This week, February 23, 2026, we meditated with Monarda fistulosa. This herb is native to North America (it grows in zones 4-9). It's history and modern use is comes primarily from indigenous medicinal practices. This herb has many common names. I don't like bee balm because that is often used for lemon balm and the plants are distinct. It is also known as Oswego tea, because white settlers learned to drink it as tea from Oswego region native people. It is also known as Wild Bergamot, because some varieties have citrus notes reminiscent of bergamot (the plants are not related) and was used as a tea replacement after the Boston Tea Party, before coffee became the preference. It is also known as Oswego tea. Sweet leaf is a favorite common name and comes from Native traditions.
Initial Impressions
We had some different takes on the smell! It has a pretty strong smell and flavor with our reports ranging from a citrus/thyme aroma to "tires/shoes/gasoline". The amount of steeping is probably a factor, but some herbs have strong flavors that can bring different associations to different people. The flavor was so pungent it felt a little numbing/tingly.
This felt warming and astringent.
The second tasting was spicy, sweeter, rubbery--but not as intense.
Meditation
•I felt light pink/lilac color soft petals from my breasts down to my thighs. The petals are thin and about 14" long. The plant speaks to me and says, "They might want sex too, but the nectar they desire is your heart. So keep being in your heart towards them and yourself." I feel I am a flower and the center is my heart. I feel like I am a polinator attractor. While beauty is how it looks, at the center is the actual draw. The nectar.
•The plant spirit who speaks to me feels wise and embodied and looks womanly. She talks to me in the context of the chapter I am writing on plant meditation. She explains to me that she is telling me one message, and will share messages about her work with each participant; the sum of what she shares is a healing spell. She is explaining how plant meditation works from her end. I was also writing about how sometimes medicinal uses come through that the people are not aware of. She says, "This is a new thing I want to share: When your breasts are full and dripping, and you say 'no'," this came through with an image of an angry woman saying 'no' to a child about nursing, "I can dry you out from bottom to top." I see the breasts shrink back to their normal size and position high on the chest.
•This felt warming at first; I felt very present, calm, and centered. This feels good for focusing. My focus was in my forehead. I got the message "front and center". That felt like it would be good for centering if you are in the public eye.
•It felt relaxing, warming, and drying. I felt dry, like a long desert road. Two figures want to speak to me. One feels protective and wants me to look behind me. The other is an ancient female presence; she came in the end. I was not clear on her message. It feels like there is an ancient or ritual use of this herb. In the second meditation I felt a sense of light and flowers. I wondered about the use of roots vs aerial parts, and the plant functioning on an operating system level (immune system?). It felt like their are two paths with this plant.
•Visions: My feet were decorated: my toenails are painted and there lotus flowers were all over my feet. The vision showed me dipping my toes into the ocean. I saw plants and sea creatures swarming around my feet. A goddess is walking, hovering above the water. She was wearing white, very curvy (with large breasts), caucasian, with dark, wavy hair. I tapped my foot against the water again and it sent out golden ripples as far as I could see. In the second meditation the goddess, who was on the water, dove in. As she did she turned into a mermaid. She winked at my right before her head went into the water.
Summary and Traditional Use
Beauty and passion: The plant brings understanding to what it means to be beauty or attractive, and to enjoy the beauty that can be part of this life! Per Matthew Wood (the Book of Herbal Wisdom) sweet leaf helps appreciate beauty (i.e., art, music) and deal with passion. Monarda fistulosa brings awareness of aesthetics and focus on the core of the matter--the nectar/heart/underlying meaning. This is a culinary herb and was used in spells in North America. An example of combining magical qualities and cooking: crystalized Monarda petals decorating and enhancing edible sigil cookie spells (Marble Crow blog).
Flower essence reports, which often help me illuminate metaphysical properties of the herb indicate this herb can help you shed harmful narratives and replace them with higher vibe, more functional and peaceful ones. It can be useful for helping a child (or adult) re-regulate after intense experiences (whether positive or negative, spiritual or profane). This can be helpful for becoming more authentic if you have suffered abuse (see also agrimony). When people feel alone and unsupported, to help them get what they need accomplished. Helps breakthrough cycles of victimhood and clear internal entanglements that may border on disassociation from psychological stress. Shifting from this to living in alignment with oneself, with positive belief systems. Such as going from thinking thoughts like "no one cares whether I live or die" perhaps because your parents and some authorities gave you this impression, to "I am passionate about my goals, and many other people want to support them too". The power shift goes from being controlled by negative influences, to nurturing our positive ones, and being realistic in that many people do have common goals. In the right growing conditions, such as in Portland, Oregon, this herb can have two blooming cycles. Deadhead flowers shortly after they bloom (typically all bloom around the same time). You may see another bloom late in the season. This aligns with an herb that offers second chances aften being cut down in life, such as by abuse.
