Description

The Mountain Mint genus (Pycnanthemum) is native to North America and has been used in native/folk tradition for millennia. Teas were made from its leaves and flowers as a general tonic, to help with digestive issues and were worn or rubbed on the skin as a bug repellent. Each 5ml bottle contains the pure aromatic essence of 1.1lbs of fresh flowering tops.

High in Menthol and Pulegone, Southern Mountain Mint is chemically closer to Pennyroyal than Spearmint or Peppermint. Pulegone has been shown to be an effective bug repellent but is also thought to be an abortifacient. This is a powerful chemical in concentration so this oil should not be taken internally or used by pregnant or nursing mothers.

We cannot stress this enough: While Mountain Mint oil is not found elsewhere on the market, there are reports of death of women attempting to cause a miscarriage by consuming Pennyroyal oil.

Any direct skin application should be diluted in a carrier oil. A mixture of Mountain Mint oil, Lemongrass oil and Jojoba or Coconut carrier oil makes a beautiful smelling bug repellent that competes with DEET in effectiveness. We recommend a 10% total essential oil dilution; more or less depending on the tenacity of the bugs you are trying to repel.

Sustainable Harvest: In line with our commitment to species diversity and sustainability, we carefully harvested this small batch (PPM-002) by hand from strong wild populations on private property in Madison County, NC (between 2500′ and 3400′ elevation). We left a few stalks and several flowers on each plant to keep the pollinators happy (they love Mountain Mint) and ensure continued genetic diversity via wild-pollinated seeds for next year’s growth. Each 5 ml bottle contains the essential oil from 1.1 lbs of fresh herbs.