For many people, aromatic oils are an integral part of life. Their effect on human health and general well-being has been proven for a long time. Some use ethers in everyday life, others use it for body care or for medicinal purposes, while someone simply improves the atmosphere in the house with the help of an aroma lamp.
There are a huge number of oils, widely distributed and known for their medicinal qualities. However, there are also extracts whose properties are not so illuminated, which is why they unfairly remain in the shade. One of them is monarda essential oil.
What is this plant?
Monarda is an essential oil plant that belongs to the family Labiaceae. It is also called golden melissa, bee balm, Native American bergamot and lemon mint. It has a straight branching stem, reaching a height of more than 100 cm.
The leaves of the monarda are opposite, serrated, oval in shape, with reddish veins and a pointed tip. The color is light green, with a slight silver tint.
Plant flowers can have different colors - lilac, red or pink. They have a very pleasant aroma, and are also a wonderful honey plant. Lemon mint over 4 years old forms about a hundred flower stalks.
Monarda begins to bloom in mid-summer, and ends in late August. In some cases, this period may stretch before the onset of cold weather. After flowering, dry fruits appear, which consist of several nuts. The plant does not lose its decorative effect. Practically all parts of the monard have beneficial properties.
In the infield, monarda is most often grown in seedlings. In winter (January-February) the seeds of the plant are sown in boxes with nutrient soil to a depth of 2.5 cm, placed in a greenhouse. The temperature under the film should be at least 20 ° C. The emergence of seedlings is expected in 2-3 weeks. Then the seedlings dive into containers. Once they enter into force, they can be planted in open ground.
Varieties of flower
The most common types of monarda are:
- lemon;
- double;
- hybrid;
- fictional.
Moreover, each type of flower has its own healing qualities. For example, lemon monard in medicine is used as a natural antiseptic. She got this name for her unusual lemon scent. In addition, the plant is used as a spice during the preparation of vermouth, as well as in the cosmetology industry. It is from lemon monarda that popular tea is made, which has not only medicinal properties, but also a unique taste. Such a drink is well established in the fight against asthma and viruses.
Double monarda is often used as an inhalation for the treatment of colds. This variety of flower also helps with rheumatism, and also acts as an antimicrobial and laxative. It contains a lot of carvacrol and thymol, which is beneficial for improving the functioning of the heart muscle and normalizing blood circulation.
In the herbaceous plant, a lot of vitamins B1, B2, and C are contained. When they are deficient in the body, it is customary to use monarda oil. In cooking, this kind of flower is used as a seasoning.
Hybrid monarda helps to improve digestion, in addition, it has excellent antiviral and immunomodulatory effects. That's why it is often used to eliminate colds such as acute respiratory infections, acute respiratory viral infections and influenza.
What is a part of monard?
The essential oils in this plant are the main biologically active components. It is thanks to them that the monarda has a pleasant aroma. It also contains vitamin C, riboflavin, thiamine, and also produces pectins, bitterness, tannins, bioflavonoids, amino acids and cellulose.
Monarda oil, the healing properties of which have long been known to traditional healers, contains about 40 substances, of which 16 are the main ones. Many samples of the essential oil of this flower contain thymol and carvacrol as an active component. In various types of monarda, their content varies from 41–85%.
In addition, the following elements are present in essential oil of bee balm (as the monard is popularly called):
- linalool;
- sabinen;
- borneol;
- myrcene;
- thuyen;
- terpin;
- tuyol;
- cineol and cimol.
By the way, in dried form this unique herb is used to get rid of domestic pests. Its components help to destroy bed bugs and other parasitic insects that feed on particles of skin.
Monarda oil: properties and applications
Golden lemon balm is a fairly valuable bactericidal agent with a wide spectrum of action. The main useful element in it is a natural antibiotic - thymol.
Monarda essential oil - a solution that has a strong antiseptic effect. The flower contains a large number of antioxidants, retinoids and vitamins. Thanks to useful substances, monarda has an antifungal, immunostimulating, regenerative, hemostatic and antiseptic effect on the body.
The healing properties of the essential oil help to eliminate inflammatory processes, increase immunity, relieve cramps, remove toxins and poisons from the body, and also fight colds. In addition, it perfectly protects against the harmful effects of radiation and even helps get rid of radiation sickness.
Monarda oil, the use of which should be dosed inside, is added to tea in order to increase the strength of people after a course of chemotherapy. It is used to eliminate bronchial asthma, dermatitis, burns and eczema. Ether perfectly copes with diseases caused by fungi, dandruff, helps rejuvenate the skin and strengthen weak hair.
As already known, the plant has antibacterial properties, so it is used for disinfection and purification of air in the room, especially during epidemics. To relax and warm the muscles when taking a bath, you need to add a few drops of golden lemon balm oil to the water.
Monarda essential oil, the properties of which are able to beneficially affect the body, is used in the following cases:
- To enhance the effect of antibiotics and speed up the healing process.
- For the treatment of bronchial asthma or acute respiratory diseases. With such ailments, the plant is used as an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agent.
- To eliminate ulcers, fractures, abrasions and burns. In case of violation of the integrity of the bones, a mixture of oils is used, for the preparation of which 5 drops of monarda ether, 10 ml of wheat germ oil and a little lavender are needed. The damaged area must be lubricated with the product obtained.
Monarda oil: application in traditional medicine
Essential oil, quite popular in folk medicine, has powerful healing properties, so it must be taken with caution.
The strongest and most important property of golden lemon balm is its antifungal effect. It is used in the treatment of all fungal pathologies. The main quality of medicinal substances is the lack of addiction of bacteria to them. It is used to eliminate fungal lesions of nails and skin, cystitis, vaginitis, psoriasis and eczema.
