Skin, Hormones and Everyday Health: How spearmint, hibiscus and cranberry can help

If you’re battling breakouts, bloating, UTIs, or PCOS symptoms, you’ve probably seen herbs like spearmint, hibiscus and cranberry pop up again and again. Here’s what the research actually says, why it matters for skin and women’s health, and how Carmién blends may be help you in your journey.

Spearmint for calmer, clearer-looking skin

A small randomised controlled trial found that drinking spearmint tea twice daily for 30 days lowered free and total testosterone compared with a placebo herbal tea (Grant, 2010). Those hormone shifts are relevant because androgen spikes can drive oiliness and some forms of acne; the same trial reported better self-rated skin outcomes even though clinical hair scores didn’t change over a month, likely because skin and hair cycles need longer (Grant, 2010). A peer-reviewed article reaches a similar conclusion: spearmint appears to have anti-androgen activity, with early signals for androgen-linked concerns like acne and hirsutism, but bigger, longer trials are still needed (Grant and Ramasamy, 2012).

What to do with that? If your breakouts ebb and flow with your cycle, having spearmint daily is a low-risk way to test if calmer androgens make your skin calm down too. Carmién Refresh combines rooibos, green honeybush and spearmint for a crisp, anytime cup.

If you want gut support alongside spearmint, Carmién Gut adds green rooibos, fennel, chicory root and Bacillus coagulans with spearmint, which makes it a practical choice when bloating and skin flare-ups travel together (Carmién Tea, 2024).

Hibiscus and PCOS: where it might help

Hibiscus calyces are rich in polyphenols and anthocyanins with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions, which are relevant to the metabolic and inflammatory features of PCOS (Indumathi and Abi Beaulah, 2024). Emerging evidence includes a small clinical report of symptom improvements after hibiscus tea supplementation and broader discussions of hibiscus’ metabolic effects in PCOS-related literature (Indumathi and Abi Beaulah, 2024).

Consumer summaries echo potential benefits such as blood pressure and lipid support, while reminding readers to watch medications that interact with hibiscus (PharmEasy, n.d.; Milvago, 2024). The bottom line: hibiscus isn’t a PCOS treatment, but it’s a reasonable, food-first way to support cardiometabolic health as part of diet, movement and medical care, which may help relieve symptoms (Indumathi and Abi Beaulah, 2024; PharmEasy, n.d.; Milvago, 2024).

Drink Carmién Cranberry Hibiscus Cold Brew regularly, track your cycle and energy, and keep your healthcare provider in the loop if you’re on antihypertensives or other meds.

Cranberry for everyday women’s health (especially UTIs)

Cranberry’s best-supported role is prevention of recurrent UTIs in specific groups. A 2023 Cochrane review of 50 trials (8,857 participants) concluded that cranberry products reduce symptomatic, culture-confirmed UTIs in women with recurrent UTIs, in children and in people with procedure-related risk, while showing little or no benefit in pregnancy, the elderly in care and some neurogenic bladder groups (Williams et al., 2023). A 2021 meta-analysis also found a significant risk reduction, with the mechanism linked to A-type proanthocyanidins that make it harder for E. coli to stick to the urinary tract (Xia et al., 2021). The FDA allows a qualified health claim for certain cranberry juices and supplements, but stresses the evidence is limited and inconsistent, so wording must reflect that (FDA, 2020).

Beyond UTIs, mainstream nutrition sources note cranberry’s vitamin C and polyphenols for general wellness and heart health markers, plus its long-standing use for urinary comfort; these are helpful context points rather than treatment claims (BBC Good Food, n.d.; Health.com, 2022; Lyndhurst Gyn, n.d.; NDTV, 2025; Healthline, 2024).

Our Cranberry Hibiscus Cold Brew Rooibos Tea is a sugar-free, caffeine-free way to get a tart-bright cranberry-hibiscus profile in your water bottle. It’s formulated for cold water and sweetened only with natural stevia leaf.

