With freezing temperatures looming in the near future, as they always do this time of year, I’m trying to figure out how to get everything done, running around like a chicken with my head cut off. There’s always so much to do, and to top everything off we’ve got an overabundance of evil geniuses destroying our society. So some of us feel an overwhelming desire to do as much as possible to fortify against them.
And one of the things I need to do is harvest the medicinal herbs. For the first time ever, since this is the first time I’ve grown it, bee balm is on the list.
HARVEST
Bee balm flowers and leaves, everything from about 4 inches above the ground, are best harvested during the peak of flowering.
EFFECTIVE AGAINST
Bacteria
o Gram-positive
§ Clostridium perfringens
· Essential oil[1]
§ Staphylococcus aureus
· Essential oil[2]
§ Streptococcus pneumoniae
· Essential oil[3]
§ Streptococcus pyogenes
· Essential oil[4]
o Gram-negative
§ Escherichia coli
PREPARATIONS
While the plant parts can be used fresh or dried and stored for future use, it appears that the active constituents are most effectively extracted using fresh material to make a tincture.[7]
Essential oil: Dilute essential oil with a carrier oil, 3 drops in ½ teaspoon. Use topically as needed.[8]
Infusion: Steep 1 teaspoon dried leaves and flowers in 4-6 ounces hot water for 10 minutes. Use 2-3 times per day.[9]
Syrup: Pack a canning jar with fresh flowers and cover with honey. Let sit for 2 weeks in a dark cabinet and strain. Use as is or add a spoonful to hot water and drink.[10] [11]
Tincture: Fresh, 1:2 ratio weight to volume, in 40% alcohol. Dried, 1:5 ratio, also in 40% alcohol. Dosage is generally 2-4 ml, 2-5 times per day.[12]
USAGE
Cardiovascular
o Heart trouble
§ Leaf tea[13]
Dental
o Toothache[14]
§ Leaves packed around aching teeth[15]
Eyes
o Sore eyes
§ Wash[16]
§ Leaf tea[17]
Gastrointestinal
o Abdominal cramps
§ Infusion[18]
o Colic[19]
o Cramps
§ Leaf tea[20]
o Diarrhea
§ Infusion[21]
o Food poisoning
§ Tincture, small but frequent doses[22]
o Gas
§ Infusion[23]
§ Leaf tea[24]
o Gastritis
§ Infusion[25]
o Indigestion
§ Leaf tea[28]
o Intestinal worms[29]
§ Leaf tea[30]
o Nausea
§ Infusion[31]
§ Tincture[32]
Musculoskeletal
o Painful, swollen joints
§ Poultice[33]
Neurological
o Headache
§ Dried, powdered plant, rubbed on forehead[34]
§ Essential oil[35]
§ Infusion[36]
§ Leaf poultice, applied to forehead
o Insomnia
§ Leaf tea[37]
Respiratory
§ Inhale steam to retard development of secondary infections after a cold, 3-4 times per day[40]
§ Leaf tea[41]
o Cough[42]
§ Leaf tea[43]
o Fever (mild to moderate fevers only)[44]
§ Dried, powdered plant, rubbed on forehead[45]
§ Infusion[46]
§ Leaf tea[47]
§ Leaf tea[50]
o Lung inflammation
§ Inhale steam, 3-4 times per day[51]
o Nosebleeds
§ Leaf tea[52]
o Pneumonia[53]
§ Leaf tea[54]
o Respiratory problems
§ Leaf tea[55]
o Sore throat
§ Dried leaves wrapped around neck in a cloth[56]
§ Infusion[57]
· 3-4 flower heads or 1 tablespoon of crushed leaves, drink hot[58]
Skin
o Abrasions
§ Essential oil applied topically, 2-3 times per day[59]
§ Tincture, diluted or full strength[60]
o Acne[61]
§ Leaf poultice[62]
o Arrow wounds, gunshot wounds
§ Infusion[63]
o Boils[64]
o Fungal infections
§ Essential oil applied topically, daily for at least 30 days[65]
o Lacerations[66]
§ Essential oil applied topically, 2-3 times per day[67]
§ Tincture, diluted or full strength[68]
o Rashes
§ Leaf poultice[69]
o Wounds, arrow
§ Infusion[70]
o Wounds, gunshot
§ Infusion[71]
o Wounds, minor[72]
§ Essential oil applied topically, 2-3 times per day[73]
§ Tincture, diluted or full strength[74]
Urogenital
o Dysmenorrhea
§ Infusion[75]
§ Tincture[76]
o Expel afterbirth[77]
o Kidney problems
§ Leaf tea[78]
o Kidney stones
§ Tea[79]
o Stimulate menstruation
§ Infusion, 3-4 flower heads or 1 tablespoon of crushed leaves, drink cool[80]
Other
o Oregano substitute[81]
Caution. Monarda should not be used by pregnant women.[82] Undiluted essential oil may blister the skin.
