Mint, alas, affected amulet (8)
I believe the answer is:
talisman
'amulet' is the definition.
(I know that amulet can be written as talisman)
'mint alas affected' is the wordplay.
'affected' is an anagram indicator.
'mint'+'alas'='mintalas'
'mintalas' anagrammed gives 'TALISMAN'.
(Other definitions for talisman that I've seen before include "Charm that brings good luck?" , "Object believed to have magical powers" , "Object believed to protect wearer" , "Charm thought to bring good luck" , "Lucky thing" .)