Bee Balm or Bergamot

Monarda didyma

Lamiaceae - Mint Family

Common name: Oswego Tea

Monarda didyma, a plant that saw history in the making, has many descriptive names: Bee Balm because it is attractive to bees, Bergamot because its scent resembles a citrus fruit (Bergamot Orange), Scarlet Bergamot for its vivid, showy blooms, and Oswego Tea, named after an Indian tribe which recognized the value of this plant and drank a tea made from its leaves to offset colds and sore throats and later shared this information with the early colonists.

In 1773, the colonists in America were subjects of the King of England. Although they had a certain amount of governing power for their daily affairs, they came to resent the numerous taxes that were imposed on them by the British Parliament. When another tax was levied, this time on tea, a number of men calling themselves the Sons of Liberty rebelled and, while dressed as Mohawk Indians to hide their identity, boarded three ships in Boston Harbor and dumped 340 chests of tea overboard.

It then became patriotic to drink only herbal tea and so the plant Monarda didyma, which was then called Oswego Tea, provided a beverage during the turbulent times as a new nation was formed.

General Description: Bee Balm is a perennial that grows 3 to 4 feet tall and has the spreading habit and characteristic square stems of the mint family. Its pointed, dark green leaves, which grow opposite to each other, are fuzzy and exude a fragrance, especially when brushed against. The blossoms are bright red.

Range: Native to eastern North America

Habitat: Monarda didyma prefers moist soils and a morning sun.

Uses: Bee Balm is well-known among gardeners who grow it as an ornamental. There are several aromatic varieties whose flowers are scarlet, salmon, purple, or white. For health, the leaf infusion of Monarda didyma can still be used for colds, fevers, and indigestion as did the American Indians and early colonists. Besides being used to make a tasty tea or to flavor lemonade, the leaves can be cut into small pieces and included in a fruit salad, used for beauty in a facial steam, mashed to make a poultice for a skin infection and added, with its colorful flowers, to potpourri. All in all, a versatile plant.