[1] Heloise Cote, et al., The biological activity of Monarda didyma L. essential oil and its effect as a diet supplement in mice and broiler chicken, Molecules, June 2021, Vol 26 No 11, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8199733/ (accessed 15 March 2023).
[2] Cote, et al.
[3] Hong Li, et al., Antibacterial activity and mechanism of action of Monarda punctate essential oil and its main components against common bacterial pathogens in respiratory tract, International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Pathology, 2014, Vol 7 No 11, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4270556/ (accessed 15 March 2023).
[4] Hong Li, et al.
[5] Hong Li, et al.
[6] Cote, et al.
[7] Sam Coffman, Herbal Medic, 2014, 192.
[8] Charles W. Kane, Medicinal Plants of the Western Mountain States, 2017, 207.
[9] Kane.
[10] Michael Moore, Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West, 2003, 178.
[11] Moore.
[12] Coffman.
[13] Linda Kershaw, Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Rockies, 2000, 156.
[14] Steven Foster, et al., Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs, 2002, 206.
[15] Kershaw.
[16] Steven Foster, et al., Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs, 2002, 206.
[17] Kershaw.
[18] Kane.
[19] Steven Foster, et al., Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs, 2002, 206.
[20] Kershaw.
[21] Kane.
[22] Kane.
[23] Kane.
[24] Kershaw.
[25] Moore.
[26] Kane.
[27] Moore.
[28] Kershaw.
[29] H Ahmed, et al., An inventory of anthelmintic plants across the globe, Pathogens, 13 January 2023, Vol 12 No 1, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9866317/ (accessed 23 March 2023).
[30] Kershaw.
[31] Kane.
[32] Kane.
[33] Kershaw.
[34] Kershaw.
[35] Steven Foster, et al., Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs, 2002, 206.
[36] Foster, et al.
[37] Kershaw.
[38] Sims K. Lawson, et al., Volatile phytochemistry of Monarda species growing in south Alabama, Plants (Basel), March 2021, Vol 10 No 3, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8000036/ (accessed 15 March 2023).
[39] Coffman.
[40] Moore.
[41] Kershaw.
[42] Lawson, et al.
[43] Kershaw.
[44] Lawson, et al.
[45] Kershaw.
[46] Kane.
[47] Kershaw.
[48] Lawson, et al.
[49] Coffman.
[50] Kershaw.
[51] Moore.
[52] Kershaw.
[53] Kane.
[54] Kershaw.
[55] Kershaw.
[56] Kershaw.
[57] Kershaw.
[58] Moore.
[59] Kane.
[60] Moore.
[61] Lawson, et al.
[62] Kershaw.
[63] Foster, et al.
[64] Lawson, et al.
[65] Kane.
[66] Lawson, et al.
[67] Kane.
[68] Moore.
[69] Kershaw.
[70] Foster, et al.
[71] Foster, et al.
[72] Lawson, et al.
[73] Kane.
[74] Moore.
[75] Kane.
[76] Kane.
[77] Kershaw.
[78] Kershaw.
[79] Joseph Alton, Survival Medicine Handbook, 2013, 400.
[80] Moore.
[81] Moore.
[82] Moore.
09.27.21
Quite a few years back I started taking walks during lunch break down the river trail behind my place of employment. I began to notice a wide variety of native wildflowers and would take small samples back with me and try to identify them from a field guide. One day I picked a piece of plant with pretty red flowers and was kind of taken aback that it smelled strongly of oregano. After identifying it as monarda and discovering it's medicinal and culinary uses, I added it to our native wildflower garden.....
ReplyDeleteI am constantly amazed at--and grateful for--the multitude of medicinal plants growing all around us
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