Oswego tea
Monarda didyma
Leaf and flower · warming-aromatic · opening
Bee balm — the bergamot mint that was a cupboard tea.
On the nose
How it smells
Aromatic, minty, and bergamot- or oregano-like, with a spicy edge. Fragrant when crushed — citrus-herbal, the bee-balm smell of midsummer.
More mint-coolIn the mouth
How it tastes
Bright bergamot or Earl Grey, citrus-mint, oregano or thyme underneath. Aromatic and distinctive.
Traditional use
A garden tea of the mint family. Folk houses steeped the leaf and the red flower as a fragrant cup when store tea was dear, and used the steam for a tight chest. The bees get there first.
In the cup
1 tsp dried leaf and flower, covered steep 6–8 minutes. Fresh flowers in a summer pot. Honey if the oregano-spice shows.
Blood
Sour blood · sour
Sour is cooling and astringent. It draws and binds, thickens thin blood, starts saliva, and hydrates even as it tightens. Sour plants carry the antioxidants of fruit. They move mucous and support the lungs — large doses irritate. Lemon-family plants show up again and again in sinus cups.
Read sour bloodReached for
Who it feeds
The living bloom
The promise
A careful hand
Ordinary tea for a healthy adult.
Generally well-tolerated. Some chemotypes are high in thymol — ordinary leaf tea is fine. Moderate amounts for most people.
Read the whole promiseSits well with
Peppermint
Mentha × piperita
The lift in the cupboard — head, belly, and a closed room.
Bloating · Indigestion · Headache
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Lemon balm
Melissa officinalis
A lemon-leaf for a circling mind and a mild viral season.
Frayed nerves · Restless sleep · Feverish & flushed
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Thyme
Thymus vulgaris
The chest herb that already lives in the spice jar.
Cough · Chill & congestion · Sore throat
Warm, move, and stimulate
Traditional kitchen and folk use only. This is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are pregnant, nursing, on medicine, or unwell, ask a clinician before drinking anything as a remedy.