About Monarda fistulosa L.
Monarda fistulosa L., commonly called wild bergamot, is an herbaceous perennial plant that grows from slender creeping rhizomes, so it most often occurs in large clumps. Plants typically reach up to 3 feet (0.91 meters) tall, with a small number of erect branches. Its leaves are 2–3 inches (5.1–7.6 cm) long, lance-shaped, and toothed. Its compact flower clusters grow singly at the ends of branches; each cluster is about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) long, holding between 20 and 50 individual flowers. Wild bergamot often grows in rich, usually limy, soils in dry fields, thickets, and clearings. It generally flowers from June to September. Its geographic range extends from Quebec to the Northwest Territories and British Columbia, stretching south to Georgia, Texas, Arizona, Idaho, and northeastern Washington. The Latin specific epithet fistulosa translates to "hollow like a pipe". This plant is well known for its fragrance, though the composition of its oils is quite variable. It can contain thymol, geraniol, carvacrol, p-cymene, γ-terpinene, α-terpinene, and α-thujene in differing amounts. The exact cause of this variability is still under research, but both environmental and genetic factors are thought to contribute. At least one population in Colorado also contains linalool. As a honey plant, it is popular with a wide range of pollinators, including bees, hummingbirds, and lepidoptera. It acts as a larval host for the hermit sphinx, orange mint moth, and raspberry pyrausta. Wild bergamot is classified as a medicinal plant by many Native American groups. The Oneida call it "Number Six", in reference to it being the sixth medicine gifted by the Creator. Other Native nations that use the plant include the Menominee, Ojibwe, and Winnebago (Ho-Chunk). It is most commonly used to treat colds, and is frequently prepared as a tea. Many families still use wild bergamot during the cold and flu season today. The tea is often sweetened with honey, as its natural flavor is quite strong. Multiple Monarda species that share the common name "bee balm", including M. fistulosa, have a long history of medicinal use by Native Americans, including the Blackfoot people. The Blackfoot recognized the plant's strong antiseptic properties, and used plant poultices to treat skin infections and minor wounds. A tea made from the plant was also used to treat mouth and throat infections caused by dental caries and gingivitis. Bee balm is the natural source of the antiseptic thymol, which is the primary active ingredient in modern commercial mouthwash formulas. The Winnebago used a tea made from bee balm as a general stimulant. Native Americans also used bee balm as a carminative herb to treat excessive flatulence. Its leaves were eaten boiled alongside meat, and a plant preparation was made into hair pomade. The herb is classified as an active diaphoretic, meaning it induces sweating. Analysis of Monarda fistulosa essential oil using mass spectrometry and arithmetical retention indices found it contains 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%). M. fistulosa distillate has been proposed as an antimicrobial agent for laboratory use, specifically as an additive in artificial media used to grow tachinid fly larvae.
