In addition to a number of useful medicinal uses, Horsemint has a striking pagoda-like blossom. It is native to the Eastern United States and can be found in Connecticut. Because horsemint has the highest thymol content of all the mints, it has been scientifically recognized for its antiseptic and anesthetic properties.
About Horsemint
Also known as Spotted Beebalm or Monarda punctate this perennial is in the mint family. Other members of this family include thyme, basil, rosemary, and oregano. Like most plants in this family, it tends to grow in colonies and near each other. Unlike most Monarda species that have a single flower head on a stem, horsemint has flowers that are stacked up on the stem with bracts radiating from the light green to reddish-brown square-shaped stem under each flower. The purple/pink-yellow whorled flowers attract bees and butterflies and bloom from mid-to-late summer and continue to flower for up to two months. The lance-shaped leaves smell like oregano or thyme. The plant is propagated by seed that grows in sandy well-drained soil in meadows. The root system consists of a taproot as well as shallow fibrous roots.
Medicinal Uses
Horsemint was discovered and used medicinally by many indigenous peoples including the Meskwaki, Delaware, Mohegan, Navajo, Ojibwa, and Nanticoke. The Delaware made an infusion of this plant and would bathe the face with it to treat fever. The Meskwaki made a compound of the leaves and would stuff it up the nose to treat headaches. A compound of leaves was also used to treat stomach cramps. The Mohegan used an infusion of leaves to treat fever and the Nanticoke used an infusion of the entire plant to treat a cold. The Navajo made a cold infusion that was taken and used as a poultice to treat a headache and cough. They also hung it in their hogan for the pleasing odor. The Ojibwa made a decoction of the plant for stomach or bowel trouble and used it as a laxative. The Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Creek used a leaf decoction to ward off rheumatism. Many communities made tea from the plant to treat flu, fevers, and colds.
Did You Know...
Monardas are called horsemint because horse signifies something large and the members of this genus are generally larger than other members of the mint family.
Horsemint is a pollinator magnet and attracts bees, wasps, butterflies, beetles, and even hummingbirds.
The name, Monarda commemorates the Spanish physician and botanist, Nicholas Bautista Monardes (1493-1588).
Other common names are Dotted monarda, spotted beebalm, dotted horsemint, and spotted mint.
Thymol is an effective hookworm remedy but must be taken in such great quantities that it can prove fatal to the patient.
During WWI, commercial thyme fields were destroyed in Europe, and horsemint was grown in the United States as a substitute source of thymol.
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