Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum)
Pycnanthemum
Western Herbalism
Western Herbalism

Mountain mint

Pycnanthemum

Also known as Wild basil, Pycnanthemum, Virginia mountain mint, Basil.

WarmingDryingTaste: PungentTaste: AromaticTaste: Bitter

Pycnanthemum is a North American genus of aromatic mints, commonly called mountain mints, native to meadows and open woodlands across the eastern and central United States. Species such as Pycnanthemum virginianum were used by Eclectic physicians of the nineteenth century much as European pennyroyal and catmint were used, as a domestic diaphoretic and carminative tea for feverish colds and digestive upset. The flowering aerial parts, rich in aromatic oil, are the part employed, usually as a simple hot infusion.

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Actions

DiaphoreticCarminativeAntispasmodicAromatic bitterMild diureticEmmenagogueAntimicrobialRubefacient

Indications what the tradition reached for it in

Specific indications

Feverish cold with chilliness and a desire for a warming, sweat-inducing tea rather than a cooling one

Griping abdominal pain with wind that eases after a warm aromatic infusion

Safety

Low dose botanical. Used in drop doses in the classical practice; not a plant to dose freely.

Pregnancy: Avoid concentrated preparations in pregnancy as a precaution, since some Pycnanthemum species contain pulegone-related monoterpenes similar to those implicated in pennyroyal toxicity; the mild tea form has a long history of domestic use but data are lacking.

The record lists 3 contraindications; open the plate in the library to read them in full.

In practice

Mountain mint tea earns its place as a gentle, pleasant-tasting diaphoretic for early feverish colds, particularly in patients who find yarrow or boneset too bitter or too strong. It is taken hot, in frequent small cups, to encourage a light sweat and to settle an uneasy stomach that often accompanies a feverish onset. Because its action is mild, it suits children and convalescents better than more stimulating diaphoretics. As a carminative it pairs naturally with chamomile or fennel for griping wind and colicky digestive upset, and its warming aromatic quality makes it a reasonable substitute in formulas that call for wild mint or pennyroyal when a gentler herb is wanted. Practitioners should keep in mind that the genus is large and variable in essential oil chemistry, so consistency of the tea depends on using a known, reliably identified species and a fresh, fragrant harvest.

Dosing as the sources wrote it

PreparationAs writtenMetric
Infusion1-2 g dried aerial parts as a hot tea, three to four times daily1000-2000 mg
Tincture (1:5, 45%)2-4 mL three times daily2-4 mL
infusionDose of the infusion, either warm or cold, from 1 to 4 fluid ounces, 3 or more times a day.29.57-118 mL

Doses are reproduced from the sources for practitioners and are not a recommendation for any person.

From the sources

Overview. Pycnanthemum is a North American genus of aromatic mints, commonly called mountain mints, native to meadows and open woodlands across the eastern and central United States. Species such as Pycnanthemum virginianum were used by Eclectic physicians of the nineteenth century much as European pennyroyal and catmint were used, as a domestic diaphoretic and carminative tea for feverish colds and digestive upset. The flowering aerial parts, rich in aromatic oil, are the part employed, usually as a simple hot infusion.

Clinical Notes. Mountain mint tea earns its place as a gentle, pleasant-tasting diaphoretic for early feverish colds, particularly in patients who find yarrow or boneset too bitter or too strong. It is taken hot, in frequent small cups, to encourage a light sweat and to settle an uneasy stomach that often accompanies a feverish onset.

Drawn from King's American Dispensatory, 18th edition (Felter and Lloyd), and the Bountiful Herbs editorial.

In formulas

Mountain mint stands in 1 documented formula in the library, among them Adrenal Restoration Formula.

Often paired with

holy basilOcimum tenuiflorumEleutheroEleutherococcus senticosusashwagandhaWithania somniferaLicorice rootGlycyrrhiza glabra

Nearby on the shelf

Mountain AshSorbusMountain ebonyBauhinia variegataMountain knotgrassAerva lanataMountain LaurelKalmia latifoliaMugwortArtemisia vulgarisMuira PuamaPtychopetalum olacoidesMulberry LeafMorus albaMulleinVerbascum thapsus

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