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Herbs & Cultures

Haudenosaunee medicine →Indigenous healing traditions of North America →

Oswego tea

A fragrant tea of bergamot leaf, named after the area around Oswego in New York.

Traditional use

Time
10 minutes
Makes
2 cups
Bee balm

The Indigenous people around Oswego, in Haudenosaunee country, made a tea of the leaves of the bergamot plant; that is how the plant got the name Oswego tea. The leaf tastes spicy, a little like thyme and orange.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp dried bergamot leaf or 2 tbsp fresh leaves and flowers
  • 500 ml boiling water
  • To taste: maple syrup or honey

Step by step

  1. Put the leaves in a teapot.
  2. Pour the boiling water over them and leave to steep, covered, for 5–7 minutes.
  3. Strain and sweeten to taste.

Tips

  • The red flowers colour the tea a light pink and are also pretty in a salad.

Registry

Herbs in this recipe

Read more about effects and safety on each herb’s page.

  • Caution

    North America · Herb · № 224

    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.

    Indigenous healing traditions of North America+2

Cultures and traditions

Where the herbs come from

The herbs in this recipe also appear in these traditions.