- Region
- North America
- Origin
- Prairies, woodland edges and roadsides across most of North America
- Traditions
- Lakota medicine, Anishinaabe medicine
North America · Herb · № 961
Monarda fistulosa
Herb · North America
Wild bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
A mint with lilac flowers and strongly scented leaves, related to Oswego tea. The volatile oil is rich in carvacrol and thymol, which are antiseptic.
Safety notes
Not in large amounts or in pregnancy. Traditional use is no proof of effect; consult a doctor or pharmacist if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, take medication or have a medical condition.
Cautions by tradition (1)
- Lakota (Teton Sioux) medicine: Not in large amounts or in pregnancy.
Preparation
Tea of flowers and leaves; steep briefly, as it soon gets strong. Honey if you like.
Use in traditions
Many peoples regard the plant as a medicine. Bear-with-White-Paw boiled the flowers for fever and a hard cold, and according to Gilmore the Teton Lakota boiled flowers and leaves together for stomach pain. The Dakota call a fragrant form 'fragrant leaves' and connect it with the Sun Dance. The Pawnee distinguish four forms by their scent. The Oneida call the plant 'number six', the sixth medicine the Creator gave, and the Ojibwe, Menominee and Ho-Chunk use it too.
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.
Lakota (Teton Sioux) medicine
Attributed effects
For fever and a hard cold (Bear-with-White-Paw); for stomach pain (Teton, in Gilmore). A fragrant form belongs to the Sun Dance.
Preparation and amount
Boil the flowers, or flowers and leaves together.
Caution: Not in large amounts or in pregnancy.
- Ways to prepare herbs
- Tea (infusion)Syrup, honey and oxymel