Spearmint Capsules: Organic Spearmint Leaf Capsules or Peppermint Oil?
Spearmint is a mint that made itself. Botanists class Mentha spicata as a natural hybrid of two wild mints, Mentha longifolia and Mentha rotundifolia, one of thirteen such crosses in a genus of nineteen species [2]. It grows in almost any soil, spreads by a fleshy underground stem, and turns up in back gardens from Europe to North America and Asia [2]. Wherever it grows, people pick the leaves for tea, and what they are picking is the scent: the oil in the leaf is mostly carvone, the molecule the flavour and fragrance trade uses for that clean, sweet mint note, where peppermint’s is menthol [2] [3].
Our pouch takes the same leaf, dries and grinds it, and puts 500mg of it in a vegan capsule under an EU organic logo [4]. That is the whole story, and it is where the questions begin, because leaf, extract and oil mean three different things in a spearmint supplement. This guide explains what spearmint is, what 500mg of leaf powder means on our label, how it differs from our peppermint oil softgels and what a capsule a day costs, so you know exactly what you are bringing into your daily routine.
Spearmint capsules at a glance
- Who it suits: anyone who wants the spearmint leaf itself, certified organic, in one vegan capsule a day.
- What it is: organic spearmint leaf, Mentha spicata, dried and ground, 500mg in each capsule.
- Ingredients: organic spearmint leaf powder, a hypromellose capsule shell and organic brown rice flour, nothing else.
- How to take it: one capsule a day with water.
- Format: a vegan capsule, with the EU organic logo on the pouch.
- Price: £8.99 for 90 capsules, a 90-day supply at about 10p a day.
ORGANIC SPEARMINT LEAF · 500MG · 90 CAPSULES
£8.99 · 90 capsules · 1 capsule a day with water · organic spearmint leaf powder 500mg · vegan hypromellose capsule · about 10p a day
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What is spearmint? A hybrid mint with a scent of its own
Mentha spicata, also written Mentha viridis, belongs to the Lamiaceae, the mint family, which also includes rosemary [2]. It is a creeping perennial with a strong aromatic smell, growing 30 to 100cm tall on a wide-spreading fleshy rhizome [2].
The spearmint leaf and its name
The leaves are ovate to lance-shaped, 5 to 9cm long and 1.5 to 3cm broad, with a serrated edge, and the flowers come in slender spikes, pink or white and only 2.5 to 3mm across [2]. Pointed leaves and pointed spikes are as good an explanation of the name as any.
Different populations around the world use the leaves and stems to make tea, and if you have drunk mint tea in a North African café, it was probably this plant [2].
Spearmint vs peppermint: carvone or menthol
The two mints are told apart by their oils. In spearmint the predominant molecule is carvone, with trans-carveol next, and across samples from different localities carvone made up 29 to 47.3% of the oil [2]. Peppermint’s signature molecule is menthol, which is why our peppermint softgel declares 60mg of it [4].
Carvone, carveol and their relatives are the molecules the flavour and fragrance industry buys spearmint for, and the plant is cultivated worldwide for that aroma [3]. The leaf holds more than scent: its water-based extracts contain phenolic compounds, and rosmarinic acid and its relatives make up about 88% of those identified [2].
Spearmint capsules on the label: 500mg of organic leaf powder
The panel has one line: organic spearmint leaf 500mg per capsule, with two asterisks that mean no NRV established, because reference values exist only for vitamins and minerals [4]. Ninety capsules hold 45g of leaf.
500mg × 90 capsules = 45g of leaf powder in the pouch · £8.99 ÷ 90 = about 10p a day · the peppermint softgel: 200mg of oil × 30% = 60mg of menthol, and £12.99 ÷ 365 = about 3.6p a day.
Organic Spearmint Leaf and Peppermint Oil, nutrition panels and prices [4]
Spearmint leaf capsules: leaf powder, not an extract and not the oil
The ingredients list, not the front, gives you the detail. It says organic spearmint leaf powder, which is the dried leaf ground fine, so nothing has been concentrated and nothing removed. An extract would concentrate part of the leaf and an oil would hold only its volatile scent molecules, whereas this capsule gives you 500mg of the leaf itself, not just one molecule such as carvone [4].
The other two ingredients are the capsule itself, hypromellose, a plant-derived cellulose, and organic brown rice flour, which fills the space the leaf does not [4]. That is why the pouch can say vegan, and why the capsules belong to our vegan range.
Organic spearmint capsules: what the leaf logo tells you
The green leaf on the front is the EU organic logo, with the certifier’s code SK-BIO-003 beneath it and the words non-EU agriculture, so the leaf was grown outside the EU under organic rules, which places the capsules in our organic range [4]. The seal beside the name reads botanical origin, which tells you the ingredient comes from a plant.
Spearmint leaf or peppermint oil: which is right for you?
The two mints come in two different forms, so the choice is between the leaf and the oil.
