Bergamot (Wild)
nêhiyawêwin (Cree): apiscānakāskīsik, mostoswīkask ("cow pleasant-tasting plant") Latin: Monarda fistulosa L. Blackfoot: Maanikapi Common names: horsemint, bee balm
By Jordan Woodsworth(Banner image) USask [CC BY-SA]
Description
Not the same as the citrus fruit Bergamot, which is commonly recognized as the flavor of Earl Grey tea. Wild bergamot is in the mint family, and as such has a square stem and herbaceous, minty smell and flavor. Some sources say the smell resembles oregano and has citrusy qualities. Wild bergamot is a source of oil of thyme. It grows up to 3ft tall and has dense purple or pink flower clusters only at the end of branches. It likes rich, dry, well-drained soil, and flowers from June to September.
Its fruit is four small nutlets. (Vance, p. 236)
This plant grows all over North America, as far North as the Northwest Territories and as far South as Texas. It is a source of nectar for hummingbirds, moths, bees and butterflies.
Some Indigenous peoples have such a nuanced relationship with Wild Bergamot that they have different names according to the form of the roots, the stem shape, and fragrance. (Foster & Duke, p. 249)
The name horse mint relates to a story about warriors who watched their horses graze these plants after a long run to soothe their legs. This story is shared by Nellie Rider in the Nakota Times ("Sharing Plant & Land Knowledge with Nellie Rider", 2020).
Medicine
colds, flu, fever, wounds, nausea, flatulence, bronchitis, childbirth, menstrual cramps
The leaves and flowers can be used to make tea which is used to treat colds and flus and reduce fevers. The tea is called Oswego tea (video, The Old Farmer's Almanac). The leaves of wild bergamot have antiseptic properties for healing wounds, and can induce sweating and relieve nausea, vomiting and flatulence.
A traditional Ojibwa remedy uses Wild Bergamot to treat bronchial infections (Foster & Duke, p. 249).
After childbirth, a traditional Cree remedy is to boil the whole plant for drinking to "clean out the blood and heal the womb" or when mixed with other ingredients for menstrual cramps (Cree Elders, published in Marles et al., p.204).
Food
The leaves and flowers can both be eaten raw.
The seeds are a source of protien, fat, fiber, and minerals (Marles et al., p. 204).
Other Use
The Plains Apache use the leaves for personal fragrance (Foster & Duke, p. 249).
References
(Banner image) "Wild bergamot bloom". University of Saskatchewan. [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]
Cree Elders, James Smith 100 Reserve, Saskatchewan. Interviewed 1994, published in Marles et al., 2012.
Foster, S. and Duke, J. A. (2014). Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America, Third Edition. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Kainai Ecosystem Protection Association; Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative. (2020). "Naapi’s Garden: A guide to culturally important Blackfoot Plants" [Pamphlet]. BuffaloTreaty.com https://www.buffalotreaty.com/flux/naapis-garden-a-guide-to-culturally-important-blackfoot-plants
Marles, R. J., Clavelle, C., Monteleone, L., Tays, N., and Burns, D. (2012). Aboriginal Plant Use in Canada's Northwest Boreal Forest. Edmonton, AB: Natural Resources Canada.
Native Prairie Society of Saskatchewan. (Accessed Nov. 2018). Field Guide: Wild Bergamot. Retrieved from https://www.npss.sk.ca/games/?p=look-up&id=66
Sharing Plant & Land Knowledge with Nellie Rider. (2020, August). Nakota Times: Carry the Kettle First Nation's Monthly News, Issue 1 August 2020, page4. http://cegakin.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/NakotaTimes-Digital-Aug-2020.pdf
The Old Farmer's Almanac. (Accessed Feb. 2021). Growing Bee Balm. Retrieved from https://www.almanac.com/plant/bee-balm.
"Wild Bergamot". (n.d.) Retrieved from University of Alberta Indigenous Teaching & Learning Gardens website: https://sites.google.com/a/ualberta.ca/our-garden/our-plants/wild-bergamot (Accessed April 2020)
Vance, F.R., Jowsey, J.R., and McLean, J.S. (1984). Wildflowers of the Northern Great Plains (2nd ed.). University of Minnesota Press.