In addition, monarda has an anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antibiotic effect. That's why plants treat burns, wound infections. It is also used for sanitation in hospitals, since the flower destroys Pseudomonas aeruginosa, staphylococci and streptococci. On top of that, the plant can reduce airborne contamination with diphtheria and pertussis bacilli. Monarda oil is often used to combat otitis media, influenza, tuberculosis, protracted pneumonia, acute respiratory viral infections and bronchitis.
And also the essential oil plant has an anti-cancer property. But its use is possible only after radiation or chemotherapy.
Monarda oil, the use of which many have managed to evaluate, can act as a regenerating agent and as a blood preservative. It perfectly stimulates the immune system. By the number of useful and medicinal properties, this flower resembles backgammon oil.
Monarda has a radioprotective effect, so it is advised to use it for the treatment of radiation damage in small doses. In addition, the plant has an antioxidant effect on the body, since the elements of the oil can oxidize, absorbing excess oxygen in the cells.
Moreover, golden lemon balm has an angioprotective and anti-sclerotic effect. It improves lipid metabolism, resulting in the elimination of bad cholesterol from the body. The essential oil of the plant helps to cleanse the aorta from sclerotic plaques and strengthen the walls of small peripheral vessels.
Use of essential oil plants for other purposes
Monarda oil is not the only remedy from this plant. Monarda is also used as decoctions. Means based on this flower can get rid of acne, acne and other skin diseases, as well as foot fungus.
Decoctions of monarda effectively cope with such a problem of oily scalp, as seborrhea. Another plant is used as a face mask with the addition of white or blue clay.
To prepare the broth use 200 ml of hot water and 2 tablespoons of dry grass. Insist in a thermos for about 10 hours. The resulting product needs to be washed daily to eliminate inflammatory processes in the skin pores.
Monarda essential oil is often used during massage in order to at least slightly delay old age. In the process of this procedure, the cells are updated. Golden lemon balm is added to various skin care products. After all, funds with this plant perfectly tone it.
Monarda has a very unusual and pleasant aroma, so the dishes with it are always delicious. The fresh young herbs of this plant are great for salads and soups, as it normalizes digestion and improves appetite. Such grass is added to compotes, tea and jelly. Drinks with it acquire healing properties, so it is recommended to drink them from colds.
Monarda green in combination with tarragon, basil and mint is used as a seasoning for fish or pastries. But to preserve all the useful qualities of the plant during heat treatment, it must be put in a dish a few minutes before readiness.
Domestic use of golden lemon balm is due to the antifungal and bactericidal effects of ether. In living rooms with high humidity, affected by fungus and black mold, spraying with the agent from this plant is carried out. To get such a spray with monarda oil, you need to add 15 drops of ether in 1 liter of water and mix thoroughly. Treat the premises with the resulting solution at least 1 time in 7 days.
If someone caught a viral infection in the family, it is possible to carry out spraying for preventive purposes or aromatic treatment of rooms to avoid infection.
Oil extract at home
Unfortunately, it is impossible to get real monarda oil, whose properties have a beneficial effect on the human body, at home. But you can independently prepare the extract from this plant.
When growing monarda in the country, raw materials for oil should be collected only during the active vegetation of the flower. To get home extract, use dried leaves and inflorescences. They are mixed with refined plant product in a proportion of 1 teaspoon of raw materials and 10 - oil. The finished mixture should be placed in a water bath, heated for several hours. Then the solution is cooled and filtered. Apply oil extract for inhalation, treatment of abrasions and the treatment of the common cold.
Contraindications to the use of golden lemon balm
The use of monarda oil should be made in moderation. It is worth refusing treatment with this plant in the following situations:
- If the child is under 5 years old, because it is not known exactly how the properties of this flower will affect the baby.
- When breastfeeding and bearing a baby. Future mothers should not eat monarda-based products and even inhale their aroma.
- With individual intolerance. There is always such a contraindication, especially when it comes to plants with such a diverse composition.
Combination with other essential oils
Monarda oil has a very specific composition, so it is rarely used in perfumes. For the same reason, it interacts only with some ethers. In combination with other oils, the healing properties of the plant can be enhanced.
In skin diseases, monardic esters more effectively affect the affected area in combination with basil. These herbs in combination neutralize the negative side effects of each other, thereby increasing their healing properties.
For the preparation of monardic ether products, peach, apricot or almond oil is best used as a base. To enhance the antiviral and bactericidal qualities of the plant, eucalyptus and lemon wormwood should be used. And it will be possible to improve its aromatic properties with the help of essential oils of lime, geranium, lemon and lavender.
Harvesting Monarda
This perennial flower is an excellent honey plant that attracts many beneficial insects, so it can often be found in summer cottages. It looks great in the background of the garden, as well as in combination with phlox and rudbeckia. As a rule, to create culinary dishes and medicines, the ground part of golden lemon balm is used. It is best to collect plants at the beginning of flowering. After all, it was during this period that it contains the most essential oils.
The cut monard must be dried in a dark place, while the room should be well ventilated. Coarse and thick stems should be thrown out immediately, since it is difficult to prepare medicinal fees and infusions from them. A dry plant does not need to be crushed much, otherwise it is possible to spoil the essential oil glands. If they are damaged, the effectiveness of the raw material will deteriorate.
The ratio of substances in the monard and the amount of essential oils vary depending on the variety, growing conditions, and harvest time. Monarda oil is a very valuable and useful plant, its medicinal properties bring great benefits to the human body, however, before use, you should consult a doctor.
Opinions of people about this flower
Monarda oil, reviews of which are mostly positive, helps strengthen hair when added to shampoos. Some users note its pronounced effect on the skin when added to cosmetics. Many more were convinced that the plant really helps to fight against viral and colds. People using it in aromatherapy noted the tonic effect of the essential oil of this herb.