Spearmint

Mentha spicata

Also: Garden mint, Common mint, Lamb mint

WarmingDryingRelaxing

The gentle mint for after meals and upset stomachs.

A sprawling garden mint with bright green, wrinkled, pointed leaves and slender lilac flower spikes, sweeter and milder than peppermint. Spearmint settles the stomach, moves gas, and calms the nerves gently enough for an after-dinner cup.

Energetics: Warming, drying, relaxing
Taste: Pungent, aromatic, sweet
Family: Lamiaceae (mint family)
Parts used: Leaves

Medicinal uses 4

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Traditional useLab and mechanism studiesClinical studies

Indigestion & bloatingTLC
Settles an upset stomach and moves gas, gentle enough to drink right after a meal.
NauseaTLC
A mild cup for queasiness, easier on the stomach than peppermint for many people.
Anxiety & stressTLC
A softly calming mint for a nervous stomach.
FeverTLC
Drunk warm, helps the body release the heat of a fever.

Preparations

Hot or cold-steeped tea and after-dinner blends.

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Cautions

Two cups a day lowered free testosterone in small trials; useful for some, worth knowing if you take testosterone.
Like all mints it can aggravate reflux in some people.

Medication interactions

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Pregnancy & breastfeeding

PregnancyTea amounts

Spearmint tea is a long-standing comfort for pregnancy nausea at ordinary tea strength. Skip the essential oil.

BreastfeedingTea amounts

Tea and kitchen amounts are considered compatible while nursing; avoid the essential oil. Some nursing parents find large amounts of mint lower their supply.

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Folklore

Greek myth tells of Minthe, a river nymph whom a jealous Persephone turned into a low, fragrant plant. Spearmint takes its name from its pointed leaves, and it is one parent of peppermint, which arose as a cross with water mint. The Wrigley company launched spearmint chewing gum in 1893.

How to grow

A vigorous perennial for sun or part shade and moist soil. It spreads hard by runners, so grow it in a pot or a sunken container. Cut it back before flowering for a second flush of leaves.

In the wild

Native to southern Europe and western Asia, now naturalized along damp ditches and stream banks around the temperate world.

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