Our Complete Guide to Spearmint Essential Oil: Benefits, Uses and Cautions
Fresh and crisp smelling, spearmint essential oil boasts an extensive range of benefits that far exceed its fantastic scent. It has been used since the times of the Ancient Greeks for digestive issues, skin problems, headaches, nausea and vomiting. Many people rely on spearmint essential oil for congestion too.
It can be used in a variety of ways, including aromatherapy, massage therapy, topically, cosmetically, and medicinally. But there are some things you need to know when using spearmint essential oil for skin problems and other purposes. You need to be aware of its possible side effects and how it interacts with other medications you may be taking. Here’s everything you need to know about this oil.
Content/Quick links
- What is spearmint essential oil?
- Spearmint essential oil - quick facts
- How is spearmint essential oil made?
- Benefits of spearmint essential oil
- Spearmint essential oil for congestion
- Spearmint essential oil for digestion
- Spearmint essential oil for excessive hair care
- Spearmint essential oil for cognitive function
- How to use spearmint essential oil
- Inhalation of spearmint essential oil
- Topical application of spearmint essential oil
- Pillow mist with spearmint essential oil
- Spearmint essential oil research
- Spearmint essential oil and congestion relief - 2008, 2011
- Spearmint essential oil and cognitive function - 2021
- Spearmint essential oil’s hormonal/hair effects - 2010, 2017
- Spearmint essential oil’s antimicrobial activity - 2010
- Side effects of spearmint essential oil
- Contraindications of spearmint essential oil
- Where to buy spearmint essential oil
- volant
- Amazon
- Pharmacies
- DoTERRA
- Spearmint essential oil FAQs
- What is spearmint essential oil for?
- What other scents does spearmint essential oil blend well with?
- In summary
What is spearmint essential oil?
Obtained from the Mentha spicata plant, spearmint is so-named because of the shape of its leaves. You may also know it as Garden Spearmint, Green Mint, Our Lady's Mint, or Spire. It’s popular as a flavoring agent for a range of oral hygiene products like dental floss, mouthwash, dental picks, dental sticks, and toothpaste…and yes, even chewing gum. This is because it leaves you with a cool, tingling sensation in your mouth that makes it feel clean.
Spearmint is thought to be the oldest of the mint plant family with evidence of it being used to treat a range of conditions dating back thousands of years. A popular option is using spearmint essential oil for headaches, to relieve indigestion, bloating, gas, nausea, and to clear the voice.
Herbalists and physicians such as Pliny the Elder of Ancient Rome prescribed mint to revitalize the body. It was when spearmint was introduced into Britain in the 5th century that it became more officially known for its medicinal properties. These days we know that you can use spearmint essential oil for hair growth as well as to deal with respiratory issues, and even combat the common cold.
Spearmint essential oil - quick facts
🍃 Latin name: Mentha spicata
🍃 Country of origin: 🇨🇳 China, Europe, 🇮🇳 India, and the Middle East
🍃 Scent note: Top. Cooling & refreshing with a peppery slant
🍃 Annual production: 110,000 metric tonnes (mint oil)
🍃 Popular uses: Congestion, headaches, stress relief, focus, relaxation
How is spearmint essential oil made?
Spearmint essential oil is extracted via steam distillation from the plant’s flowering tops, leaves, and/or stems. Extracted essential oils from this plant range in color and can be anything from clear to pale yellow or even pale olive. However, no matter what its color, its scent remains the same and is always fresh and herbaceous.
Steam distillation can be described as a separation process that purifies temperature-sensitive materials, which is what natural aromatic compounds are. Dry steam gets passed through plant material and these vapors then undergo condensation before being separated and collected in receivers.
Benefits of spearmint essential oil
Spearmint essential oil has a wide range of benefits. Some of the main benefits of spearmint essential oil include:
- 🍃 Relieving congestion
- 🍃 Digestion
- 🍃 Hair care
- 🍃 Cognitive function
Let's take a look at each of these benefits of spearmint essential oil in more detail.
Spearmint essential oil for congestion
Spearmint helps reduce inflammation in the airways, allowing for easier breathing. It is commonly used for respiratory conditions such as colds, coughs and asthma.
