Susan's Place Transgender Resources

In my quest of a little something to limit damage until the psychiatrist moves, I finally got my hands on spearmint herbal tea, after shopping a lot! This should act as a weak anti-androgen, right?

I've a question for you, though... Is it all right to eat the leaves after drinking the tea? *Wants to maximize effects*

If you allow the tea to steep for 10-15 minutes before you drink it the active chemical in the spearmint will be released into the watter and you need not eat the leaves.

Adding a very small pinch of salt to the watter will make it taste better. Also adding a small squeeze of lemon into the water will raise the acidity of the solution and help the chemical release better.

:)

Salt tastes horrible; I'll try lemon though. ~ But it's good by itself too.

you dont put enough salt in it to taste the salt

it is just a trace in the water to make it less bland

it is an old cooks trick

Wait, spearmint is a weak anti-androgen?  Crap.  I just got some peppermint/spearmint/tarragon blend Tazo tea and it's delicious.

Ender, YHBT by destiny. Anyway, get peppermint, it shouldn't be a problem for you.

So where is a good place to find it?

I started drinking peppermint tea a few months ago because I heard it was good for acne and it had anti-androgenic effects. I generally drink like 4 cups of peppermint tea a day (with a tea spoon of sugar) and it definitely helped lessen the little acne I had and I think my skin looks a bit nicer too but I don't know if that's just me seeing things I want to see.

But it's no replacement for real AA's.

Quote from: Nurse With Wound on September 16, 2011, 06:44:39 PM
I started drinking peppermint tea a few months ago because I heard it was good for acne and it had anti-androgenic effects. I generally drink like 4 cups of peppermint tea a day (with a tea spoon of sugar) and it definitely helped lessen the little acne I had and I think my skin looks a bit nicer too but I don't know if that's just me seeing things I want to see.

But it's no replacement for real AA's.

True, but for interfering with the growth cycle of body hair it is better than anything else I have found.

When I was on HRT only, my hair reduction was minimal. When I started on the spearmint, I started noticing a serious change.
Took about 6 weeks to notice results but for me the results were very obvious.

Spearmint and peppermint tea?   Sounds good as at least they are natural.   I am worried about the fluoride in tea and the fact that spear/peppermint can upset the stomach if too much is drunk.

You can get peppermint tea here(GB):

http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=3586&prodid=1875&cid=217&sid=0 (http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=3586&prodid=1875&cid=217&sid=0)

I suppose that spearmint/peppermint in any form will do?

only spearmint has the AA chemical.
Other mints do not have it.

Quote from: cynthialee on September 16, 2011, 06:48:59 PM
True, but for interfering with the growth cycle of body hair it is better than anything else I have found.

When I was on HRT only, my hair reduction was minimal. When I started on the spearmint, I started noticing a serious change.
Took about 6 weeks to notice results but for me the results were very obvious.

do you think i should do the same? i've been on anti androgens from march of last year, and then started estrogen from august of last year. i've had increased dosages along the way, and even then i'm finding i'm still shaving off the same excess body hair i have been from the start. it makes me question if i'm just meant to be more hairy, or if it will ever change. i'm 19 by the way. i believe i grew up with 5 alpha reductase deficiency anyway, but that didn't stop excess hair. i have heard rumors of shaving keeps your fine hair growing back thick. i don't know which it is.

Shaving doesn't make it thicker; it just doesn't make it thinner, like epilating does.

And of course, I think you should try spearmint tea. I've been taking an average of 2 cups a day for less than two weeks and I already notice my beard is growing significantly slower.

Quote from: A on September 26, 2011, 09:00:19 AM
Shaving doesn't make it thicker; it just doesn't make it thinner, like epilating does.

And of course, I think you should try spearmint tea. I've been taking an average of 2 cups a day for less than two weeks and I already notice my beard is growing significantly slower.

Anouther glowing testimonial to the power of HRtea.
:)

Quote from: A on September 26, 2011, 09:00:19 AM

And of course, I think you should try spearmint tea. I've been taking an average of 2 cups a day for less than two weeks and I already notice my beard is growing significantly slower.

I been drinking a couple cups of spearmint tea now for about 6 months now and both my beard and chest hair is really slowing down. In the summer months I brewed it as ice tea !

I might have to get some Spearmint tea now!

I've drank herbal tea all my life, some type of mint tea (not sure if spearmint or peppermint) as well as chamomile, rose, fennel, red bush etc... all I can say is that my hair growth is very slow (shave once every three days), and no hair on body apart from the usual regions (under arms, legs etc). But I still had painful acne which was hormone induced.

For those in Canada, here is where I have just ordered a big batch from.
http://www.davidstea.com/our-teas/herbal-tea/spearmint (http://www.davidstea.com/our-teas/herbal-tea/spearmint)

I bought 500 grams to get the free shipping... Though I estimate I'll have enough for many months with this. Hope it stays good, haha.

