Monarda fistulosa, the wild bergamot or bee balm,[3] is a wildflower in the mint family Lamiaceae, widespread and abundant as a native plant in much of North America.

Monarda fistulosa is an herbaceous perennial that grows from slender creeping rhizomes, thus commonly occurring in large clumps.

[6] Monarda fistulosa ranges from Quebec to the Northwest Territories and British Columbia, south to Georgia, Texas, Arizona, Idaho, and northeastern Washington.

It can have thymol, geraniol, carvacrol, p-cymene, γ-terpinene, α-terpinene, and α-thujene in different amounts with the exact cause of this variability still being researched, though environmental and genetic factors probably both play a role.

The Oneida call it "Number Six", in honor of it being "the sixth medicine given by the Creator";[22] other nations that use it include the Menominee, the Ojibwe, and the Winnebago (Ho-Chunk).

[citation needed] A tea made from the plant was also used to treat mouth and throat infections caused by dental caries and gingivitis.

[citation needed] Bee balm is the natural source of the antiseptic thymol, the primary active ingredient in modern commercial mouthwash formulas.