Wild Bergamot

An Otherworldly Yet Native Wildflower

May 28, 2024

Last summer I was walking in the woods down to the creek with some friends. As we kept a brisk pace down the hill, chatting and taking in our surroundings, someone casually said, “Mmm, wild bergamot!” In the same breath, she had snatched a flower and was already chewing on it. She said it so quickly and assuredly that I hardly heard what she said. So, I asked her what it was. She picked another flower as we walked and handed it to me. Always overly cautious, I was apprehensive to eat a flower I didn’t know– especially one that looked almost tropical with its unusual shape and pink dots. The pink dots shouted “poisonous!” to me, probably from watching that one episode on Animal Planet when I was a kid about brightly colored, poisonous frogs in the Central and South American rainforests. My friend went on to tell me that she ate these all the time growing up near here, that they taste like citrus. Shortly after this, my partner informed me that he also grew up eating these flowers, and had known them as honeysuckle for some reason.

It wasn’t honeysuckle, though, it was wild bergamot indeed. I wasn’t brave enough to eat it that day, but after learning more about the plant, I decided to harvest a few flowers whenever we went on walks to the creek. I realized it was blooming abundantly all over the forest floor. Through the process of becoming familiar with this plant, I’ve come to cherish it.

Photo from https://growitbuildit.com/monarda-fistulosa-wild-bergamot/

Wild bergamot, commonly known as “bee balm”, is a perennial that is native to eastern and central North America. Its Latin name is Monarda fistulosa, after sixteenth century Spanish botanist and physician Nicolas Monardes. Before Monardes’ discovery of the medicinal prowess of this flower, peoples all over the world knew its value. Different indigenous peoples, including the Ojibwe, Winnebago, Menomini, and Cherokee, used wild bergamot to relieve headaches, cold symptoms, intestinal ailments, and more. This herb is in the same family as mint, but it is not invasive like non-native mints are.

Identifying Wild Bergamot

Wild bergamot grows abundantly in forests, meadows, and fields that have been disturbed by humans or animals. It blooms from mid-spring until fall, depending on the climate. This aromatic herb grows anywhere from one to four feet tall, depending on its variety and growing conditions. Its stems are square, tall, and straight with very fine hairs. Its leaves are opposite one another on the stem and slightly toothed.

The flowers are highly unique and come in shades of pink, purple, red, and blue. The variety I see near my house is light-purple with small pink dots on each petal. The flowers are tubular and about 1 to 2 inches across. They grow in a single cluster at the end of each stem. These unusual flowers seem otherworldly to me.

Photo from https://www.missouriplants.com/Monarda_fistulosa_page.html

Photo from https://newp.com/herbaceous-monarda-fistulosa-wild-bergamot/

Cultivating Wild Bergamot

Wild Bergamot can be easily grown from seed. Broadcast the seeds over the soil’s surface any time from January to March, depending on your climate. You can do this indoors under grow lights or in a sunny window, but it is preferable to sow them outside if possible. The seeds should germinate within seven days. In my experience, it does not need full sun to thrive. In fact, it grows happily under the forest canopy, only seeing a few hours of sunlight each day. When caring for wild bergamot, make sure it does not get overwatered. As with most wildflowers, it doesn’t require much special treatment and is very easy to maintain.

When harvesting wild bergamot, you may choose to pick only the aromatic flower, or the whole plant (aside from the roots). It can be eaten fresh in a salad or steeped in tea, but if you want to preserve it for later use, you will need to dry it out. Not all of us have an herb drying rack, but that’s okay. I don’t have one, but I find that lying the herb out on a clean cloth to dry for several days to several weeks works quite well. You can also tie the stems at the base and hang them upside down until completely dried.

Wild Bergamot as Medicine

Its high levels of thymol (an antiseptic also present in thyme) give it strong healing power for ailments related to colds, flus, and upper respiratory infections. I mentioned earlier that several different indigenous peoples used the plant for things like headaches and gastrointestinal issues. This is thanks to its antispasmodic, carminative (anti-gas), and anti-inflammatory properties. It is a diaphoretic, which means it can help to break a fever. Since it is an anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and an antiseptic, it can also aid in wound healing when applied as a poultice, chewed, or infused into a salve or skin balm. Historically, wild bergamot has also been used to help specifically with tooth pain in the form of a mouthwash.

A study done on wild bergamot in the National Library of Medicine details the plant’s pharmacological benefits and shows that it has no observed side effects. It is important to know that this herb can lower blood sugar, so if you have diabetes it is best to consult with your doctor before taking it in large doses. Similarly, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, be cautious about consuming wild herbs.

wild bergamot on my sophisicated drying rack (a napkin)

Wild Bergamot as Food

It seems there are endless ways to prepare wild bergamot that are both delicious and nutritious. Tewa peoples in the southwest use wild bergamot as a flavorful way to cure wild game and other meats. Brewing the flowers in a tea, especially if blended with black tea, yields a full-bodied, floral, citrusy result. A decoction (boiling down) of the plant matter creates a more potent drink. If you partake in the occasional adult beverage, it’s a really nice addition to a whiskey with lemon juice! I’ve collected a few recipes to share with you here.