I've heard about spearmint tea slowing body hair, but I never knew it could slow facial hair! I'm going to try this ASAP

For those still looking, I found Tazo's "Zen" at many places. It's an infusion of lemongrass and spearmint. It tastes pretty good too!

http://www.amazon.com/Tazo-Green-Lemongrass-Spearmint-20-Count/dp/B000EUIZ8K (http://www.amazon.com/Tazo-Green-Lemongrass-Spearmint-20-Count/dp/B000EUIZ8K)

I can't help but wonder whether spearmint may be related to spironolactone, since spiro does have a minty taste to it.

Careful, now, eh? It slows it; it's not anywhere near stopping it. I still shave every day.

I couldn't find it by its self only mix with other mints. I got it anyway.

I buy Traditional Medicinals Organic Spearmint, which is available in almost every natural health food store that I have checked in Toronto.. not sure if it is effective yet though. Hope people continue to share their experiences with it.

Quote from: nemuritai on November 27, 2011, 03:10:33 PM
I buy Traditional Medicinals Organic Spearmint, which is available in almost every natural health food store that I have checked in Toronto.. not sure if it is effective yet though. Hope people continue to share their experiences with it.

I just picked up a few boxes of that same brand at Whole Foods. I'm drinking my first cup right now, I think it tastes pretty good with nothing added to it.

I'm two weeks in on the spearmint tea. I drink 3 sometimes 4 - 16oz cups a day. I shaved my legs and arms on Monday, I have barely any stubble on the legs and nothing on the arms. Usually I would have to shave every 3-4 days to keep them smooth. Facial hair after 24 hours is about what it would be at in the afternoon usually.

see? I told you folks the stuff works!

You have to drink gallons and eat leavefuls of this to reap any benefit since it is a weak "anti-androgen", right? lol

You're supposed to drink atleast 2 cups a day.
and you see results later on or something.
It's just like taking a real anti-adrogen :P

I dont know, I'm gonna go out to look for some since I reeeaally want to try it.

Well, at least it is not like rubbing minxodil on your scalp, I guess. I tried that for few months and quit it, couldn't have the discpline plus it totally weighed down my hair - it is fine and curly, so it can't have too much product in it or it goes limp

A couple of modest sized mugs of the stuff a day should do the trick.

No need to take a ton of the stuff.

Keep in mind, many drugs have their origins in naturaly occuring chemicals in plants.

I got some loose-leaf spearmint tea from my favorite local tea shop and tried it. I couldn't force myself to drink enough of the stuff to matter; after about the first half mug, I'd start wanting something with a richer and less minty flavor than spearmint and honey. (I'm just not much of a tea person.) I've really gotten the best results from minoxidil; I've trained myself to apply it when I brush my teeth.  I've started to see measurable improvement on my crown.  Although the information says it doesn't work on frontal hair loss, I actually have a light pale peachfuzz all the way forward to a rather nice hairline curve.  I figure I'll coat the entire area anyway and just see how much forward growth I get. If that all grows in eventually, I should be looking pretty good.

Another benefit of spearmint tea;

http://www.livestrong.com/article/540257-spearmint-tea-for-weight-loss/ (http://www.livestrong.com/article/540257-spearmint-tea-for-weight-loss/)

Here's what I have for regrowth on my legs after 7 days. Before the tea, this would have come in half the time.

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg10.imageshack.us%2Fimg10%2F439%2Fregrowth.jpg&hash=5f2819f10b8bc22d7d771c4e59088f88fe64de57)

Quote from: michelle666 on December 26, 2011, 08:42:43 AM
Here's what I have for regrowth on my legs after 7 days. Before the tea, this would have come in half the time.

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg10.imageshack.us%2Fimg10%2F439%2Fregrowth.jpg&hash=5f2819f10b8bc22d7d771c4e59088f88fe64de57)

Oh wow, you're lucky.
Before hrt, I would have gotten that(and more) in less than 24 hours after shaving.

I'm still hairy... that's why I want this product so bad lol.
The most depressing thing happened today when I went out to look for some but they didnt sell it at my grocery store.

I don't like to link to vendors but in this case I will break my own rule:

http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Spearmint-Leaf-Cut_Organic (http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Spearmint-Leaf-Cut_Organic)

Quote from: JoeyD on December 26, 2011, 09:06:42 AM
Oh wow, you're lucky.
Before hrt, I would have gotten that(and more) in less than 24 hours after shaving.

I'm still hairy... that's why I want this product so bad lol.
The most depressing thing happened today when I went out to look for some but they didnt sell it at my grocery store.

I get mine at Whole Foods, it's about $5 for a box of 20 bags. One Whole Foods ran out so I went to another one and bought every box on the shelf. The checkout guy looked at me like I was crazy.

Another thing I noticed, I missed a spot on the back of my leg and I tugged gently on a few of the hair and they slid right out. And on my arms, I can feel a tiny bit of stubble but can see it.

Ok this is it! I will go out hunting for this tea tomorrow :o.

