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Monarda
didyma “Bee Balm”
This herb, native to North America, was sent back to Europe by the
colonists, where it became a popular tea. The name Monarda is from the
Spanish medical botanist Dr. Nicolas Monardes, who wrote about the flora of
America in his book “Joyfull News out of the new founde Worlde” in 1569. He
called it “bergamot” because the leaf smells like a citrus fruit, the
Italian bergamot orange (Citrus aurantium bergamia). The Oswego Indians, of
the area near Lake Ontario where it grows abundantly, made a beverage with
it, so another of its common names came about - ‘Oswego Tea’. It became very
popular after the Boston Tea Party of 1773. Several Indian tribes valued Bee
Balm as a healer for colds and bronchial problems, mostly due to one of its
plant chemicals, thymol.‘Monarda didyma’ is an aromatic perennial, in
temperate climates, growing about 2 to 4 feet high. It naturally grows
mainly in prairies, dry scrub and woodlands. In a garden setting, this herb
likes to grow in sun, or part shade in hot climates, in soil that is rich,
light, and moist. To harvest the leaves, collect them in the spring and
early summer when the flowers form. Pick the flowers once they open. The
best way to preserve Bee Balm leaves and flowers is to dry them.
USES
Decorative Flower - Use fresh and dried in flower arrangements.
Culinary Flower - Sprinkle petals on salads.
Leaf - Infuse to make a tea. Put fresh leaf into regular tea, to make the
Earl Grey tea flavor. Also good in wine cups and lemonade. Add sparingly to
salads, stuffings, pork dishes. Use for jams and jellies.
Household Plants - Brightly colored flowers attract butterflies and
hummingbirds.
Aromatic Flower and Leaf - Use in potpourri.
Medicinal Leaf - Infuse as a tea to relieve fevers, nausea, flatulence,
menstrual pain, digestive complaints and insomnia. Try steam inhalation for
bronchial catarrh and sore throats.
(some information obtained from "The Complete Book of Herbs“,
by Leslie Bremness and “Encyclopedia of Herbs” by Deni Brown)
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