Herbs & Herbal Remedies @ Green Papaya

Good Herb with a Bad Reputation

Family: Labiatae; (include Mints)

Genus and Species: Mentha Puiegium (European); Hedeoma PuJegioides (American)

Also known as: Pulegium, Hedeoma, Fleabane, Tickweed, Mosquito Plant, Squawmint

Parts used: Leaves and flower tops

Few healing herbs have a reputation as bad as pennyroyal’s - or as undeserved. Critics charge small amounts can be fatal. It is true that as little as 2 tablespoons of pennyroyal oil can cause death. But the dried herb is not dangerous. Pennyroyal’s highly aromatic leaves and flower tops are a safe decongestant, cough remedy, and digestive aid.

Known as Fleabane

Pennyroyal became popular during the first century after the Roman naturalist Pliny noted the aromatic plant repelled fleas, hence its name, fleabane. When rubbed on the skin or strewn, it also repels other insects, hence such common names as tickweed and mosquito plant.

In addition to its use against fleas, Pliny touted pennyroyal as a cough remedy and digestive aid and recommended hanging the plant in sickrooms in the belief its fragrance promoted Healing The Greek physician Dioscorides seconded Pliny’s recommendations, adding that pennyroyal stimulates menstruation and helps expel the afterbirth.

During the early Middle Ages, pennyroyal was recommended for truly bizarre purposes. Physician/philosopher Saint Albertus Magnus wrote that by covering drowning bees in its warm ashes, “they shall recover their lyfe after a space of one houre.” though it remains unclear why anyone would want to revive drowning bees.

English Herbalists Tout It

In the 16th century John Gerard touted pennyroyal’s ancient use as an expectorant: “Penny-royale taken with honey clean seth the lungs and cleareth the breast from all gross and thick humors”

Seventeenth-century English herbalist Nicholas Culpeper recommended the herb for many other conditions: “Drunk with wine, it is of singular service to those stung or bit by any venomous beast… applied to the nostrils with vinegar, it is very reviving [fori fainting ... being dried and burnt, it strengtheneth the gums, and is helpful for those troubled with the gout ... being applied as a plaster, it taketh away carbuncles [boils].”

Americans Adopt It

Early American colonists introduced European pennyroyal (M pulegium) into North America, but found the Indians already using the American herb (H. pulegioides) for similar uses-externally to dress wounds and repel insects and internally to treat colds, flu, cough, congestion, and to stimulate menstruation and abortion. Folk healers also recommended aromatic pennyroyal garlands for headache and dizziness.

During the early 19th century, Thomsonian herbalists packed pennyroyal leaves into the nostrils to treat nosebleeds. After the Civil War, the Eclectics adopted it as a stimulant. fever treatment, digestive aid, and menstruation promoter. Their text, King’s American Dispensatory, called it “an excellent remedy for the common cold” and recommended it for arthritis, whooping cough (pertussis), “colic in children … and hysteria” (menstrual discomforts).

Starting around 1887, the Eclectics were among the first to use pennyroyal oil, which they considered more convenient than the raw herb. They also recognized its potential hazards. King’s mentioned a case of pennyroyal poisoning caused by ingesting 1 tablespoon.

From 1831 to 1916, pennyroyal was listed in the U.S. Pnarmacopoeia as a stimulant, digestive aid, and menstruation promoter. From 1916 to 1931, pennyroyal oil was listed as an intestinal irritant and abortion inducer.

Contemporary herbalists advise against taking pennyroyal oil because of its toxicity, but they recommend using the herb externally as an insect repellent and treatment for cuts and burns. They also recommend taking the herb (not the oil) internally for colds, cough, upset stomach, flatulence, anxiety, and menstruation promotion.

Pennyroyal’s oil contains one chemical (pulegone) that accounts for its actions as an insect repellent, menstruation promoter, and abortion inducer.

Insect Repellent - Pennyroyal oil is an ingredient in several natural insect repellents. It appears to help repel flies, gnats, mosquitoes, fleas, and ticks.

Decongestant and Cough Remedy - As one of the most aromatic mints, the strong aroma of pennyroyal infusion acts as a decongestant and possible expectorant.

Digestive Aid - Pennyroyal also contains chemicals similar to peppermint’s menthol, which may help relax the digestive tract, though pennyroyal’s stomach-soothing action is not as strong as peppermint’s.

Rx for Pennyroyal

For repelling insects, rub fresh, crushed plant Material around the body, or mix pennyroyal tincture into a skin cream and rub that on.

For an herbal pet flea collar, try a pennyroyal garland or a bag of the herb hung from a regular collar.

For an infusion to help treat cough, congestion, or upset stomach, use 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried herb per cup of boiling water. Steep 10 to 15 minutes. Drink up to 2 cups a day. The aroma resembles spearmint, but it’s sharper and not quite as inviting. The taste is warm and pleasant, initially bitter with a cool finish.

In a tincture, use ¼ to ½ teaspoon up to twice a day. Pennyroyal should not be given to children under age 2.

For older children and people over 65, start with low-strength preparations and increase strength if necessary.

Ever since pennyroyal’s abortion-inducing oil was first distilled more than 100 years ago, this herb has been notorious because its oil is so toxic. Pulegone does indeed stimulate uterine contractions. Unfortunately, the dose necessary for abortion is quite close to the lethal dose, a fact that many women have learned the hard way. The British medical journal Lancet reported a case of abortion-related pennyroyal oil poisoning as early as 1897, and since then about a dozen similar cases have appeared in the medical literature.

As little as Ih teaspoon of pennyroyal oil can produce convulsions, and according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, an 18-year-old pregnant woman died within 2 hours after taking 2 tablespoons, despite emergency treatment.

Clearly, women wishing to terminate pregnancy should not use pennyroyal oil. In fact, no one should.

Though small amounts of pennyroyal oil can be fatal, the oil is a super-concentrated extract of the herb. Drinking a few cups of pennyroyal infusion poses no hazard. University of Illinois pharmacognosist Norman Farnsworth, Ph.D., estimates it would take 75 gallons of strong pennyroyal infusion to approach a potentially toxic dose of pennyroyal oil.

Other Cautions

For otherwise healthy non-pregnant, non-nursing adults, pennyroyal herb - not the oil - is considered relatively safe in amounts typically recommended.

Pennyroyal should be used in medicinal amounts only in consultation with your doctor. If pennyroyal causes minor discomforts, such as stomach upset or diarrhea, use less or stop using it. Let your doctor know if you experience unpleasant effects or if the symptoms for which the herb is being used do not improve significantly in two weeks.

Good Soil Required

Despite their botanical differences, both European and American pennyroyal yield similar oils and are used interchangeably.

The European herb is a perennial that spreads by underground runners. Its square stems grow to about 12 inches. Its opposite, oval leaves are smooth or slightly hairy. Tight whorls of small lilac flowers appear in midsummer.

European pennyroyal may be propagated from root runner divisions in early spring or fall, or by rooting stem cuttings during summer. Both species do best in rich, well-watered, sandy, slightly acidic loam under full sun, though the European herb tolerates partial shade. European pennyroyal needs room to spread. Its runners emerge after it flowers.

American pennyroyal is an annual with square stems that reach 15 inches. Its leaves resemble those of the European variety; however, its summer-blooming flowers tend to be smaller and more bluish.

American pennyroyal must be grown from seeds sown in spring or fall. Cover them with ¼ inch of soil. Thin seedlings to about 5-inch spacings.

Harvest the leaves and flower tops of both plants when they are in full bloom. In the autumn, cut them a few inches above the ground and hang them to dry.