Cool. Mints are actually super easy plants to grow on your own (at least in my part of the world). If you've got some flower bed space it will spread all over the place, but you could easily grow it in a pot by a sunny window. Google "home grown mint tea" for plenty of directions on drying the leaves. It's very easy.

Lyric ~

Mints are pretty easy to grow, yeah. Not sure what your part of the world is, but I'm in the Midwest USA, and I've grown mint outdoors before. And ditto on the pot. If it's in the ground, it will take over everything.

Here's the same spot after two weeks.

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg534.imageshack.us%2Fimg534%2F2640%2F2weeksz.jpg&hash=1fd2ce40735def88bdf339ae18e372204e81dc08)

I epilated a couple of days ago, so we'll see how long it takes for regrowth with that.

It is my 4th day now :). It will be interesting to see if I need to shave the legs as often as I do today (once every 1,5 weeks). Report will be given when the test period has ended :D.

Based on a post Cynthialee made months ago (in the hair removal subsection I think) I've been drinking spearmint tea now for over 6 months. I order it from amazon which has lots of brands to choose from. I have an automatic delivery for a case ($15.15 for a case of 6, 20 bag boxes) set up for every 6 weeks. Since I typically drink 3 to 5 large mugs of tea at work daily, this has significantly reduced the cost of the tea. At the rate I drink it, $5/box for twenty bags/box is pretty expensive. I know bulk is cheaper (which amazon also has) but I often find myself making a cup between patients/clients and the bags make that super convenient. By switching to spearmint tea I have also significantly decreased the amount of caffeine/coffee I was drinking as a bonus. I have had no adverse effects from this amount of tea and all the beneficial ones--slower hair regrowth all over.

Yeah, HRTea!

Quote from: chrishoney on January 02, 2012, 07:13:11 PMHRTea!

Just wanted to say that this is basically the cutest thing ever. :D

I didn't realise that spearmint had a mild anti-androgen effect. That's really interesting! I've actually drunk a range of herbal teas four or five times a day for about seven or eight years now, as a substitute for the mountains of tea and coffee I used to drink that were starting to give me fiendish caffeine headaches. And checking the boxes, many of them contain spearmint, which might explain my relative lack of body hair. Looks like my body started transitioning without me. ;)

I bought a box of Tazo "Zen"
It's green tea blended with lemongrass and spearmint.

I know, I know, before you yell at me, I know it's not the same.
But that's the only thing I could find in stores.

Ordering spearmint tea online is way too expensive.
It's like over 30$ for a month's supply.


I'll update and tell if this tea works the same, I really hope it does.
I hate my body hair so much, Spiro isn't really doing much.

It's really good! haha.
and you can taste and smell the mint for sure.

I was scared the spearmint was going to be very subtle.

Quote from: JoeyD on January 07, 2012, 08:40:38 PM
I bought a box of Tazo "Zen"
It's green tea blended with lemongrass and spearmint.

I know, I know, before you yell at me, I know it's not the same.
But that's the only thing I could find in stores.

Ordering spearmint tea online is way too expensive.
It's like over 30$ for a month's supply.


I'll update and tell if this tea works the same, I really hope it does.
I hate my body hair so much, Spiro isn't really doing much.

Did you, perhaps, misestimate the amounts? I paid 65 $ in September and still have more than half of my supply left.

I am gonna look for this stuff tomorrow. I like my tea with Sweet & Low. I'm guessing this is not a good idea with this spearmint tea?

HERE (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19585478) is an abstract about a spearmint anti-androgen scientific study.

There seems to be something to it.

It's been a week and a day or two since I epilated and my legs are as smooth as the day that I did them. I did my arms yesterday and I noticed the hair is coming out much, much easier. I had a couple of random stray hairs on my chest that the epilator didn't want to get when I did it last week so I pulled with tweezers and they slid out with no effort at all. My chest is also still as smooth as the day that I did it.
I'm running low on the tea now, I need to pick up a few boxes to get me by until I order some in bulk from amazon.

It has been 5 days since I shaved my legs and they are just as smooth as they was after I shaved them.


And the best effect so far for me is that my sexdrive is almost down to zero, before it was pretty intense.

It does something this tea :).

Quote from: A on January 07, 2012, 09:48:24 PM
Did you, perhaps, misestimate the amounts? I paid 65 $ in September and still have more than half of my supply left.

Nope x:
It like 18 bucks plus 14$ shipping just for one month.

And question: is there anything I can do to make the tea better? I dont know if putting regular sugar is a bad idea or not.

Quote from: JoeyD on January 07, 2012, 08:40:38 PM
I bought a box of Tazo "Zen"
It's green tea blended with lemongrass and spearmint.

I know, I know, before you yell at me, I know it's not the same.
But that's the only thing I could find in stores.

Ordering spearmint tea online is way too expensive.
It's like over 30$ for a month's supply.


I'll update and tell if this tea works the same, I really hope it does.
I hate my body hair so much, Spiro isn't really doing much.

