Bee balm plant information skin#

(2004) The ROM Field Guide to Wildflowers of Ontario, Toronto:ROM Museum, p.

^ Dickinson T, Metsger D, Bull J, Dickinson R.

Plant Materials, Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture.

^ 'Plant Guide: Monarda fistulosa' (PDF).

Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team.

^ Wild Bergamot Archived at the Wayback Machine, Edmonton Naturalization Group.

It is a larval host to the hermit sphinx, orange mint moth, and raspberry pyrausta. Ecology Īs a honey plant, it is popular with a variety of pollinators, including bees, hummingbirds, and lepidoptera. fistulosa distillate has been proposed as an antimicrobial agent in laboratory settings, specifically as an agent in artificial media used for growth of tachinid fly larvae.

The essential oil of Monarda fistulosa was analyzed using mass spectrometry and arithmetical retention indices, and was found to contain p-cymene (32.5%), carvacrol (24.0%), thymol (12.6%), an aliphatic aldehyde (6.3%), the methyl ether of carvacrol (5.5%), α-pinene (3.5%), β-pinene (2.9%), sabinene hydrate (1.9%), α-terpinene (1.7%), citronellyl acetate (1.6%), and β-caryophyllene (1.1%). The herb is considered an active diaphoretic (sweat inducer). Leaves were eaten boiled with meat and a concoction of the plant was made into hair pomade. Bee balm was also used as a carminative herb by Native Americans to treat excessive flatulence. The Winnebago used a tea made from bee balm as a general stimulant.

Bee balm is the natural source of the antiseptic thymol, the primary active ingredient in modern commercial mouthwash formulas. A tea made from the plant was also used to treat mouth and throat infections caused by dental caries and gingivitis.

Bee balm plant information skin#

The Blackfoot recognized the plant's strong antiseptic action, and used poultices of the plant for skin infections and minor wounds. fistulosa, have a long history of use as a medicinal plant by Native Americans, including the Blackfoot. The species of Monarda that may go under the common name ' bee balm,' including M. The tea may be sweetened with honey, as it tends to be quite strong. Today, many families still use wild bergamot during the cold and flu season. It is used most commonly to treat colds, and is frequently made into a tea. The Oneida call it 'Number Six', in honor of it being 'the sixth medicine given by the Creator' other nations that use it include the Menominee, the Ojibwe, and the Winnebago (Ho-Chunk). Wild bergamot is considered a medicinal plant by many Native Americans. It is listed as historical in Rhode Island. One authority states that Native Americans recognized four kinds of wild bergamot that had different odors (Wood, 1997).Ĭonservation status in the United States Monarda fistulosa, unnamed variety – ( Arkansas and Oklahoma).rubra – (eastern North America, uncommon) mollis – (widespread, primarily eastern and central North America) menthifolia – (widespread, western North America, excluding Oregon and California) fistulosa – wild bergamot (widespread, primarily eastern and central North America) brevis – Smoke Hole bergamot ( Virginia and West Virginia)

Some of the varieties are geographically widespread, and others are quite restricted in their ranges. Several varieties have been variously recognized within Monarda fistulosa, of which some have also been treated as subspecies or as distinct species. At least one population in Colorado also contains linalol. It can have thymol, geraniol, carvacrol, p-cymene, γ-terpinene, α-terpinene, and α-thujene in different amounts with the exact cause of this variability still being researched, though environmental and genetic factors probably both play a role. The plant is noted for its fragrance, though the composition of its oils is quite variable. The Latin specific epithet fistulosa means hollow like a pipe. Monarda fistulosa ranges from Quebec to the Northwest Territories and British Columbia, south to Georgia, Texas, Arizona, Idaho, and northeastern Washington. The plants generally flower from June to September. Wild bergamot often grows in rich soils in dry fields, thickets, and clearings, usually on limy soil. Each cluster is about 1.5 in (3.8 cm) long, containing about 20–50 flowers. Its compact flower clusters are solitary at the ends of branches. Its leaves are 2–3 in (5.1–7.6 cm) long, lance-shaped, and toothed. The plants are typically up to 3 ft (0.91 m) tall, with a few erect branches. Monarda fistulosa is an herbaceous perennial that grows from slender creeping rhizomes, thus commonly occurring in large clumps.