Bergamot /scarlet beebalm/scarlet monarda/Oswego tea/crimson beebalm) is an aromatic herb Monarda didyma, native to eastern North America. Its name is derived from its smell which resembles that of the bergamot orange.

This plant grows from 70 to 150 centimeter in height. The stems are square in cross-section. The 6–15 cm long and 3–8 cm broad leaves are opposite on the square stems. They are dark green in color and have reddish leaf veins and a coarsely-toothed margin.

The bright red tubular flowers are 3–4 cm long and form showy heads of about 30 together, with reddish bracts. It grows in dense clusters along stream banks, thickets and ditches, flowering from mid to late summer.

Bergamot is grown as an ornamental plant both within and outside its native range. Several cultivars have different flower colors, ranging from white through pink to dark red and purple.

Bergamot has a long history as a medicinal plant used by many Native Americans, including The Blackfeet Indians. They recognized this plant’s strong antiseptic action and used it to treat skin infections and minor wounds. Mouth and throat infections were treated with a tea made from the plant.

Beebalm is the natural source of the antiseptic thymol, the primary active ingredient in modern commercial formulas of mouthwash. Beebalm was used by Native Americans to treat excessive flatulence.