Spearmint essential oil for digestion
Spearmint essential oil is very commonly used to relieve the symptoms of gas, indigestion, nausea, and vomiting. This is due to its carvone compound naturally found in the plant, which inhibits digestive tract muscle contractions.
Spearmint essential oil for excessive hair care
Spearmint is thought to help reduce androgenic or male-like characteristics in women, including excessive hair growth or hirsutism. In addition, its tingling after-effects will feel nice on an itchy scalp, and like many essential oils, it has antibacterial and antifungal activities, making it useful for a healthy scalp.
Spearmint essential oil for cognitive function
Spearmint essential oil was used in traditional Iranian medicine for various health concerns including headaches. Spearmint has also been recently found to enhance cognitive functions such as attention, memory, improved mood and even enhanced sleep.
How to use spearmint essential oil
Spearmint essential oil can be used in a variety of ways, depending on its intended purpose.
Here are some of the most common ways to use spearmint essential oil:
- 🍃 Inhalation
- 🍃 Topical application
- 🍃 Pillow mist
Let’s take a look at each of these uses of spearmint essential oil in more detail.
Inhalation of spearmint essential oil
Inhaling spearmint essential oil is one of the best and safest ways to enjoy its advantages. Do this by adding a few drops to a diffuser or to a bowl of hot water that will then emit a scented mist or steam.
Not only will you be able to reap the benefits of the revitalizing aroma of spearmint essential oil for better attention, focus and mood, but you’ll be able to relax better as well.
Aromatherapy is also the best way to use spearmint essential oil for congestion if you have a cough, cold, asthma, or other respiratory issue.
Don’t forget you can blend spearmint with other essential oils too. Experiment with aromas like basil, eucalyptus, lavender, peppermint, or rosemary until you find something you like.
Topical application of eucalyptus essential oil
This is the route you need to take if you’re using spearmint essential oil for hair care. Add a few drops to roughly a tablespoon of a good scalp massage oil or a carrier oil like coconut, jojoba, or shea butter. Or simply add it to your shampoo or conditioner.
Massage this mixture into your scalp for two and three minutes using a circular motion. Start at the front of your scalp and work your way to the back, periodically dipping your fingers into your mixture.
This massaging movement and the natural benefits of spearmint essential oil stimulate blood flow to this area of your body. Leave it on as long as you desire and then shampoo and condition your hair as usual.
Using spearmint essential oil elsewhere on the skin is a personal decision that you’ll need to test with a patch test first, as there have been reports of contact allergy with spearmint.
Pillow mist with spearmint essential oil
You can enjoy a range of benefits when you add this oil to a pillow mist. Simply fill a spray bottle with water and add about 10 drops of spearmint essential oil.
Not only will you be using spearmint essential oil for congestion issues, but its relaxing, calming, and restorative properties will help you get the best sleep possible.
You can even use this spray as a fabric freshener to spruce up the smell of your home or car!
Spearmint essential oil research
Spearmint is one of few plants used to make essential oil for which there is more research on its ingestion than other methods of use. However, because the form of consumption is generally a tea or a supplement, we do not recommend ingesting spearmint essential oil due to its highly concentrated nature.
The available studies offer us a glimpse of spearmint’s many benefits.
Spearmint essential oil and congestion relief - 2008, 2011
Spearmint has long been used to improve respiratory conditions. Spearmint has now been shown to reduce inflammation in the lungs, reduce bronchial wall thickness and protect alveoli in rat models of both emphysema and COPD as well as improving the immune response of the lung tissue.
Spearmint essential oil and cognitive function - 2021
A recent review discussed several studies done on a spearmint supplement high in rosmarinic acid. These studies found that spearmint enhanced cognitive functions such as attention and memory, improved mood, and even improved sleep.
Spearmint essential oil’s hormonal/hair effects - 2010, 2017
Over 30 days, women with hirsutism (excessive hair growth due to higher testosterone levels) were given spearmint tea. Their testosterone levels decreased and their female hormones (LH and FSH) increased. The women also believed their hirsutism improved.
