Beebalm

Monarda fistulosa is one of the most important medicinal plants in Native American materia medica, with 72 documented NAEB uses across at least fifteen tribes including the Cherokee, Flathead, Blackfoot, Dakota, Lakota, Ojibwa, Choctaw, Chippewa, Crow, Kutenai, and Menominee. Drug applications dominate the record (59 uses), led by analgesic preparations (7), cold remedies (6), febrifuges (5), gastrointestinal aids (5), cough medicines (3), dermatological aids (3), eye medicines (3), pediatric aids (3), and respiratory aids (3), with additional uses for kidney complaints, hemostasis, pulmonary conditions, and as a carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, sedative, heart medicine, and emetic (NAEB).

Leaf and flowering-top infusions were the most common preparation. The Cherokee used wild bergamot tea for colds, headache, fever, and gastrointestinal upset; the Flathead and Blackfoot applied poultices of the plant to skin infections, sores, and minor wounds, and inhaled steam from the boiled herb to relieve bronchial congestion (Hart, 1992). The Ojibwa, Menominee, and Winnebago used the leaves for fevers and respiratory ailments, while the Dakota and Lakota employed bergamot in their pharmacopeia for stomach pain, sore eyes, and as a stimulant (Gilmore, 1919). The plant's thymol-rich oil provides genuine antimicrobial activity. Bergamot was also used as incense and fragrance (6 uses). It was adopted into Eclectic Western herbal practice as a carminative, diaphoretic, and antiseptic stimulant (Felter & Lloyd, 1898).