Poleo mint, Mentha canadensis

Northern Poleo mint Mentha Canadensis, corn field horse mint, is a riparian wet boggy marsh native mint, with our biospirit covenant teacher poleo...

 

Northern Poleo, Mentha Canadensis 

Northern Poleo is a Lamiaceae (Mint family), i prefer the botanical name M. canadensis vs Mentha arvensis from an herbal rather than a botanical distinction because as one on a continuous endless medicine road at a certain point in a 1700 mile journey it has diverged from southern varieties in its presentation and herbal energetics. Different botanists will list Mentha candensis as a different species, a sub species or just one species Mentha arvensis from Canada to Mexico. Regardless of botanical name, you'll find subtle but obvious differences. 

https://youtu.be/uEMI1dALX2Q

     While like southern Poleo Mentha arvensis it has the flowers white to white pink purple inflorescence of many-flowered, separated, axillary clusters growing up the stem, 4 lobed, and sharp-toothed leaves tips pointed. It's growth is much more vertical without the bushy sprawling growth seen in southern Poleo. I have found big bushy sprawling soft leafed southern poleo where one small bunch of plants would take up a big botanical space, bags and bags. Northern Poleo is more strictly up and down with little branching off the stem. In addition while the stems of southern Poleo are bushy, softer sprawling and have strong aromatic scent glands present, Northern Poleo canadensis stems are thicker and lack strong scent. The actual scent of Northern Poleo canadensis is a little more reminiscent of a hedioma or mock pennyroyal than southern Poleo. Northern Poleo energetics are sweet, spicy hot, both warming and cooling. 

     

     It does work well as a carminative upper GI remedio, for indigestion dispelling gas and abdominal discomfort with cooling soothing effects while at the same time having warming spicy sweet taste. As a strong tea or use of gathered tincture will promote sweating and while diaphoretic has both cooling and warming qualities both from evaporations of sweat and the menthol cooling sensation. It women it can help stimulate delayed menses period. It has been used in folk remedio formulas and has a stimulating effect on a woman's cycle and can be added and used for premenstrual cramping formulas at the preperiod bloating stage. Topically it can be added to liniments and rub formulas due to some pain relieving qualities. Used topically it works better than southern Poleo in biting bug and tick formulas, similar to hedioma or mock pennyroyal. Poleo does well FPT 1:2, as a spirit de poleo, alone and in our biospirit formulas to nourish northern biospirit. 

     Different stages in Northern Poleo growth will see big changes in the aromatics, like most aromatic plants gather in late flowering stage and you'll notice on an endless medicine road as we are all on differences in aromatics in different plant stands. Since you'll be seeing scullcaps, bugle weeds, poleos together you'll want to taste them, bugle and skullcap for bitterness and Poleo stands for strong aromatics as indicating strong medicine. Gather in full flower above ground portions, you will need to separate lower thick stems vs upper leaves, flowers and tender flexible thin stems. Up to a certain point of course,  dried or tinctured Poleos will improve with age. 

     Along the lines of a lower GI stomachic, the intriguing energetics of northern Poleo as a warming carminative mixes well with many bitter formulas especially a straight bitter like a gentian. You'll need to play around with these formulas but adding seeds of sweet root, Angelica, oshà Tishwoof, northern poleo tincture, can make a more effective unique bioregional signatures bitter. 

    

     Poleo as a Biospirit Bridge herb. Poleo due to its strong aromatics and deepening of the heart, mind biospirit is an herb we use to bridge a space, transition from one space to another. If you don't have poleo, yarrow flowers will work as well. Often times we bring unneeded stuff from space to space. This baggage carried from space to space can interfere with the work we need to do in that space. You don't need to carry anxiety into a test environment. You have studied and adequately prepared so now it's about doing. Whether making love at the full moon, breast feeding, studying for a difficult exam, giving a public talk, poleo is a valuable herb for biospirit bridge. When you're breast feeding you and baby need to be breast feeding. Poleo helps the milk drop down. When you are taking your final exams you don't need to be cooking dinner. When you and your partner are together making love there is no need to bring finances or past lovers into a cool meadow with the sounds of flowing water. In each activity you need to be in that activity completely. 

     One common use of northern Poleo i found useful effective while gathering and exploring southernly poleo along the virgin river, arizona strip, fishlake and tributaries in the 1980's for students of endless road biospirit is to use poleo as a set apart study aid. Use Poleo or yarrow to transition from one formal space to another. You can use poleo tincture to increase learning retention, recall, facilitate approach to a next space effortlessly with minimum baggage dragged between space. Poleo and yarrow are both strong biospirit bridge herb, a traveling walking herb. 

      

Northern Poleo with bugle weed friend

     Use it in this way: before studying, making love, learning a new language, take a few drops of poleo. Smell and taste the Poleo. Have dried leaves nearby, or a rolled smudge stick. You can rub Poleo or yarrow all over your body, under your arm pits, in private areas, on your hair and chest. This will set up the study session. This will develop recall of new material. Frequently during the study session smell and taste Poleo. It doesn't matter the subject. It could be learning a musical instrument, learning a solo, breastfeeding, preparing for a speech, presentation or talk, studying a text, preparation for erotic biospirit work with a loving committed partner, preparing for an exam. Partners can also use Poleo in the same way for intimacy, bridging a space. Then when taking the exam, take the poleo tincture immediately before the exam, rub Poleo or yarrow in your arm pits and private areas, musical performance, breast feeding session, romantic intimacy or whatever you've studied. The poleo will allow whatever you've diligently studied to come to mind on your exam. If you are with a biospirit endless medicine road partner the poleo or yarrow for both of you will allow you both to settle into the space. Recall information and get 100% into the space you need to be nourish biospirit and carry it forward.

     In the support and grateful service of biospirit by His love and grace, sincerely biospirit covenant teacher Paul Manski, Wildherbways.