I'm very curious to hear your results. I have a hard time finding tea as well. But this stuff is all over the place and it would be amazing if it would work.

Joey-
I always put honey in my tea instead of table sugar.
If you're looking for sweeteners, there's a number of flavored honey and agave "syrups" out there that are good for tea; I don't really use agave because there's some debate over whether its actually healthy for your or not. I briefly looked up as to whether there was something you could use as a sweetener that was also a known estrogen booster and/or testosterone blocker and didn't really find anything. I wish I could be more help here, especially since I'm someone who is really into finding out natural, herbal, and nutritional benefits especially when it comes to achieving certain types of goals or lifestyles.

Yeah. I dunno. >_<

Quote from: shortNsweet on January 08, 2012, 08:42:35 AM
I'm very curious to hear your results. I have a hard time finding tea as well. But this stuff is all over the place and it would be amazing if it would work.

I'll update after a week for sure :D

Quote from: JasonRX on January 08, 2012, 08:54:04 AM
Joey-
I always put honey in my tea instead of table sugar.
If you're looking for sweeteners, there's a number of flavored honey and agave "syrups" out there that are good for tea; I don't really use agave because there's some debate over whether its actually healthy for your or not. I briefly looked up as to whether there was something you could use as a sweetener that was also a known estrogen booster and/or testosterone blocker and didn't really find anything. I wish I could be more help here, especially since I'm someone who is really into finding out natural, herbal, and nutritional benefits especially when it comes to achieving certain types of goals or lifestyles.

Yeah. I dunno. >_<

Awh, thanks fran. <3

Quote from: Christine Eryn on January 08, 2012, 12:17:13 AM
I am gonna look for this stuff tomorrow. I like my tea with Sweet & Low. I'm guessing this is not a good idea with this spearmint tea?

I don't understand how it could not be an especially bad to combine artificial sweeteners with mint. As long as it's not a chemical that could react with the molecules (like acids from lemon juice for example), there's no problem. Though you should know that spearmint tea or not, Sweet & Low is always very bad for your body.

JoeyD: Are you buying tea bags? That's the only way it could be so impossibly expensive. Buy it in bulk and use a little grid pouch or buy a box of empty tea bags, and it'll be fine. As for changing the taste, you can use sugar, yeah. But I find it good by itself, too.

http://www.davidstea.com/spearmint?___store=en (http://www.davidstea.com/spearmint?___store=en) : 65$ for 500g with free shipping; will last you at least 6 months.

It's weird, because I don't drink spearmint tea for long periods at a time (like over two weeks) but when i drink it for like a week straight, or even a few days, my sex drive seems to go down and my thought process changes a little, I get a little more emotional. And I know it's not just placebo, because one time a few months ago I was drinking lots of spearmint tea, and I tried to get my sex drive working but it pretty much refused to work as easily as it usually does.

Quote from: A on January 08, 2012, 02:45:13 PM
I don't understand how it could not be an especially bad to combine artificial sweeteners with mint. As long as it's not a chemical that could react with the molecules (like acids from lemon juice for example), there's no problem. Though you should know that spearmint tea or not, Sweet & Low is always very bad for your body.

That's what I figured. I cut almost all sugar from my diet except Raw Sugar, gum, and Hershey's Kisses. I drink tea with Sweet & Low and Coke Zero. I know the are unhealthy but I can't live in a totally unsweetened world. When I get my hands on this spearmint tea, I'll drink it straight up.

Thanks for the advice!  8)

I'm not 100% sure of what I'm saying, but I think sugar is always better than aspartame, acesulfame-potassium(?) and other similar things. I'm not sure of that either, but I THINK sucralose like Splenda is a bit better on the body... Or rather, the bad effects of sucralose have yet to be proven, compared to the well-documented aspartame's effects.

^Anything scientifical to support or destroy that paragraph would be appreciated.

Quote from: JoeyD on December 26, 2011, 09:06:42 AM
Oh wow, you're lucky.
Before hrt, I would have gotten that(and more) in less than 24 hours after shaving.

I'm still hairy... that's why I want this product so bad lol.
The most depressing thing happened today when I went out to look for some but they didnt sell it at my grocery store.

I'ma switch all of liquid intake to this stuff.

I'm still pre-hrt but I that amount of stubble grows on my legs between putting down the razor and toweling off. I swear, my legs should be made a national monument because they're essentially old-growth forests.  >:-)

Quote from: toxicblue on January 08, 2012, 06:35:31 PM
It's weird, because I don't drink spearmint tea for long periods at a time (like over two weeks) but when i drink it for like a week straight, or even a few days, my sex drive seems to go down and my thought process changes a little, I get a little more emotional. And I know it's not just placebo, because one time a few months ago I was drinking lots of spearmint tea, and I tried to get my sex drive working but it pretty much refused to work as easily as it usually does.

I'm at about a month on it and I can say there is a big decrease in the sex drive. It takes a lot to orgasm now and to even get excited, whereas before I could orgasm within a couple of minutes if I wanted.

