Native American Herbal, Plant Knowledge

Naturalized means that the plants have gone wild, are weeds (if you so regard them).

Gathering and use of any of these 3 escaped immigrants may provide a wild substitute

for traditional native mints -- certainly it has to many people. For example, the Great

Plains teems with pennyroyal and peppermint, now, that are (by women who still do

wild gathering) considered the same as the older native horsemints of the prairies.

There is an American pennyroyal, too, which is a native. It's the one most often called

"squaw mint" by pejorative types. Its botannical name is Hedeoma pulegioides. It

smells sweeter and tastes better than the European immigrant, and makes one of the

best teas. It likes dry, sterile, acid soil, and is probably the main mint of the Plains. It is

small, 6-12" high, with small, oval, edge-toothed leaves. Its lavendar flowers are born

right where the pairs of leaves join the stem, as in the picture. It's best gathered in

June-July when in flower. Dry in shade. Use 1 tsp of dried mint for each cup boiling

water poured over it. Generally a women's remedy tea, also said to be good for

headaches, colds, etc., but primarily drink it for pleasure.

In supermarkets now, as well as health foods stores, fresh mint will be found. It's not

any of these wild species, it's cultivated types with rounder leaves and more succulent

stems. But the wild mints can be used in any recipes calling for mint. Since bought mint

is pretty expensive, and it's stone easy to grow indoors, sprigs of store-bought mint may

be rooted in a glass jar of water in a sunny windowsill, then potted, just as easily as

wild mints. In outdoor gardens, store-bought mint likes dappled sun and shade, most

wild mints prefer full sun.

Native cookery made much use of mints, especially where (as here) salt was a rare or

nonexistent seasoning, and variety in foods was by herbal or vegetable additions. Fish

were stuffed with, and wrapped in, mints. Mints were tossed (along with dried fruits

and berries) into soups and stews. Since the flavor oil is rather volatile, little remains of

the minty taste when these are boiled, they are a kind of cooked green veggie then.

More herbal flavor is held in in a stuffed, wrapped baked fish. Of course lots of fresh

mint leaves, chopped with some whole for garnish, improves every fruit salad and most

green salads.

Teas can be made by crushing fresh mint, then pouring on boiling water to steep, but

are better if the leaves are dried until crumbly -- then use about a heaping teaspoonful

per cup. Mixing dried mint -- a quarter to half teaspoon -- with other dried herbs and

flowers improves the flavor of most teas.

Most health food co-ops sell quite a variety of dried mints -- for $20 - $30 a pound.

This is indicative of possible small business opportunity for reservation youth.

Mint, and certain other cooking herbs such as basil and cooking sage are called

carminatives in old herbals. This means they help to prevent the formation of gas in the

gut (that's a traditional joke about beans), a great contributor to gracious living in

Native Foods -- Mints, naturalized

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