Is Peppermint Tea Good for Headaches?

Partly: peppermint tea may help a mild headache if dehydration is contributing, because it provides fluid, but peppermint itself is not proven to relieve headache pain.

We found no studies testing peppermint tea for headaches. Research on peppermint oil is limited and cannot establish whether drinking the tea works. You can try it as a beverage, but it should not replace medical care for a concerning or recurring headache.

Can peppermint tea help a headache?

Peppermint tea is reasonable to drink when you have a mild headache and want fluids. If you have not been drinking enough, rehydrating may help; any improvement would not necessarily be due to peppermint.

Headaches have many possible causes, however, and drinking tea will not address all of them. If you use prescribed or clinician-recommended headache medicine, continue to follow the directions you were given. For a broader look at hydration and other options, see the best drinks for headaches.

How might peppermint tea work?

The most straightforward potential benefit is hydration. Peppermint tea is mostly water, so it contributes fluid just as other unsweetened beverages do. A headache that improves after a drink may have been affected by dehydration, though improvement alone does not confirm the cause.

Peppermint, a type of mint, contains menthol, which is associated with a cooling sensation. Some research has examined concentrated peppermint oil applied to the skin or used for its aroma, but those preparations are different from tea made with peppermint leaves. They do not show how much menthol reaches the body through tea or whether it relieves headache pain when consumed.

Some people may find a warm drink or a quiet break comforting. That can be a reason to enjoy peppermint tea, but comfort is not proof of a specific headache treatment.

What does the research show?

The evidence is limited and indirect. The studies below examined peppermint oil, not peppermint tea:

A 2023 randomized trial in 46 adolescents with chronic headache compared a foot bath with a foot bath plus peppermint oil aromatherapy. Pain decreased in both groups; the study did not establish an additional pain-relief benefit from the oil.
A 1994 randomized crossover trial in 32 healthy volunteers tested oil preparations applied to the forehead and temples. A peppermint oil and ethanol preparation reduced sensitivity in an experimental pain test. This was not a trial of drinking tea or treating people with headache disorders.
A 2007 review of peppermint oil reported that topical oil may help tension headaches. That conclusion concerns an applied oil preparation, not peppermint tea.

Together, these findings are not strong enough to say peppermint tea treats headaches or prevents them. They also do not establish a dose of peppermint tea for headache relief.

How can you use peppermint tea safely?

Choose pure peppermint leaves or a packaged peppermint tea, rather than peppermint essential oil. For a hot cup, prepare the tea bag according to its package directions and let the drink cool enough to sip comfortably.

For a cold-steeped version, use:

1 liter water (about 4¼ US cups)
8–12 fresh peppermint leaves (about 5 g)

Rinse the peppermint leaves under running water.
Place the leaves and water in a clean, covered container.
Refrigerate for 2–4 hours, then strain if desired.
Drink within 24 hours for the best flavor. Keep refrigerated and discard after 2–3 days, or sooner if it becomes cloudy, slimy or sour-smelling.

Sip an amount that is comfortable for you rather than forcing fluids. There is no established amount of peppermint tea to take for a headache, and more is not necessarily better. Do not swallow peppermint essential oil or add it to the tea; the concentrated oil is not interchangeable with the leaves.

Who should be careful, and when should you see a doctor?

Peppermint can worsen reflux or heartburn for some people. If it makes your symptoms worse, stop drinking it. If you have kidney or heart disease and have been told to limit fluids, follow your clinician’s fluid guidance rather than drinking extra tea.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, ask your clinician about regular use, especially if you are considering peppermint products for symptoms. For a child with headaches, check with a pediatric clinician rather than relying on peppermint tea as a treatment. If you take medication or have a health condition and are considering concentrated peppermint products, ask a clinician or pharmacist first.

Arrange a medical appointment if headaches recur, become more frequent, change in pattern, interfere with daily activities or do not improve as expected. Seek urgent medical care for a sudden, extremely severe headache; a headache with weakness, difficulty speaking, confusion, fever and a stiff neck; or a headache after a head injury. A severe or unusual headache during pregnancy or after giving birth also needs urgent assessment.