Dampness: Relating to the physical properties of the herb, many of our experiences had to do with the heating herb's ability to work with dampness. These include: dryness of the long hot road, becoming a mermaid, ending lactation and drying tissues, even focus (which some reports I read discussed as the plants ability to lift a fog described in a way that reminded me of stagnant waters). In multiple sources I have seen reference to clearing currents and electrical pathways. It seems like boggy emotions and tissues states are a part of the problem the herb addresses. This may be another aspect of this herb's use for focus. If there are emotional matters impeding focus, it would be considering if this is accompanied by symptoms of dampness (yeast infections, diarrhea, clammy skin) then monarda seems like it could help, if this is only during public speaking, and accompanied by anxiety or panic attacks and with stomach upset try lemon balm, provided no thyroid issues, or if this has an inflammatory aspect--in that case, look into linden. This herb is a favorite of mine for yeast, including vaginal infections, skin infections in the groin region, systemic yeast, yeast that may have invaded the bladder (it has a reputation for resolving bladder infections that are not showing as bacterial). See traditional dosing below. This is a potent herb! With the mermaid and beautiful ocean experience, as well as love of life, I think this herb is not just saying "I will dry you out", but rather saying I can restore healthy water harmony with astringency and movement--both physically and emotionally.
Essential oils: Monarda fistulosa is high in thymol (usually around 45-50%, whereas thyme is often 50-60%).This makes it a great mouthwash and skin wash for infections, like thyme. Thyme like Monarda can support rising up in the face of fears (such as in war or in nightmare conditions). So there is some overlap in the two herbs, perhaps due to thymol, a very heating and invigorating essential oil.
Post Breastfeeding This does appear to be a new use and makes sense because it is so drying. Many women feel their constitution changes after pregnancy. Their bodies have many symptoms of being more damp, we have to be to nurse. I love this herb offering an option for this transitional period which can be uncomfortable and take a long time. It also speaks to this herb's love of beauty. Herbs can be very effective for aesthetics. Other options towards the end of nursing: I typically recommend cooking sage (two doses) to stop milk production and ladies mantle to lift any saggy tissues (abdomen, breasts, and prolapse related to dampness, but only after nursing because it has a reputation for decreasing milk). Ashwagandha, on the other hand, can help if instead your body is dry from prolonged nursing, which can sometimes happen after a couple years. This is helpful if you want to continue nursing, or need to recovery your fluids after nursing.
Monarda talked to me about things directly relating to my writing about plant meditation! I appreciated their comments about how each person was getting a different aspect of the medicine. People have very different experiences in meditation, some more subtle, others more physical, some visual, or they hear songs. It is all great information to add to our understanding of the plant, so their medicine can be of help.
Other physical uses: This herb has many uses related to drawing heat out of inflammed tissues or organs, one important example is burns and fevers. Often we want to cool hot tissues, but with this herb, heat is managing heat. Most historical information on this herb comes from Native use. While it was introduced to Europe and is used for tea and flavorings, it is not as commonly used in European herbalism. Direct your research into Indigenous populations in zones 4-9 of what is currently known as North America. Do so with respect. It is helpful for colds and flus including fevers and sore throats, as a mouth wash for oral infections (it may help with oral cancers), and bacterial infections. Thyme and Monarda fistulosa could be used interchangably in certain conditions (like colds and skin infections, although for more serious lung conditions turn to thyme).
Dosing: In terms of flavor and dosing, a little goes a long way. Traditional dosing is 1-3 drops of the tincture, 3x a day or as needed. Typically the aerial parts are used. If harvesting the leaves, do so before the plant flowers for a better flavor and stronger medicine.
Invitation
Have you used Monarda? If so, in what capacity? Please share in the comments below, we would love to hear. Go to this page ot join the Plant Meditation Club. Coming soon, Monarda tincture. Check back in the next week or so.