trials.
Yes — there's no known reason not to, and some women drink both for different goals (spearmint for androgen-related symptoms, green tea as a general daily habit). Just be mindful that green tea contains caffeine, so timing matters if you're sensitive to it or drinking it in the evening.
Not currently — Organzo's herbal tea range is Spearmint Tea and PCOS Glow Tea, both caffeine-free. If green tea's metabolic-wellness angle is what you're after, any quality green tea works for that; if PCOS-related androgen support is your main concern, that's exactly what our Spearmint Tea and PCOS Glow Tea are formulated around.
Green tea has more research tied to metabolic markers like insulin resistance and weight, though again mostly from extract studies rather than brewed tea. Spearmint's strongest evidence is for androgen levels, not weight. Neither should be relied on alone — diet, lifestyle, and medical care matter far more for weight management with PCOS than any tea.
Written by
I focus on organic living, digital strategy, and health education. Through my articles on Organzo, I share practical insights on herbal teas, PCOS wellness, and natural remedies to make healthy living simple for everyone.
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