Bee Balm

Monarda

Cancer

Cleansing, Clairalience (Smell)

Bee Balm is a fragrant perennial that produces red, pink, purple and white flowers in late spring and summer. Flowers bloom for up to 6 weeks. The plants like full sun but in areas with very hot summers will tolerate some shade.  They also like well drained soil. The flowers attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

Bee Balm is part of the mint family. The petals of the flower can be used to make tea and are edible.  The leaves can also be eaten.  It is deer and rabbit resistant.

Bee Balm is native to North American woodlands and likes moist soil that is well drained. Grown domestically, the plants grow in clumps from 1.5 to 2.5 feet in width, from 3 to 4 feet tall. Plants can be divided every couple of years in the spring or fall. Bee Balm spreads easily by seed.

Native Americans used Bee Balm as an antiseptic to treat topical infections and as a decongestant.  It is antimicrobial - a natural source of the antiseptic ingredient Thymol which was used historically for mouth infections and is used currently in some mouthwashes. Bee Balm is used for cleansing - both for calming and treating physical infections and for treating mild emotional distress.  Smelling Bee Balm is very soothing. It can also be used to make an herbal tea that has a mild mint taste, which can be calming to physical and mild emotional stresses.

Bee Balm flowers smell of orange and spice, spearmint and peppermint, with some hints of oregano. Because of the strong frangrence of Bee Balm, it is connected to Clairalience, the psychic sense of smell.  Smell connects people strongly to memories, which can be brought to consciousness for healing and story telling.

Alternate names are Scarlet Beebalm, Crimson Beebalm, Horsemint and Bergamot (Bee Balm is not used to make Bergamot tea). Oswego Tea refers to the Oswego Native Americans living near the city of Oswego in upstate New York who taught early settlers from Europe to use the plant leaves to make herbal tea.