Well I went to Specs liquor store today and got 2 teas from a company called Twinings: Pure Peppermint, and Premium Black Tea with spearmint and peppermint. It's the closest thing they had. I Googled peppermint tea hair loss and it seems like it's almost the same thing as spearmint. I'll try it out. Couldn't hurt I figure.

Quote from: Jamie D on January 08, 2012, 01:57:26 AM
HERE (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19585478) is an abstract about a spearmint anti-androgen scientific study.

There seems to be something to it.

All this because of tea? Cool.

I also find a big effect on sex drive.. does it worry you guys?  does it affect relationships to have a low sex drive?

Quote from: nemuritai on January 15, 2012, 12:25:51 PM
I also find a big effect on sex drive.. does it worry you guys?  does it affect relationships to have a low sex drive?

I've have a huge decrease in my sex drive. It take a lot more to get me going now. I've also noticed that there is a bit of shrinkage in the boy bits area.

If anyone in the UK is interested Tesco have a special offer on at present on Pukka Organic 3 Mint Tea ,don't know of it's available in store or only online.
http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=264767068&sc_cmp=pcp_GSF_64122835 (http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=264767068&sc_cmp=pcp_GSF_64122835)
note the offer ends on 23/1/2012

Quote from: michelle666 on December 25, 2011, 07:28:10 AM
Another benefit of spearmint tea;

http://www.livestrong.com/article/540257-spearmint-tea-for-weight-loss/ (http://www.livestrong.com/article/540257-spearmint-tea-for-weight-loss/)

OMG I'm such a girl ..... that has sooo sold me. I'm buying it tomorrow !!!

Jen

Quote from: nemuritai on January 15, 2012, 12:25:51 PM
I also find a big effect on sex drive.. does it worry you guys?  does it affect relationships to have a low sex drive?

It doesn't worry me in the least bit. I want a lower sex drive.

I've been on the tea for 6 or 7 weeks now and it's been a few weeks now since I first epilated and my lower legs have almost no regrowth, there a random hair here and there but nothing major. There's a bit more on the upper legs, it's about the length that it would be a few days after shaving but it's not as thick. Chest hair started coming back here and there, it only took about 10 minutes to get rid of them. I finished my stomach(hurt like hell!!) almost a week ago and it's still smooth. I really hope the stomach thins out, because epilating that was pure hell.

So this morning when I went to take a shower. I looked at myself in the mirror and thought "hmmm something is different" and it was, my testicles were up inside me. It really looked like I had none at all. Can this happen when they shrink? Does it mean that other thing inside with them are probably shrinking too?

I'll give it a try since I'm a big tea drinker.

After all the glowing testimonies here about the power of HRTea, I had to try it for myself. Five weeks of replacing all my tea drinking with pure spearmint tea, and what little sex drive I had is stone dead. Also seeing outrageously slow hair regrowth on my legs and arms. Like... so slow that I've barely had to shave since the day I started drinking it. The only trouble is that I drink a lot of tea. Like... six or seven big cups a day most days. By this point, I'm probably pretty much peeing spearmint. :'D

Quote from: michelle666 on January 28, 2012, 04:18:56 PM
So this morning when I went to take a shower. I looked at myself in the mirror and thought "hmmm something is different" and it was, my testicles were up inside me. It really looked like I had none at all. Can this happen when they shrink? Does it mean that other thing inside with them are probably shrinking too?

I thought I noticed some minor shrinkage down there too. But perhaps it was just wishful thinking on my part. :'D

Interesting, I started drinking herbal tea and might have to try this.

I can report I have been on spiro + finisteride and my body hair is really giving it up. I had a LOT of hair on my chest and all over my back. Back hair has disappeared and chest/tummy hair is just about gone, very fine. My legs just need shaving on the knee area about one a week and the rest will go a couple of weeks easy. Before I had to shave my legs every day and by the evening I would feel stubble. Can't say I've noticed any bad side effects.

Ok so today I noticed that my chest hair are gone at random spots. This actually works :), wow!

But my sexdrive is back :S.

Here's something I just noticed. I used to have dark hair on my arms and a bit on my hands that I've been epilating. Well, I was just driving and my hands were on top of the steering wheel with the sun hitting them and I saw some hair. I realized I haven't done them in a couple of weeks and then I noticed that there was no color to the hair. I pulled over and checked both arms and hands and sure enough there is regrowth, but it's very thin and colorless!!!!

I've managed to get my hands on some bulk spearmint tea!  :icon_dance: It literally has twigs in it. I thought the leaves would dissolve in water but apparently not. I have to find ways of "brewing" it instead of microwaving water like I have been.

Haha, so cute. It's crushed leaves, so of course it's not gonna dissolve. :'D

It has to be filtered. You do this by using either empty tea bags, a tea ball or by boiling everything in a pot then filtering it with a metal sieve or coffee filter or something. But tea balls and bags are the most practical IMO.

