Have you ever been walking through a field suddenly caught a whiff of something simultaneously pungent, spicy, and floral? You might have encountered Bee Balm!
Monarda fistulosa and Monarda didyma are the two varieties of Bee Balm I’m referring to in this post, though Monarda punctata also shares the same medicinal qualities.
I grow both the purple and red in my gardens.
Bee balm is very high in thymol, the same volatile oil you smell in fresh Thyme plants. It’s scent is slightly different and shares similarities with mint blossoms, which makes sense as this plant is in the mint (Lamiaceae) family.
It’s incredibly easy to grow here in Connecticut (both from seeds or transplants,) to the point where it’s becoming a pest in my herb garden with how voraciously it spreads. But it’s so beautiful and fragrant that I don’t mind. I cut the big blossoms off when I see them open, usually July through August, which encourages the plant to send offshoots of more blossoms to each side.
It should be of no surprise, given the name, that this flower attracts bees by the hundreds. Monarda is an important pollinator plant and will attract bees, hummingbirds, wasps, and (unfortunately) Japanese beetles to your garden. On the bright side, it also attracts praying mantis insects, which tends to help take care of the beetle problem.
You have to be sure to harvest the flowers within the first two weeks of seeing them because this plant is highly susceptible to powdery mildew, which begins to cover the leaves as soon as the flowers start to die off. It’s not easy to clean the mildew off the plant once it has taken hold and at that point it’s not ideal for medicine making anyway.
Bee Balm is amazing in the kitchen as a substitute for oregano or to add a spicy kick to meat dishes and salsa. it makes a fantastic infused honey, which can be used as a tea in winter time when you’re down with a cold or flu.
Another excellent way to utilize bee balm is as part of an Herbal Steam. You know how in the depth of winter after your kid has brought home some plague from school and everyone in the house is constantly sneezing and blowing their noses? If you don’t want ever surface inside your house to be covered in snot, I recommend you add dried bee balm, thyme, oregano, and sage to your steam bowl. Pour boiled water over the herbs then hold a towel over your head as you hover your face above the bowl and breathe in the pungent steam. Keep a paper towel nearby so you can blow all the goop out of your face after about ten minutes.
Caution: Bee Balm can be utilized as an emmenagogue, which means it can potentially bring on menses in larger doses and is not safe to take while pregnant.
I had some bee balm in a tea blend last week that blew my mind! The flavor was pungent because of the volatile oils but also had a hint of sweetness because I had put whole flower heads into the cup, just lightly crushed between my fingers.
I thought I was going to want to add honey as I normally do with my herbal teas, but the flavor of this was so pleasant I didn’t even bother!
It’s still not quite spring here yet and the weather can’t decide if it wants to be cold or decent. Lots of folks are still getting sick and allergy season is right around the corner. I crafted an herbal tea blend today to help you get through the last vestiges of “sick season” that includes lymphatic cleansing herbs, sinus and lung clearing herbs, and of course some stinging nettle to help give your body back some of the vitamins and minerals it’s burning through while getting you over your symptoms.
I called it “Snot Alot” and I wish it had been more popular but I guess I’m the only one who can appreciate the joy of having a runny nose after being stuffed up for ages.
This is a lovely tea for you OR your kids, whoever is dealing with “sick season” and loads of mucous that needs to get kicked out asap. Learn how to make your own teas in my Blending Herbal Teas mini class!
In other news, I finished writing the my new Healing book, Think Like an Herbalist. I’m so proud of it now!
Have you ever made a recipe with Bee Balm? I’d love to hear it so I can give it a try.