Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), as well as other bee balm plant species, offers us so many benefits! The gifts of bee balm include promoting digestion, helping you recover from colds and the flu, fighting fungal and yeast infections… That’s just naming a little of what bee balm can do. (Really, bee balm can be some of our most potent herbal medicine against infections and stagnant conditions.) One of my favorite ways to enjoy wild bergamot bee balm is as a tea, so I’ll be sharing my bee balm tea recipe with you as well! (Be sure to download your free, printable recipe card from the show notes page.)

UPDATE: Oops! At 4:15, I accidentally said lemon balm, rather than bee balm tea. Just a slip of the tongue; bee balm tea is what I meant.

Speaking of bee balm tea…

Feeling chilled? Brew a mug of bee balm tea, settle in with your favorite comfy throw, and prepare to be amazed as you sip.

Need to treat a minor burn? Try a wash of cooled bee balm tea.

Gut feeling heavy and uncomfortable after a meal? Say it with me… bee balm tea.

These are just a few of the potential applications for spicy-hot bee balm tea… This episode goes into many more. 

Besides benefiting us medicinally, bee balm makes a delicious addition to many savory dishes. And to say the bee balm plant is beloved by pollinators might just be the understatement of the year. 

As you make bee balm’s acquaintance, I’m sure you’re going to fall in love with this beautiful plant, too!

After listening in to this episode, you’ll know:

► Why bee balm is such a powerful, one-stop pharmacy for the cold and flu season

► Who should NOT take bee balm in medicinal doses

► Why bee balm is an herb to consider growing yourself

► Why taste informs how to work with bee balm

► When to combine taking bee balm internally with external application

► My favorite combination of herbs for soothing an inflamed urinary tract

► and much more…

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Get full show notes and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

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On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.

Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.

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Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of the bestselling book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She's a registered herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild and teaches many popular online courses. Read about how Rosalee went from having a terminal illness to being a bestselling author in her full story here.