Drinking mint tea twice a day reduces the level of the male sex hormone, causing excessive hair / hirsutism / on the abdomen, chest and face. Hirsutism can cause serious distress and discomfort in women.
Drinking mint tea twice a day reduces the level of the male sex hormone, causing excessive hair on the abdomen, chest and face.
Hirsutism can cause serious psychological problems in women.
Treatment for hirsutism usually includes medications that reduce the level of androgens (male sex hormones in the body).
In some cases, excessive hair growth is the result of an underlying medical condition such as polycystic ovary syndrome.
Women produce small amounts of male sex hormones, such as testosterone, but higher levels of these hormones lead to excessive hair growth.
To study the effect on women, 21 volunteers with hirsutism, 12 of whom had polycystic ovaries, received a cup of mint tea twice daily for 5 days during the follicular phase of their cycle.
Scientists have found a significant decrease in free testosterone in the blood and an increase in some female hormones, including follicle-stimulating hormone.
Mint tea can affect the metabolism of hormones such as testosterone or the synthesis of androgenic hormones, the researchers explain.
More studies are needed to confirm the effect of mint tea on moderate hirsutism, said study leader Prof. Mehmet Numan Tamer.
Currently, treatment for hirsutism involves the use of oral contraceptives to suppress androgen production or drugs such as spironolactone, but this study suggests that mint tea may be a good natural alternative for women with mild symptoms of hirsutism, the researchers said.