Spearmint capsules: the whole leaf, vegan, about 10p a day
If you want the leaf as it grows, organic and in a vegan capsule, our Organic Spearmint Leaf 500mg capsules give 90 days for £8.99. One capsule holds half a gram of leaf, and the pouch holds 45g.
Peppermint oil softgels: 200mg of oil with 60mg of menthol
If it is the oil of the other mint you are after, our Peppermint Oil 200mg softgels declare 200mg of peppermint oil providing 60mg of menthol, in a bovine gelatin softgel [4]. A pouch of 365 lasts a year at about 3.6p a day.
PEPPERMINT OIL · 200MG · 365 SOFTGELS
£12.99 · 365 softgels · 1 softgel a day with water · peppermint oil 200mg providing 60mg menthol · bovine gelatin softgel · about 3.6p a day
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Here are the labels side by side. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
1 capsule · organic spearmint leaf powder 500mg · hypromellose shell, organic brown rice flour · vegan · EU organic logo, non-EU agriculture
Choose if you want the whole dried leaf, organic, in a vegan capsule · 90 days · £8.99: about 10p a day
1 softgel · peppermint oil 200mg providing 60mg menthol · bovine gelatin shell
Choose if you want the oil of the other mint, one softgel a day for a year · 365 days · £12.99: about 3.6p a day
Our spearmint leaf belongs to our herbal supplements range, and the peppermint softgels to our oils and herbal tinctures ranges. For another ground leaf from the same plant family, see our rosemary powder guide.
How to take spearmint capsules: one a day with water
The directions are the shortest on our shelf: take one capsule daily with water [4]. There is no timing on the label, so pick a meal you never skip and keep the capsule beside it.
Store the pouch in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight, as the label asks [4].
90 days of organic spearmint leaf
If a capsule is a simpler way to take spearmint leaf than a teapot, one vegan capsule a day covers three months for £8.99, about 10p a day.
SHOP ORGANIC SPEARMINT CAPSULES
Spearmint capsules FAQs
1. What are spearmint capsules good for?
UK law lets a food supplement carry only the health claims authorised on the Great Britain register, and none has been authorised for spearmint [1]. What you can be sure of is on the label: 500mg of organic spearmint leaf in a vegan capsule, once a day [4].
2. What is in a spearmint capsule?
Organic spearmint leaf powder, a hypromellose capsule shell and organic brown rice flour [4]. The leaf is dried and ground, not extracted or distilled.
3. Spearmint capsules or spearmint tea: what is the difference?
Tea steeps the leaf in hot water and you drink what dissolves. The capsule gives you 500mg of the ground leaf itself, with no taste and no cup to make.
4. Are spearmint capsules the same as spearmint oil capsules?
No, they’re two different things. With a spearmint oil, you get only the volatile scent molecules, mainly carvone [2]. This capsule gives you 500mg of the whole ground leaf, as declared on its panel [4].
5. Are spearmint capsules vegan?
Yes. The shell is hypromellose, a plant-derived cellulose, and the pouch front says vegan capsules [4].
6. Can I take spearmint capsules every day?
Yes. The label gives a daily amount of one capsule, so it is made for daily use [4]. It is not intended for children, and the label asks you to consult a doctor first if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, have a medical condition or take any medication [4].
7. Spearmint vs peppermint: which should I choose?
They are different plants with different oils: carvone in spearmint, menthol in peppermint [2] [4]. The choice is really between the whole leaf of one plant and the oil of the other.
8. How much do spearmint capsules cost a day?
About 10p. A pouch of 90 capsules is £8.99, and one capsule is a day’s serving [4].
If you want the leaf of the mint that made itself, organic and in a vegan capsule, take the Organic Spearmint Leaf 500mg capsules at about 10p a day. If it is peppermint oil you are after, the Peppermint Oil 200mg softgels cover a year for £12.99. Either way, one a day with water, and the label tells you exactly what you are getting.
References
Checked against the product labels, the GB Nutrition and Health Claims Register and the published reviews cited below, September 2026.
[1] Department of Health and Social Care. Great Britain nutrition and health claims (NHC) register, GOV.UK (no entry for spearmint or Mentha). Accessed 2026-09-27. View Source
[2] El Menyiy N, Mrabti HN, El Omari N, et al. Medicinal Uses, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, and Toxicology of Mentha spicata. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2022;2022:7990508 (cited only for the plant’s botany, where it grows, its use for tea and the make-up of its leaf and oil; its health statements are not used). View Source
[3] Zhang LL, Chen Y, Li ZJ, Li X, Fan G. Bioactive properties of the aromatic molecules of spearmint (Mentha spicata L.) essential oil: a review. Food and Function. 2022;13(6):3110-3132 (cited only for where spearmint is grown and the aroma molecules of its oil; its health statements are not used). View Source
[4] Alpha01. Organic Spearmint Leaf 500mg 90 Capsules and Peppermint Oil 200mg 365 Softgels: pouch fronts, nutrition information panels, ingredients, suggested use, caution and prices. Accessed 2026-09-27. View Source
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