Wild Mint or Mentha arvensis is one of the few native mints growing in the United States. This plant is so widely distributed that it can be found in most northern boreal regions from Asia to North America. Because of this wide distribution, this plant has been used for a wide variety of applications throughout human history. Native Americans had many medicinal and culinary uses for this plant.
About Mentha Arvensis
Also known as wild mint, this plant is a flowering species in the mint family Lamiaceae. This herbaceous perennial plant can grow up to 39 inches tall from a creeping rootstock. The squarish stems are semi-sprawling with long, broad hairy leaves that have a coarsely serrated margin. The flowers are pale purple and can occasionally be white or pink. They bloom in whorls on the stem at the base of the leaves. The fruit of the flower is a two-chambered carpel.
The leaves of the wild mint are edible, raw, or cooked. Many Native Americans make herb tea from the fresh or dried leaves that are also used to flavor soups, salads, and meat. Plant parts were packed in alternate layers with dried meat for storage.
Medicinal Uses
Wild mint is a popular herb used by many Native American communities to treat a variety of ailments. An infusion of leaves is used to treat kidney disease by the California Indians and the Kutenai. The Cherokee, the Okanagan Colville, the Thompson, and the Navajo Ramah use an infusion of leaves to treat fever and colds. The plant is used as a ceremonial plant in the Sun Dance Ceremony. The leaves are chewed and placed on the body to improve one's love life, and an infusion of leaves was taken to stimulate vital organs. The Flathead took an infusion of leaves for colds and fever. Leaves were also used for infected or carious teeth. The Gros Ventre took an infusion of the entire plant to treat a headache and the Iroquois drink an infusion of the plant to induce vomiting as a cure for poison. The Kawaiisu and the Kutenai used a poultice of leaves to treat pain and rheumatism. The Navajo Kayenta made a lotion from this plant and used it on swellings. The roots are used to treat snake bites. The Paiute chewed the entire plant to keep cool. Fresh leaves are put in nostrils for colds. A poultice of fresh leaves is applied to the gums to treat toothaches.
Did You Know...
The genus name Mentha comes from Mintho, mistress of Pluto, ruler of Hades. His jealous queen, Proserpine, upon learning of Mintho, trampled her, transforming her into a lowly plant forever to be walked upon. Pluto made this horrible fate more tolerable by willing that the more the plant was trampled, the sweeter it would smell.
Substances that can be extracted from wild mint include menthol and menthone that are used in food, drinks, cough medicines, creams, and cigarettes. Menthol is widely used in dental care, as a mouthwash.
The plant is used as an insect repellent.
Rats and mice intensely dislike the smell of mint. It was used as a strewing herb in granaries to keep them away.
Native people used leaves as perfume and to deodorize their houses.
No comments:
Post a Comment