- Region
- North America
- Origin
- North America
North America · Herb · № 224
Monarda didyma
Herb · North America
Bee balm
Monarda didyma
The fragrant leaf contains thymol and is drunk as tea. Indigenous peoples used it for colds, fever and headache; studies in humans are lacking.
Safety notes
Traditional use is no proof of effectiveness; if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or have a medical condition, consult a doctor or pharmacist.
Cautions by tradition (1)
- Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) medicine: Seek advice in pregnancy.
Preparation
Leaves and flowers as tea; the flowers are also edible in salads.
Use in traditions
The Haudenosaunee around Oswego in New York drank tea from the leaf. After the Boston Tea Party in 1773 settlers drank this 'Oswego tea' as a substitute for English tea. Other indigenous peoples used the leaf on wounds and as a steam bath for colds.
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) medicine
Attributed effects
For fever, for sickness caused by the dead and for children's headache. Around Oswego it was also an everyday tea of the Haudenosaunee.
Preparation and amount
Boil the herb with its roots briefly.
Caution: Seek advice in pregnancy.
Home, kitchen and folk use
Preparation and amount
Edible flower.
- Ways to prepare herbs
- Tea (infusion)Powder and kitchen
- Recipes
- Oswego tea