The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Bug Repellent
Posted by Dawn (North Hollywood, CA) on 08/01/2006
★★★★★
You mix 15-20 drops of spearmint oil in a spray bottle with water, spray on fur and ears, careful not to get in eyes, you can spray dog houses, the outer perimeter of your home and the flies disappear almost instantly. my dogs are 7 and I have never found anything that worked until I tried this.
Bug Repellent
Posted by Dawn (North Hollywood, CA) on 07/10/2006
★★★★★
I would like to tell you about something I discovered I did not see on your site. Dogs and Flies... My dogs were being eaten up by flies, a friend recommended spearmint oil and it worked. I have been using it over a week now and there has not been one fly around them since. IT WORKS.
Sore Throat
Posted by John (Omaha, Nebraska) on 04/08/2007
★★★★★
this is all 100% natural and can cure the sore throat asap. first get some water, next mix water with 2 teaspoons of spearmint oil, and then gargle.
Acne
Posted by Elizabeth (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) on 02/24/2012
I would love to know if you've had any further developments on this front. A couple years ago I had myself checked out because I had always had abnormal facial hair (my mom always attributed it to heredity), continual weight loss and gain, irregular periods, etc. But I felt it was something more. An external and internal ultrasound showed that I had ovarian polyps, an earlier stage of PCOS.
At that time I had maintained a healthier lifestyle (diet and exercise) with little processed foods and simple sugars out of habit rather than restriction, which had held the polyps at bay. That has changed within the past year and I have noticed a difference on every front. Spearment tea sounds like a wonderful idea and I would love to give it a go so I am thoroughly interested in your findings.
Acne
Posted by Loveallnatural (Kansas City, Mo) on 01/22/2012
★★★★★
Spearmint for PCOS Acne
Came across an article stating women with PCOS might benefit from spearmint tea. I went to the nutrition store and bought some organic and starting drinking spearmint tea on Friday afternoon. I wasn't really expecting anything for a few weeks, but I woke up today, Sunday, and my face looks 100% better. It was only about 36 hours and is so improved that it defies logic! One cup in the morning and one at night and I'm SHOCKED at the results. I also bought some high quality spearmint oil and put a few drops in some all natural liquid face cleanser so maybe that had something to do with the almost immediate results... ? Today I have almost no oil, my pores are visibly shrinking, and my skin is healthy looking with a more even tone and a pinkish glow... But not even one single new bump/cyst/eruption/pimple and it is finally smooth again!! My face is covered in the healing blemishes, but those should heal soon and nothing new is coming up. On Saturday I noticed that one bump that has been on my cheek for months had finally gotten bigger. Nothing would come out before, but it wouldn't go away. I guess the spearmint had finally brought it to the surface. I was shocked at how deep and infected it was, but today it is finally healing. It honestly looks like I've had 3-4 months of prescription treatment on my face. I thought I was crazy so I asked my husband to look at my skin and he was visibly shocked and said my skin hasn't looked this good in years. My face has gone from being overly oily to almost oil at all. I'm allergic to moisturizers and I've had to start using organic virgin cold pressed coconut oil again just to make sure my skin is hydrated enough, and it is good for my skin too.
I have PCOS (can't take the pill) and for the past year or so my skin has started breaking out with cystic type acne and my pores have gotten really large. I've never had great skin, but I've always controlled it... With retin-a all through high school and college and then switched to a mild face cleanser and toner of organic apple cider vinegar when I got pregnant with my first child. I usually had one or two pimples every couple of weeks. After my children were born I was even able to just use Lancome products and my face looked really nice. Suddenly, about a year or so ago, I developed a severe facial allergy to sodium and ammonium lauryl sulfates and my skin started breaking out worse than ever before. I went to the dermatologist and she said it was hormonal acne caused by the PCOS so there wasn't much she could do and other than prescribe the pill, which I can't take, but to exercise, lose weight, eat healthier, etc. (gee, thanks. ) Due to my allergies, I had to stay with all natural products and my face just kept getting worse and worse. I went back to my tried and true apple cider vinegar, but it didn't really help. I've tried tea tree oil, violet extract, colloidal silver, oil of oregano, organic virgin coconut oil, you name it and nothing helped at all. (I'm very allergic to benzoil peroxide and any of the OTC acne remedies so I couldn't try them. ) I'm in my mid 30s and I looked like a 15 y. O. Boy. It has been so horrible!! Today I'm seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and I just hope it keeps on this same path of healing!!!!