Smart, everyday use

• If you’re trialling spearmint for skin, drink it daily for at least 6–8 weeks and track changes across a full cycle. Pair Refresh with Spearmint or Carmién Gut with water-first skincare and adequate protein.
• For cranberry, aim for consistency rather than “rescue” dosing, and remember prevention does not equal treatment. If you have UTI symptoms, seek medical care first (Williams et al., 2023; FDA, 2020).
• For PCOS, hibiscus can sit alongside fibre-rich meals, movement and clinician-directed care. Keep expectations realistic and keep your GP or gynae updated (Indumathi and Abi Beaulah, 2024).

This article is informational and not medical advice.

References

• BBC Good Food (n.d.) Top 10 health benefits of cranberries. Available at: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/health/nutrition/health-benefits-cranberries (Accessed 9 September 2025).
• Carmién Tea (n.d.) Refresh with Spearmint (20 Teabags). Available at: https://carmientea.co.za/shop/wellness-teas/refresh-with-spearmint-20s/ (Accessed 9 September 2025).
• Carmién Tea (n.d.) Cranberry Hibiscus Cold Brew Rooibos Tea (20 Teabags). Available at: https://carmientea.co.za/shop/pyramid-teas/fruit-herbal-infusions/cranberry-hibiscus-cold-brew-20s/ (Accessed 9 September 2025). Carmién Tea
• Carmién Tea (2024) Carmién Packed Product Catalogue, October 2024 update (Carmién Gut page). Available in conversation files.
• FDA (2020) FDA announces qualified health claim for certain cranberry products and urinary tract infections. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/food/hfp-constituent-updates/fda-announces-qualified-health-claim-certain-cranberry-products-and-urinary-tract-infections (Accessed 9 September 2025). U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• Grant, P. (2010) ‘Spearmint herbal tea has significant anti-androgen effects in polycystic ovarian syndrome: A randomized controlled trial’, Phytotherapy Research, 24(2), pp. 186–188. PubMed
• Grant, P. and Ramasamy, S. (2012) ‘An update on plant derived anti-androgens’, International Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, 10(2), pp. 497–502. PMC
• Health.com (2022) 7 health benefits of cranberry juice. Available at: https://www.health.com/cranberry-juice-7508614 (Accessed 9 September 2025).
• Healthline (2024) Are cranberry pills good for you? Available at: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cranberry-pills (Accessed 9 September 2025).
• Indumathi, P. and Abi Beaulah, G. (2024) ‘Role of herbs in treating polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)’, International Journal of Zoological Investigations, 10(1), pp. 214–220. Available in conversation files.
• Lyndhurst Gynecology (n.d.) What is cranberry juice good for? A focus on women’s health. Available at: https://www.lyndhurstgyn.com/what-is-cranberry-juice-good-for-a-focus-on-womens-health/ (Accessed 9 September 2025).
• Milvago (2024) Debunking myths about hibiscus for PCOS. Available at: https://milvago.in/2024/12/29/debunking-myths-about-hibiscus-for-pcos/ (Accessed 9 September 2025). https://
• NDTV (2025) Here’s how cranberries can help boost women’s health. Available at: https://www.ndtv.com/health/heres-how-cranberries-can-help-boost-womens-health-6862841 (Accessed 9 September 2025).
• PharmEasy (n.d.) Hibiscus tea: benefits, uses, side effects & more. Available at: https://pharmeasy.in/blog/ayurveda-uses-benefits-side-effects-of-hibiscus-tea/ (Accessed 9 September 2025).
• Williams, G., Stothart, C.I., Hahn, D., Stephens, J.H., Craig, J.C. and Hodson, E.M. (2023) Cranberries for preventing urinary tract infections. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 11. Art. No.: CD001321. Available at: https://www.cochrane.org/evidence/CD001321_cranberries-preventing-urinary-tract-infections (Accessed 9 September 2025). cochrane.org
• Xia, J-y., Yang, C., Xu, D-f., Xia, H., Yang, L-g. and Sun, G. (2021) ‘Consumption of cranberry as adjuvant therapy for urinary tract infections in susceptible populations: A systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis’, PLOS ONE, 16(9), e0256992. PLOS
• Note: We consulted the attached conference bibliography for PCOS herbal evidence mapping (Obstetrics & Gynaecology Forum, 2024) as contextual reading.