I thought the leaves would dissolve like coffee creamer or something. :P

I used a metal strainer but I end up spilling alot of it. I will try the tea bags idea or just spring for a dedicated tea maker.

I went went to Woolworths last night and they had a Twinnings Chamomile & Spearmint tea but all the other mint teas were Peppermint. I'll see what Coles has, even though it's herbal range is smaller than woolies

Quote from: muiredachau on February 09, 2012, 10:46:01 PM
I went went to Woolworths last night and they had a Twinnings Chamomile & Spearmint tea but all the other mint teas were Peppermint. I'll see what Coles has, even though it's herbal range is smaller than woolies

Do you have any health food stores near you ? I get mine from one, it cost me about $6. for a 30 bag box of pure Spearmint tea.

I wouldn't get your hopes up. I drink tea that contains spearmint all the time and I never noticed any differences from when I didn't. I only drink it because I like the flavor though. It's Celestial Seasonings' Sleepytime Vanilla  :).

Then again, in the first place, tbh I never noticed a lot of androgen effects that many other people seem to have, so who knows.

Quote from: pretty on February 10, 2012, 09:00:04 PM
I wouldn't get your hopes up. I drink tea that contains spearmint all the time and I never noticed any differences from when I didn't. I only drink it because I like the flavor though. It's Celestial Seasonings' Sleepytime Vanilla  :).

Then again, in the first place, tbh I never noticed a lot of androgen effects that many other people seem to have, so who knows.

The amount of spearmint in that tea is probably next to nothing. You need to drink the tea that is all spearmint.

Yeah if its not working then both me and my wife are delusional. A drink the tea and also take some herbs said to stimulate the estrogen receptors. I take them because it feels better than doing nothing while waiting to get on hormones.



And my breasts are getting bigger, it was my wife that told me that after she stared at them for a long time. And she is right, they are starting to jiggle when I am running etc. And I also can se that the shape is now different than before, more pointy and there is alot more fat in there than before (it was all hard muscles just a few months ago).


Anyway the effects might not be that strong but I do not doubt that there is something in that tea that helps against testosterone.

Hello

After reading all of the testimonials on the virtues of spearmint tea I decided to order some.
Received parcel yesterday(ordered online).
It is pure spearmint with little twigs and leaves,smells extremely fresh.
I am a big fan of Herbs as I use them for other conditions but I was completely unaware of Spearmint
tea's AA properties.
You learn something everyday don't you.
Thanks for the advice everyone.

Namaste'

Atomic Kitten

I need to pick up some then.

I've been on vacation for the past couple of weeks and forgot to bring my epilator with me. My lower legs have pretty much no growth on them with the exception of a stray hair here and there, upper legs have a bit more. My chest has some hairs coming in, but compared to before the tea, it's nothing.

We drink a lot of herbal teas around here anyway so I picked up a bag of spearmint since I like the flavor.  It was really useful when I had a stomach virus earlier this week.  But I have to share an important tip with everyone today.

When you are making tea with a K-Cup machine (for fast hot water), DO NOT forget to remove any used coffee K-Cups before pulling water for tea.

I run out of Spiro a lot and forget to refill, so I always drink a lot more Spearmint Tea than usual when that happens.
It makes me feel better.

But I usually just drink one cup at night.
There's some times where I feel like I'm just drinking weird tasting water and all it is is just liquid inside my stomach.
But i have noticed it's thinned out my body hair a lot. Sex drive is also down.
So i keep forcing myself to drink it.

I've been drinking Spearmint Tea on an off for a bout 2 months now.

I've been drinking spearmint tea for the past month and I haven't seen any tremendously great results. My doctor ramped up my HRT doses as well. I even bought an electric kettle and French coffee press. I guess I'm making it wrong?

i only managed to find spearmint mixed with chamamile ( not sure thats how you spell it ) in a twinning box . i might try to find some spearmint loose leaf tea on ebay or elsewhere online

Quote from: mementomori on February 29, 2012, 12:51:26 AM
i only managed to find spearmint mixed with chamamile ( not sure thats how you spell it ) in a twinning box . i might try to find some spearmint loose leaf tea on ebay or elsewhere online

If you have a Whole Foods or other organic food store near you, they stock a brand called Traditional Medicinals, they have a tea thats all spearmint. You can also get it on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Traditional-Medicinals-Certified-Spearmint-16-Count/dp/B000EJPDMC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330518924&sr=8-1 (http://www.amazon.com/Traditional-Medicinals-Certified-Spearmint-16-Count/dp/B000EJPDMC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330518924&sr=8-1)
The amazon price is for 6 boxes of it. Its a pretty good deal, I pay $5 a box at Whole Foods.

Actually if you own a tea ball then here is what you want to buy - http://www.amazon.com/Frontier-Spearmint-Chopped-Certified-Organic/dp/B001VNGOGY/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1330521333&sr=1-1. (http://www.amazon.com/Frontier-Spearmint-Chopped-Certified-Organic/dp/B001VNGOGY/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1330521333&sr=1-1.)  A touch over $9 (with subscribe and save) for a pound of tea.  That is 910 teaspoons of spearmint.  Even if you use multiple per "cup" then it is much cheaper.  Personally I like to use between 2 and 3 teaspoons in the ball with around 8oz water.

