Monarda+punctata

=//__Monarda punctata __//= 

The Mondarda punctata (Horse Mint) is an Annual/Perennial, growing to 0.75m by 0.4m. The Horse Mint flowers from July to September. The scented flowers have both male and female organs and Bees help pollinate them. The plant is self-fertile. It is known for attracting wildlife. The plant prefers light (sand-like), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay-like) soils and can prosper in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid, basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade or no shade. It can live in either dry or moist soils.


 * Food **
 * Leaves -can be cooked or raw to be ate.
 * Are used for spices in food or can also be used in teas.


 * [[image:http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:UXbrG3tZY5qjrM:http://todaysseniorsnetwork.com/tea,%2520herbal%2520tea,%2520green%2520tea.jpg width="178" height="170" link="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://todaysseniorsnetwork.com/tea,%2520herbal%2520tea,%2520green%2520tea.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.todaysseniorsnetwork.com/green_tea_helps.htm&usg=__g1XusVe-Smy7xT1OHEEAHJjCPAw=&h=1024&w=819&sz=132&hl=en&start=2&tbnid=UXbrG3tZY5qjrM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=120&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dherbal%2Btea%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den"]]

Information and Uses **

Horse Mint or Mondarda Punctata was used traditionally by the North American Indian tribes to help treat nausea and vomiting, and to help perspiration during colds. It was also applied on the skin as a poultice to treat swellings and rheumatic pains. Today it is used mainly to treat digestive and respiratory tract problems.

The leaves are carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, rubefacient, stimulant, stomachic and vesican. An mix of the leaves is used to help the treatment of flatulence, nausea, indigestion, catarrh in the upper respiratory tract, and to make you sweat and make you urinate. Horse Mint can be used to rub on your skin as a rubefacient, applied as a poultice it helps to lessen the pain of arthritic joints by increasing the flow of blood in the area and thereby hastening the flushing out of toxins. The leaves can be collected before the plant flowers, or they can be collected with the flowering stems. They can be used either fresh or dried.

The plant is a rich source of the medicinal oil 'thymol', which is also antiseptic. The plant has been cultivated commercially for its important oil, though this is now made in factories. Thymol an also treat hookworm, but must be consumed in such large quantities because it could kill the patient if not.

The plant's wonderful smell provides the pleasure of using the Horse Mint as and incense to hang around the house.

Caring

 * Easily grown in regular garden soil just as long as it is not too dry. It needs a moist soil and a sunny spot. This species likes a light dry, not too moist, alkaline soil.
 * These plants can live to about -10°c and should succeed outdoors in most parts of Britain.
 * The Horse Mint polymorphic species.
 * Bees are attracted to this pant very easily. There is a chance that the plant could possibly get mildew during the summer.


 * Seed - sow mid to late spring in a cold frame. Germination usually takes place within 10 - 40 days at 20°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer.
 * The Horse Mint's seed can also be sown in situ in late summer in areas where the winters are not too severe and will make larger plants.
 * Cuttings of soft basal shoots in spring. Harvest the shoots with plenty of underground stem when they are about 8 - 10cm above the ground. Pot them up into their own pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them outside in the summer.
 * These plants need division in spring or autumn. Large divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent places. Research found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well grown before planting them out in late spring or early summer.

 =For more information and to learn intresting facts about medicinal plants watch this video!!!= media type="custom" key="3659229" width="331" height="108"=
 * Links **
 * Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve [|A Modern Herbal] (1931) [4]
 * [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in [|Henriette's] names database
 * [E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the [|Ethnobotany Database] (sadly ftp only. The searchable web pages have been pulled).
 * [V] [|Images] from the [|Vascular Plant Image Gallery] of the Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group.
 * [B] [|Data] (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's [|Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands].
 * [S] [|Image] from the [|Southwest School of Botanical Medicine]
 * [S] [|Illustration] from the [|Southwest School of Botanical Medicine]
 * [S] [|Image] from the [|Southwest School of Botanical Medicine]
 * [HP] [|Links, Photos, Suppliers] from [|Hortiplex] Plant Database