Celebration of summers fullness – bee balm blooms in July, around my birthday, in the fullest and most abundant moment of summer. Celebrating beauty, abundance, spicy life, and healing. Turning these spicy flowers into infused honey for winter months, and yet more into tincture for all kinds of infections. Blessed by the medicine.
My favorite ways to use Purple Bee Balm are as a tincture for all sorts of infections, both internal or externally. I often formulate it with other herbs as it is very heating and spicy tasting. I also love the flowers infused in honey (pictured here) to drizzle in tea all winter long, or as a sore throat and cold remedy. The honey makes a wonderful wound or burn dressing as well. I always keep some dried leaves and petals around in the kitchen to use in my cooking as well, the spicy oregano flavor goes well with bold italian tomato sauces sausages, soups and mexican style beans or posole.
SHAMANA FLORA 
So cool to me to know Monarda is blooming here as well as in your area, in such a different biosystem. I need to pick more, don’t!
I made some Sunday after seeing your trip to that beautiful field. I keep turning the jar! Now to go harvest some more.
me too!! i gotta go back!! 1 quart of tincture anad just 1 pint of honey….
wonder if i rub it on me as cologne it will attract the men?
It’s in full bloom here in the Black Hills too! So beautiful and such a wonderful aroma filling my drying room now. Lakota men rubbed it on as a cologne to attract the ladies.