This native American essential oil is a delight.
Many sources treat spearmint as a milder, gentler form of peppermint, but the two oils have very different chemical makeups and very different effects.
Unlike Peppermint oil, Spearmint essential oil is calming, relaxing and uplifting, rather than stimulating. As such, it is a useful oil in treating mental fatigue and depression. (A nice alternative to the more familiar citrus oils for these conditions.)
Some swear by it for headache's, others use in a facial soap for oily skin. Spearmint is a proven antibacterial and antifungal so should be useful in inhalation for respiratory infections, and in topical applications for skin infections.. (Blend it with other oils and dilute well, to avoid irritation.) It's lighthearted aroma would be a refreshing change from the more commonly recommended antibacterial oils.
An inhalation of spearmint alone, or with a drop or two of lime or ginger, is said to be an appetite stimulant.
Research has shown it effective against dust mites, although I'm not sure how that particular laboratory study would translate into real life.
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