Can herbs steal each others flavor?

Question

I made oswego tea for the first time tonight and my wife thought I had given her oregano tea. It was too much of a coincidence to guess that I think. She had no idea I made tea out of bee balm and the bee balm was planted right next to the oregano (probably too close now, since both have grown a lot in the last year).

I've heard it is possible for some herbs like basil to somehow weasel their oils in to tomatoes, but is it possible to corrupt herbs in a similar way? Or does Oswego tea just more or less taste like oregano?

Answer 1

Monarda didyma, which is the variety usually used to make Oswego tea, is related to Oregano anyway - this plant is sometimes called Wild Oregano in some areas of the world, because the taste is not dissimilar (apparently, I've never tried it). So that's probably why your wife thought it was oregano. Try making oregano tea, just as an experiment, and oswego tea, and taste and compare both.