Actually if you don't own a tea ball then buy one and get that anyway.  No paper or wrappers to have to throw away and it is cheaper.

OMG I don't want this topic to end.  Does anyone have any new results?  I just got my spearmint tea today and I'm giving it a shot.

:)

Let us know how it works for you. In about 6-8 weeks you should notice the results. Stick with it and don't miss days.
;)

There have been a few studies of spearmint in the management of PCOS induced hirsutism, heres an abstract.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ptr.2900/abstract (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ptr.2900/abstract)

This would have probably been a godsend if I was a teen and didn't have connections for hormones.

Now that I've been on AA's for a while now, I don't get why anyone would really bother with this stuff,
it;s kinda...yucky. :P

Actualy Ave, it is a great addition to the HRT regimine for those girls who have some hirsuitism issues.
Now many girls will get adequate body hair reduction from standard anti androgens but none of the anti androgens we are typicaly prescribed will target hair folicles specificaly.
There were some links provided by some of the posters that do a good job verifying the science behind it.
As for the taste it isn't so bad. Some folks like mint alot so for those folks it is a real bonus. They get some hair reduction and they get a cup of nice minty tea. Win, win.

Quote from: cynthialee on September 08, 2012, 10:30:55 PM
Actualy Ave, it is a great addition to the HRT regimine for those girls who have some hirsuitism issues.
Now many girls will get adequate body hair reduction from standard anti androgens but none of the anti androgens we are typicaly prescribed will target hair folicles specificaly.
There were some links provided by some of the posters that do a good job verifying the science behind it.
As for the taste it isn't so bad. Some folks like mint alot so for those folks it is a real bonus. They get some hair reduction and they get a cup of nice minty tea. Win, win.

That's interesting, but I've always been smooth so I'll pass on the tea. I've never really liked tea and it makes me want to puke.

However, if they ever come up with a cappuccino that gives your skin an even nicer glow, call me :).

I see this thread is a year old, so the ladies who have been drinking spearmint for that time, is it still working? If so I need to change my diet from coffee to spearmint :)

Still works.

I think I need to find the translation for spearmint into Spanish and pop into my local herbal store tomorrow :)

If Spearmint tea really worked there would be warnings on the box and it would probably become a controlled substance.

An ineffectively low dosage of medically prescribed anti-androgens would  be more effective than the tea. O_O   Maybe you really have to believe in it for it to work but I tried these sorts of things and I recommend finding a way to be on anti-androgens and estrogen rather than pioneering transition through herbs.

Siberian women have been using it to comabt hirsuitism for centuries. So some scientists looked into the thing and found out it wasn't an old wives tale. There have been some links provided by the posters on this thread that back these claims up with science.
No one on this thread is making any money in the spearmint trade. So it isn't like we have vested interest in getting people to buy spearmint.

also
In my opinion it is hard to argue with results. A number of us who have tried it report good results.
Also working on hair reduction is something any trans woman can do at any time without raising red flags like anti androgens can and do. If you are pre HRT and pre full time you can still work on the body hair and facial hair. Drinking tea also will not raise any red flags with family or room mates. It is just tea after all.
;)

Besides me, did anyone else ever use over-the-counter Cemetidine (Tagamet)?  I was that deserate for a while, but the large doses needed for the Antiandrogen effect caused pretty severe testicle, joint and bone pain from time to time.  Had some interesting results, but had to quit because of the pain.  I now only take it for stomach acid relief as needed.  All the herbal meds caused other problems.

Ya know what if you have high blood pressure you can just say you want to take spirol even though you understand the "risks" of feminization. 

It is a pretty potent high blood pressure medication,  knocked me straight off my old HBP meds within the first 2 days. (I monitored it for a month)

The doseage for blood preasure regulation and the doseage for antiandrogen effects are not the same dose.
Taking the standard dose for blood preasure issues will be unlikely to be very effective as an AA.

Quote from: cynthialee on September 10, 2012, 12:28:13 PM
The doseage for blood preasure regulation and the doseage for antiandrogen effects are not the same dose.
Taking the standard dose for blood preasure issues will be unlikely to be very effective as an AA.

Might not be as effective, but perhaps more effective than tea.  Or if you use both together could be even more potent!

I have read many posts online before transitioning of guys taking small dosages of spirol and complaining about some feminizing.

I've been drinking the spearmint tea for a few days.  I have noticed a reduction in sex drive.  Thank god!  Driving my husband crazy.  I'm 50, so when my sex drive suddenly went way high the past year it was a big surprise.  I probably have very high testosterone for a woman.  I have had it tested in the past and it was high, but my sex drive was not as high as now.  I'm trying the spearmint tea for that as well as the hirsuitism.  The hair on my arms had gotten darker in the last 5 years. I also have some chin hairs I'd like to soften up. 