A rat study also confirmed that spearmint has treatment potential for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and antiandrogenic activity in balancing out male-female hormones and improving ovary function.
Spearmint essential oil’s antimicrobial activity - 2010
The antimicrobial activity of spearmint essential oil and cis-carveol and carvone was checked against four major bacterial strains and five types of fungus. Significant antibacterial and antifungal activity was identified for spearmint essential oil, with all the microorganisms tested strongly affected.
Side effects of spearmint essential oil
Even when used correctly, there is always the risk of experiencing side effects when using essential oils. It’s best to be aware of what they could be before you begin. This way you know what to look for.
Although serious side effects from using spearmint essential oil are uncommon, they can include:
- Histopathological changes in the tissue of the uterus, liver, and kidney
- Contact allergies, especially when using topically
- Reduced libido in males
While spearmint essential oil may have some benefits for the skin, it can also cause irritation or an allergic reaction. It’s important to do a patch test first before applying it more liberally on your skin, and always dilute it with a carrier oil for topical use to reduce the risk of irritation.
Always chat with your doctor before use if you are unsure, especially if you have a current medical condition or are taking medication.
Contraindications of spearmint essential oil
Because spearmint contains chemicals that may leave you feeling drowsy or sleepy, it’s not recommended that you use this essential oil if you rely on sedative medications. Avoid it if you regularly take medicine containing clonazepam, lorazepam, phenobarbital, and/or zolpidem. For the same reasons, don’t use spearmint essential oil if you’re using any other natural remedies that cause sleepiness.
You should also talk to your physician if you’re using medications that increase the likelihood of liver damage. This list includes medication that contains acetaminophen, amiodarone, carbamazepine, isoniazid, and/or methotrexate.
And if you’re pregnant or nursing, inhaling it might be ok, but topical use might be best avoided during these times.
Where to buy spearmint essential oil
Spearmint essential oil is widely available online and in stores. When you purchase this oil, look for one that is 100% pure - not an extract. This ensures you're getting an authentic product with all of spearmint’s therapeutic benefits. If it’s organic, even better!
Here are some of the places where you can purchase spearmint essential oil.
volant
The Organic Spearmint essential oil for sale at volant is as refreshing as it is powerful. The sweet, uplifting, minty scent makes for a wonderful setting for work, play, and even study, and you may find it sharpens your mind and increases your ability to focus on the task at hand.
Amazon
When you shop from a huge corporation like Amazon, you can easily filter the hundreds of results to narrow down your search for quality spearmint essential oil. Be sure to scour reviews and ingredient lists!
Activate filters like climate pledge friendly, brand, price range and define what health and personal care features you’re most interested in.
Pharmacies
Because spearmint is such a popular hygiene and cosmetic ingredient, you may find spearmint essential oil stocked in pharmacies. Just be sure to read the ingredients list to guarantee that you’re getting a good quality oil.
DoTERRA
When you buy essential oil from DoTERRA, you can rest assured that what you’re using is certified pure. Their products contain no adulterations, contaminants or fillers.
Spearmint essential oil FAQs
What is spearmint essential oil for?
It can be used to soothe respiratory issues, headaches, digestion issues, and possibly skin problems. It helps boost your focus and attention, improve your work or studying, and may even improve your mood and your sleep! And if you’re a woman with PCOS and hirsutism, spearmint essential oil might offer the natural help you need.
What other scents does spearmint essential oil blend well with?
Blending spearmint essential oil with other aromas can bring you twice the benefits. Try basil, eucalyptus, jasmine, lemon, and rosemary and see which combination you like best.
In summary
People have been using spearmint essential oil for thousands of years to promote feelings of emotional and mental well-being and to take care of a range of physical issues like indigestion and congestion to name a couple.
If you’re interested in trying out these benefits for yourself, just make sure that you’re purchasing your spearmint essential oil from a vendor of good standing. At volant, you always know that you’re getting a product that is pure, organic, and free of chemicals and toxins.
We’re happy to help with whatever you may need. Reach out to one of our well-trained agents if you have any more questions about spearmint essential oil by sending an email to support@volantaroma.com.
