lemon balm: see bee balm.

bee balm, name for several herbs, especially Melissa officinalis and Monarda didyma, both typical perennials of the family Labiatae (mint family) named for their fragrance, attractive to bees and hummingbirds. Melissa [Gr.,=bee] officinalis, called bee balm or lemon balm, was introduced to North America from the Mediterranean area, where it has long been cultivated for its lemonlike odor and flavor and, formerly, as a curative for many ailments. The leaves and the oil distilled from them (known as melissa or balm) are widely used for seasonings and beverages. Monarda didyma, also called Oswego tea, is native to E North America and was used, along with other species of Monarda, by the Native Americans and colonists for tea. It is also cultivated as an ornamental for its terminal cluster of red blossoms (sometimes pink in garden varieties). Oswego tea is similar and closely related to wild bergamot. The names bergamot and balm are also used for other plants. Bee balm is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Lamiales, family Labiatae.

balm of Gilead, name for several plants belonging to different taxonomic families. The historic Old World balm of Gilead, or Mecca balsam, is a small evergreen tree (Commiphora gileadensis, also once called C. opobalsamum) of the family Burseraceae (incense-tree family) native to Africa and Asia and the source of the commercial balm of Gilead; it is referred to in the Bible in Jer. 8.22. The Ishmaelites from Gilead were bearing balm when they bought Joseph from his brothers. Balm of Gilead is still in high repute for healing in some countries. The American balm of Gilead is a species of poplar (Populus candicans) of the family Salicaceae (willow family) which has large balsamic and fragrant buds. The tree is seldom seen in the wild but was formerly a favorite dooryard tree of the northern states. The buds were used in domestic medicine. This poplar is closely related to, and sometimes considered a variety of, the balsam poplar (P. tacamahaca), which has also been called balm of Gilead and tacamahac. The name balm of Gilead has also been used for the balsam fir and for a herbaceous aromatic, shrubby plant (Dracocephalum canariense or Cedronella canariensis) of the family Labiatae (mint family) native to the Canary Islands and cultivated in parts of the United States.

balm, name for any balsam resin and for several plants, e.g., the bee balm.

Any of 12 North American annual or perennial plants in the genus Monarda, variously known as bergamot, horsemint, and bee balm. They belong to the mint family and have showy flowers. Wild bergamot (M. fistulosa) has a minty aroma. The more sharply scented Oswego tea (M. didyma; a bergamot variety) is native to eastern North America but is widely cultivated elsewhere.

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Any of several fragrant herbs of the mint family, particularly Melissa officinalis (balm gentle, or lemon balm), cultivated in temperate climates for its fragrant leaves, which are used as a scent in perfumes and as a flavouring. The name is also applied to Melittis melissophyllum (bastard balm), Monarda didyma (bergamot, or bee balm), Collinsonia canadensis (horse balm), Glecoma hederacea and Satureja (Calamintha) nepeta (field balm), and Molucella laevis (Molucca balm, or bells of Ireland), as well as to aromatic substances from species of Commiphora (trees and shrubs of the incense-tree family).

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