Thanks for the updates and other comments.  I just found this thread and I was afraid it was all over.  It's really interesting to learn about people who are from a different life experience than me.  I hope you all have success with this and get what makes you happy. 

As for the person who is telling us not to drink the tea and to take drugs.  Give me a break.  I'll try the tea first and then if nothing natural works, I still probably won't take drugs that have terrible side effect that are much worse than high sex drive and too much body hair.  So maybe it won't work for everyone, but it has for some and maybe it will work for me too.  What's it going to hurt to drink some mint tea that tastes good and won't make me have terrible side effects?

Thanks everyone!

Hi all!

I've found this information a week ago and I was pretty interested. Here I can buy boxes of spearmint tea at Walmart at 80 cents for a 26 bags box. So I started last week and I realised that all body hair was growing slower, especially facial hair, so I'll keep trying it more time, I'm very very excited.  :)
I've found though that the original study used a heaped teaspoon (5g) of spearmint for each 250 ml cup, so I'm trying to put more bags per tea and see the effects this week. I'll divide it into drinking three cups a day, of 3 bags (3g) each one and see what happens.
I can't see any strong effects on sex drive yet, more or less the same, but maybe this week I would see some better results, I guess.

Cheers ladies

I use bulk spearmint I get from a local herbal supply store. Much cheeper than going with bags. I buy it a pound at a time.

Ahhhh, hmmmmm, in theory all the known antyandrogen compounds in natural food do some to regulate T and E, however, in such insignificant amounts that hoping for changes due to ingesting soy milk, mint, etc is sort of useless.
However there are concentrated forms of same compounds sold as food suplements in any vitamin shop, try using those as they have 1000X potency over food contained stuff.

Soy doesn't do much.

Spearmint tea, however, is proven by science to help with hirsutism in women if drunk in large amounts daily for weeks.

This thread deserves a bump as it is the most extensive Spearmint Tea thread I have found here.

My wife and I are ready to take the HRTea challenge.

Are people still seeing good results?

Quote from: Tori on November 23, 2013, 06:50:14 PM
This thread deserves a bump as it is the most extensive Spearmint Tea thread I have found here.

My wife and I are ready to take the HRTea challenge.

Are people still seeing good results?

I fell off the HRTea and my body hair is showing the results...
Now it is not back to where it was when I started to drink the tea faithfully.
The spearmint really makes a difference when I stick with it. But I really do not like the flavor of mint, so it is easy for me to stop.

But there is no doubt in my mind that spearmint is a very good tool in the tool-chest of the TS woman. It is effective and there are other reasons to drink tea that bring health and wellness.

Thank you for the update Cynthia as you were one of the people who has inspired me to give it a try.

I am a bit less skeptical now, since not only did it work for you, it stopped working when you stopped.

This may be good for hair and a control over sex drive. Need a boost? Take a HRTea break!

When I first discovered the properties of the plant it came at a much needed time for me. I was extremely distraught over my body hair and estradiol wasn't working fast enough. The spearmint really helped to give a result when it was most needed. It really did only take about 6 weeks to notice the changes and at 3 months the changes I attribute to the tea were down right phenomenal to me.
Now that I am further along in transition, I can have a scruff on my face and thicker arm hair and folks still call me ma'am. :D  So I am not so quik to drink down a tea I don't like that much. Well if I mix in some Earl Grey it isn't too bad, but then I need honey and lemon...

I drank Spearmint tea for several months prior to starting HRT. It may have had some effect but it was negligible compared to when I started HRT. It may be effective for hirsutism in women but then it's also not trying to counter the T producing powerhouse of the testicles either!

I was also drinking Saw Palmetto tea and tried Chaste Tea (possibly one of the most disgusting concoctions I've ever tasted), all with negligible effect both physically which was also confirmed in my blood tests. They did probably reduce my sex drive which in and of itself made me feel better so that's something I suppose.

Spearmint tea is slightly effective as an antiandrogen, but there is evidence that large doses can cause oxidative stress to the hypothalamus.  It can be a good supplement to an antiandrogen regimen, but as a stand alone in megadoses it could have negative effects.

Wow! This looks very interesting. I am definietely going to try it. Even if it is just a weak anti-androgen, at least it will slow down my facial hair growth. :)

Quote from: Ms Grace on November 24, 2013, 04:13:00 PM
I drank Spearmint tea for several months prior to starting HRT. It may have had some effect but it was negligible compared to when I started HRT. It may be effective for hirsutism in women but then it's also not trying to counter the T producing powerhouse of the testicles either!

I was also drinking Saw Palmetto tea and tried Chaste Tea (possibly one of the most disgusting concoctions I've ever tasted), all with negligible effect both physically which was also confirmed in my blood tests. They did probably reduce my sex drive which in and of itself made me feel better so that's something I suppose.

And here's the truth of the matter.. I won't deny it's placebo effects, but it's actual efficacy? Fairly minimal at non-health damaging doses..