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Wild bergamot tea for a cough

An infusion of wild bergamot leaves, among the Lakota a remedy for coughs.

Traditional use

Time
15 minutes
Makes
1 cup
Wild bergamot

Wild bergamot grows on the prairies of the Dakotas and smells of thyme and oregano. According to Dilwyn Rogers (Lakota Names and Traditional Uses of Native Plants, 1980), the Lakota used an infusion of the leaves as a cough remedy.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp dried wild bergamot leaf
  • 250 ml boiling water
  • Honey to taste

Step by step

  1. Pour the boiling water over the leaf.
  2. Cover, steep for 10 minutes and strain.
  3. Drink warm, 2–3 cups a day.

Tips

  • Wild bergamot is sold in Europe as a garden plant, under the name Monarda fistulosa.

Registry

Herbs in this recipe

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

  • Caution

    North America · Herb · № 961

    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.

    Lakota medicine+1

Cultures and traditions

Where the herbs come from

The herbs in this recipe also appear in these traditions.