Pretty flowers loved by bees and butterflies, this is also an edible herb, with a flavour profile similar to mint oregano and thyme. Bee balm has a rich history of practical and cultural use: Native Americans, particularly the Oswego people, brewed its leaves into teas to treat colds, sore throats, and infections. After the Boston Tea Party in 1773, American colonists adopted it as a patriotic, locally sourced alternative to British tea.Valued for its high thymol content, bee balm was also used medicinally in poultices for skin infections and minor wounds, and its name comes from its traditional use as a salve for bee stings. Also known as wild bergamot for its fragrance, the plant was later appreciated as an ornamental and introduced to Europe when botanist John Bartram sent seeds to England in 1744.
PLEASE NOTE: This is NOT the same as orange bergamont used to flavour earl grey tea!
Pretty flowers loved by bees and butterflies, this is also an edible herb, with a flavour profile similar to mint oregano and thyme. Bee balm has a rich history of practical and cultural use: Native Americans, particularly the Oswego people, brewed its leaves into teas to treat colds, sore throats, and infections. After the Boston Tea Party in 1773, American colonists adopted it as a patriotic, locally sourced alternative to British tea.Valued for its high thymol content, bee balm was also used medicinally in poultices for skin infections and minor wounds, and its name comes from its traditional use as a salve for bee stings. Also known as wild bergamot for its fragrance, the plant was later appreciated as an ornamental and introduced to Europe when botanist John Bartram sent seeds to England in 1744.
PLEASE NOTE: This is NOT the same as orange bergamont used to flavour earl grey tea!