Spearmint is supposed to help regulate hormones and for women with PCOS that is the key. No wonder nothing helped as it really was hormonal acne. I doubt this would work at all for women without hormone issues and men probably shouldn't try it, or maybe try the spearmint oil added to a face cleanser... But in less than 36 hours my skin looks 100% better and I couldn't be happier with the results!!! I'm sticking with this and hoping it continues to improve. Maybe it will even help with other PCOS issues... Only time will tell. I'll post back if anything changes. Good luck to all!!!!
Nausea
Posted by Obeybunny (Santa Ana, California, United States Of America) on 12/29/2011
★★★★★
Drinking cold peppermint water works instantly for me whenever I get motion sickness or nausea from eating bad food. Also, whenever I'm chained to the bathroom because of the flu, peppermint water helps to keep me from vomiting.
One or two drops of Peppermint extract in water. The ratio of peppermint to water really doesn't matter- I generally like my peppermint water strong (1 drop of peppermint in 3 table spoons of water), but everyone else in my family prefers diluted stuff (2 drops in 6 ounces). Nevertheless, it will still work.
Peppermint extract is available in the spice section of most of the grocery stores I go to.
Acne
Posted by Karen (Johannesburg, South Africa) on 08/18/2011
★★★★☆
I've suffered from chronic hormonal acne for more than 20 years. I stayed on birth control pills during most of the time because it was the only thing that kept me consistently clear (any combined pill seemed to work for me). After leaving my job and losing my health insurance I found that the drugs were too expensive and started looking for a natural remedy.
After more than a year of giving everything I could think of a try, I finally started to see results with peppermint tea. Took about 2 weeks to start noticing improvement. It's not a 100% cure but it's something of a small miracle after being so completely unresponsive to everything else. 1 - 2 unsweetened strong cups a day seems to do the job. And I quite enjoy the taste.
After doing some research I think this only works for androgen-type hormonal imbalance ie. Too many male-type hormones. I believe the effects are similar for men. Spearmint, which I can't seem to find, apparently works as well.
Hirsutism
Posted by Nim (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) on 05/17/2011
Beth from Dublin -
blackstrap molassses is trecale in UK
Hirsutism
Posted by Maryland (Los Angeles, Ca) on 04/25/2011
★☆☆☆☆
Peppermint tea didn't help me at all. I drank one or two cups a day for a long time and nothing changed. I restarted a few months later and still no result. I quit about 4 years ago.I read that tumeric is good but it can also stain your face, that's why I haven't tried it yet.
Hirsutism
Posted by Beth (Dublin, Ireland) on 10/04/2010
★☆☆☆☆
Hi Sara, I have started taking the spearmint tea, (I have had to order it from the USA, as it is not available in Ireland) I've been drinking 2-3 mugs a day now for the last nine days and have not seen any improvement yet! You mentioned alum powder, what is alum powder?( I never heard of it) and rose water, I would like to give that a try, the only problem is I cant get alum powder here. Do you know of any sites where I could order it?....... Many Thanks, Beth.
