Herb & supplement monograph

Spearmint Drug Interactions, Uses, Effectiveness, Safety & More

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS ·Updated July 2026

What is this page for?

First and foremost: how Spearmint interacts with medications. The heart of this page is the interaction list — every drug Spearmint is known to interact with, and how serious each one is.

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Spearmint is, what people use it for and how strong the evidence is, its safety and side effects, and answers to the questions we’re asked most — written and reviewed by the clinical staff at HelloPharmacist. It’s educational information from our licensed clinical databases, not medical advice, and we don’t sell or endorse products. Our editorial policy

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Spearmint Drug Interactions: The Bottom Line

From the HelloPharmacist Editorial Team · Updated July 2026

Based on the available evidence, the overall risk of a clinically significant Spearmint drug interaction appears low for most people. None of the listed interactions are rated major, and all of them rest on theoretical or animal research rather than confirmed effects in people.

Interactions deserving the most attention

Two groups of medicines deserve the most thought. With sedatives and other CNS depressants, animal research suggests a spearmint compound may add to drowsiness, though a human study of spearmint gum actually found the opposite, an alerting effect, so the picture is unclear. With medications that can harm the liver, animal studies found that drinking spearmint tea for a month raised liver-damage markers at higher doses, so heavy spearmint use alongside these drugs is the more cautious concern. Neither effect has been confirmed in people taking these medicines.

What the rest of the list means

The long list of interacting medications comes from just these two broad concerns applied across many drugs, not from hundreds of separate problems. Because the evidence is theoretical and dose-dependent in animals, typical culinary or flavoring amounts of spearmint are unlikely to matter for most medicines.

Check your medications against Spearmint

Based on HelloPharmacist’s Spearmint interaction data and reviewed under our editorial standards.

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Spearmint

581 medications have a known interaction with Spearmint, graded by severity. Select any drug for the full evidence-based detail.

Don’t want to scroll the list? Just ask.

Tell us the medications you take and we’ll check each one against Spearmint using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our Spearmint interaction data for education only — always confirm with your pharmacist. How we use AI

2,830 drugs

Read The List Like a Pharmacist

What Severity, Likelihood & Evidence Mean

Severity — How Serious It Can Be

Major. Clinically significant; generally best avoided, or used only under direct professional supervision.
Moderate. May need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one.
Minor. Generally not clinically significant, but still worth noting and mentioning to your pharmacist.
No known interaction. Checked against our sources with nothing documented — not the same as proven safety.

Likelihood — How Well It’s Documented

Likely. Well-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction
Probable. Interaction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
Possible. Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists
Unlikely. Interaction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.

Where This Data Comes From

Interaction records are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database (TRC Healthcare), the same reference used by pharmacists and hospitals.
Each drug listed above links to the full report for that exact Spearmint combination — clinical detail, likelihood, evidence level, and citations.
Content is reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

The big picture

The kinds of drugs Spearmint affects

Every type of medication (drug category) Spearmint is known to interact with. Open any category for the detail — or search your exact drug in the checker above.

All 2 drug categories Spearmint interacts with

Cns DepressantsHepatotoxic Drugs

Cns Depressants

Theoretically, spearmint might alter the sedative effects of CNS depressants.
Animal research suggests that (-)-carvone, a major constituent of spearmint, has sedative effects. However, in humans, chewing spearmint-flavored gum induced arousal effects.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Hepatotoxic Drugs

Theoretically, high doses of spearmint might increase the risk of liver damage when taken with hepatotoxic drugs.
Animal research suggests that drinking spearmint tea for 30 days can increase markers of liver damage, including aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and cause liver degeneration and necrosis, in a dose-dependent manner. This effect has not been reported in humans.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Monograph

Spearmint: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS · Reviewed July 2026 ·

The bottom line

Spearmint is a common culinary mint that is generally safe in food and tea amounts. Early research suggests possible benefits for digestion, mild hormone-related issues (such as excess facial hair in women), and memory, but the evidence is still limited. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using concentrated supplements, especially if you are pregnant or have a health condition.

Scientific name: Mentha spicata
Family: Lamiaceae
Part used: Leaves and essential oil
Common forms: Tea, capsules, dried leaf, essential oil, extract

People commonly use it for

Digestive upset and indigestion
Nausea
Hormonal acne and unwanted hair (PCOS-related)
Memory and focus
Mild stress and anxiety
Joint discomfort

Popular and traditional uses — not proof it works. See “Uses & effectiveness” below for the evidence.

Safety at a glance

OverallUse caution

Generally safe as food or tea, but concentrated supplements and oils need more caution.

PregnancyLikely Safe

When used in the amounts commonly found in foods.

Read the full pregnancy detail

BreastfeedingLikely Safe

When used in the amounts commonly found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of spearmint during lactation....

Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center). Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Jump to a section

Overview

Spearmint (Mentha spicata) is a fragrant perennial herb in the mint family. It is native to Europe and Asia but is now grown all over the world. You may know it best as the flavor in chewing gum, toothpaste, candy, and many recipes.

People have used spearmint leaves and tea for many years in traditional herbal medicine. It is also made into capsules, extracts, and an essential oil. Spearmint is closely related to peppermint, but it contains much less menthol, which gives it a milder, sweeter taste.

How it works

Spearmint contains several plant compounds, including rosmarinic acid, carvone (which gives its scent), and other antioxidants. Many supplements are standardized to their rosmarinic acid content.

Researchers think these compounds may have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and may relax the muscles of the digestive tract. The possible effect on hormones in PCOS is not fully understood. Keep in mind that much of this information comes from laboratory and animal studies, which do not always reflect what happens in people.

Effectiveness

Does Spearmint work?

Here’s what the research actually shows for each use — graded by Natural Medicines and reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD.

Evidence overview · 8 uses evaluated

8 Insufficient evidence

How to read these evidence grades

Natural Medicines’ 7-point scale. We show each rating’s label word-for-word.

1EffectiveStrong, consistent evidence it works.

2Likely EffectiveGood evidence, though not yet conclusive.

3Possibly EffectiveSome evidence suggests a benefit.

4Possibly IneffectiveSome evidence it may not help.

5Likely IneffectiveFairly strong evidence it doesn’t help.

6IneffectiveStrong evidence it doesn’t work.

7Insufficient Reliable Evidence to RateToo little research to say either way.

For Spearmint, current evidence isn’t strong enough to rate any specific use. The conditions it has been studied for are listed below.

Also studied for 8 conditions — evidence insufficient to rate

Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Acne