English
bergamot or hyssop mint
Scientific Name
Monarda fistulosa, or possibly Agastache spp
Arapaho
Translation of Arapaho
‘elk mint’
Elk Mint and the Arapaho
Drug: ceremonial medicine.
Other: incense and fragrance. Alfred Kroeber says that this plant of this name was used as part of the Peyote Ceremony. He says that after bathing, men would rub their head and clothing with this “scented plant [that is] chewed.”
Cheyenne also has a plant called “elk mint,” which was used as a tea and medicinally. It is identified as Agastache foeniculum. On the other hand, Monarda fistulosa was chewed and used as a rubbed-on perfume by a number of tribes, including the Cheyenne, Crow, Dakota, Kootenai and Omaha. The Arapaho plant is likely one or the other of these species.
Monarda fistulosa blooming in a meadow