Hirsutism
Posted by Sara Khan (Birmingham, Uk) on 09/10/2010
★★★★★
Hey guys read your comments and I thought I would clarify it is spearmint NOT peppermint tea. You need to drink two cups a day for 5 days in order for testosterone levels to decrease. Hence, not good for men!!! There are many websites which will explain the spearmint tea. However, I can recommend alum powder and rose water. Mix the two and apply with cotton wool on areas where hair is removed. This should be washed after 15 minutes... (but some may keep it on longer about an hour max) This will overtime reduce the growth of unwanted hair and coarse hair will reappear as fine hair and may eventually disappear overtime. The alum powder and rose water formula has worked miracles for many I know!!! Good Luck
Hirsutism
Posted by Drpeprchick (Durham, Ontario) on 03/30/2010
I think spearmint tea is what you want to try.
Hirsutism
Posted by Beth (Dublin, Ireland) on 03/28/2010
★☆☆☆☆
Hi Nw ,I also suffer from really coarse hair on my chin, I have been taking peppermint tea now for about 3 weeks (2 cups per day)I have not seen any improvement, as yet.
Hirsutism
Posted by Nw (New York, Ny) on 02/09/2010
★★★★★
I read on ec that excessive hair growth can be treated with blackstrap molassses and spearmint tea so i tried. i couldnt find spearmint so i got peppermint. its been 2 weeks and i cant believe the difference! I drink the tea 2x/day but am kinda lazy about the molasses. I used to have to "pluck" EVERYDAY because the hair on my chin was so coarse. its been so frustrating for so long and i think ive finally beat it. I bought the sand paper type thing they sell for unwanted hair just to get the few light hairs off that were left and now my face is so smooth, it has to be the tea...
Scabies
Posted by Lisa (Brooklyn, NY) on 07/17/2008
★★★★★
Peppermint soap (Dr. Bronner's) works great to get rid of scabies. I tried Tea Tree oil among other things and nothing else worked, except hand sanitizer gel. But at the first sign of itchiness, I get out the peppermint soap.
IBS
Posted by Lisa (S. California, Ca, Usa) on 04/11/2011
★★★★★
I've been struggling with IBS and Celiac for a long time. I still get cramps even though there is no more gluten ( or hidden gluten) in my diet.
I found a softgel that has peppermint oil, fennel and ginger in it from iherb. Wow, do these things work great and really tame the tummy!!! I finally have some relief! I take 1 at night and one in the morning. If I still get painful cramps, I take another one. They don't help with diaherra though.
They are a bit hard on the stomach at first so take with a bite or two of food until you get used to them.
IBS
Posted by Lisa (S. California, Ca, Usa) on 11/18/2011
You have to take ENTERIC coated peppermint oil. Straight peppermint is way too strong to put into the stomach. Peppermint increase the gastric juices in the stomach, so it needs to bypass the stomach and get into the intestines. Peppermint relaxes muscles, ie intestinal muscles.
If I have a sudden attack and need IMMEDIATE relief, the capsules are NOT the answer. They take awhile to start working. For immediate relief, try peppermint tea ( will make you sleepy) or Altoids. With the Altoids, I usually eat around 10-15 in a 5 minutes period and it helps A LOT.
If you get stomach pain, eat some food with it or eat some DGL LICORICE chewables/lozenges from iherb. The taste is not great but it gets rid of stomach ( not intestinal) pain.
Lice
Posted by Tammy (Bridgeport, New York) on 12/10/2011
★★★★★
I used about 4 drops of peppermint oil used in candy flavorings and coconut conditioner- mix together coat head really well, cover with shower cap for about 30 minutes. The peppermint and coconut oils kill lice on contact and after you rinse it out, the nits comb right out with ease.
IBS
Posted by Mel (Kobe, Japan) on 11/10/2011
★☆☆☆☆
A friend had success with these but said you need to take them for a few weeks before getting results. That said, they didn't help my IBS-D.
Side Effects
Posted by Pixieled (Endwell, Ny) on 10/08/2011
Most essential oils you should never ever put on pure. They must be diluted in a carrier oil, such as olive oil, or coconut. Plus, be mindful that you're not putting on a fragrance oil instead, as it's definitely not the same thing, but synthetic. Make sure it's essential oil. One more thing. Always do a spot test for 24 hours before putting it on larger areas. Just to make sure you're not allergic.
