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Peppermint tea

Mentha × piperita

Also known as peppermint tea, mint tea, mint infusion

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An infusion of dried or fresh peppermint leaf, containing no caffeine and no tea leaf. USDA does not publish a peppermint-specific brewed entry, so the generic brewed herbal infusion record is used and should be read as an approximation.

Gut & Digestive HealthSleep

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Insufficient

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Digestive comfort

Gut & Digestive Health
Insufficient evidence

Peppermint tea is widely drunk for indigestion and wind, but almost all of the clinical research uses enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules in irritable bowel syndrome, which deliver far more menthol and deliver it further down the gut. Direct evidence for the infusion itself is thin.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

No source is attached to this association yet, so it is rated insufficient by default. It is listed because people commonly ask about it — not because there is evidence for it.

Sleep quality

Sleep
Insufficient evidence

Peppermint tea is often drunk as an evening wind-down, and the absence of caffeine is a real difference from ordinary tea. Trials testing peppermint infusion on sleep outcomes are essentially absent, so nothing can be concluded about the drink itself.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Peppermint tea

Ask about Peppermint tea

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories1 kcal0%
Protein0 g0%
Total fat0 g0%
Carbohydrate0.2 g0%
Fibre0 g0%
Total sugars0 g—
Water99.7 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.0020 g0%
Monounsaturated fat0.0010 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.0050 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A0 µg0%
Vitamin C0 mg0%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E0 mg0%
Vitamin K0 µg0%
Thiamin (B1)0.01 mg1%
Riboflavin (B2)0.0040 mg0%
Niacin (B3)0 mg0%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.011 mg0%
Vitamin B60 mg0%
Folate1 µg0%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline0.4 mg0%
Minerals
Calcium2 mg0%
Iron0.08 mg0%
Magnesium1 mg0%
Phosphorus0 mg0%
Potassium9 mg0%
Sodium1 mg0%
Zinc0.04 mg0%
Copper0.015 mg2%
Manganese0.044 mg2%
Selenium0 µg0%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene0 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin0 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash0 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Beverages, tea, herb, other than chamomile, brewed (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 173232).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • brewedIncreases volatile oil retention

    Covering the cup while steeping keeps the volatile menthol-bearing oils in the drink rather than letting them escape with the steam; five minutes is enough for a strong infusion.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Worth knowing

    Can aggravate reflux

    Menthol relaxes the lower oesophageal sphincter, so peppermint tea can worsen heartburn in people prone to reflux — the opposite of the settling effect it is usually drunk for.

  • Worth knowing

    An infusion is not the studied medicine

    The clinical evidence for peppermint in irritable bowel syndrome comes from enteric-coated oil capsules delivering a standardised menthol dose past the stomach. A cup of tea delivers a small fraction of that, without the coating that makes the delivery work.

  • Worth knowing

    Menthol products and infants

    Menthol-containing preparations should not be applied to or near the face of infants and young children because of the risk of laryngospasm. Strong mint infusions are not an appropriate home remedy for babies.