Practical
Plants

Marrubium vulgare

White Horehound

a perennial member of the Marrubium genus in the family Labiatae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Labiatae
Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.5 m
Spread
0.5 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Bees, Self
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees, Self

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The leaves are used as a seasoning[14]. Bitter and pungent, they are sometimes used to flavour herb beer or liqueurs[16][5]. Horehound ale is a fairly well-known drink made from the leaves[16][10]. A mild pleasantly flavoured tea is made from the fresh or dried leaves[5], it is a favourite cough remedy[16][17].

Product or use
Condiment
Product or use
Tea

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

White horehound is a well-known and popular herbal medicine that is often used as a domestic remedy for coughs, colds, wheeziness etc[16][13]. The herb apparently causes the secretion of a more fluid mucous, readily cleared by coughing[13]. The leaves and young flowering stems are antiseptic, antispasmodic, cholagogue, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, emmenagogue, strongly expectorant, hepatic, stimulant and tonic[16][19][20][9][3][10]. Horehound is a very valuable pectoral, expectorant and tonic that can be safely used by children as well as adults[16]. It is often made into a syrup or candy in order to disguise its very bitter flavour, though it can also be taken as a tea[16]. As a bitter tonic, it increases the appetite and supports the function of the stomach[13]. It can also act to normalize heart rhythm[13]. The plant is harvested as it comes into flower and can be used fresh or dried[10]. The root is a remedy for the bite of rattlesnakes, it is used in equal portions with Plantago lanceolata or P. major[8].

Product or use
Antidote
Product or use
Antiseptic
Product or use
Antispasmodic
Product or use
Cholagogue
Product or use
Diaphoretic
Product or use
Digestive
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Emmenagogue
Product or use
Expectorant
Product or use
Hepatic
Product or use
Stimulant
Product or use
Tonic

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

An essential oil is obtained from the plant and used as a flavouring in liqueurs[17]. The plant has been used as a cure for cankerworm in trees[10]. No more details are given but it is probably a strong infusion of the flowering shoots, or the essential oil, that is used[K]. The growing plant repels flies[7].

Product or use
Essential
Product or use
Repellent

Environment

Range
Europe, including Britain, south and east to N. Africa, the Azores, central and western Asia.
Habitat
Downs, waste places and roadsides southwards from central Scotland, though perhaps only native near the south coast of England[4].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 3+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow April/May or August/September in a cold frame. Germination can be slow and erratic[6]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the following spring[K]. Basal cuttings in late spring. Harvest the shoots with plenty of underground stem when they are about 8 - 10cm above the ground. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer. Division in spring[1]. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

White horehound is an easily grown plant that succeeds in most well-drained soils[6], though it flourishes best in a poor dry soil[1][16]. Another report says that the plant flourishes best where there is plenty of nitrogen in the soil[15]. It prefers neutral to alkaline soil conditions[10] and requires a warm sunny position if it is to do well[2]. Often grown in the herb garden and sometimes cultivated commercially as a medicinal herb[16][18]. If the plant is cut back after flowering it will normally produce a second crop of leaves[10]. The fresh leaves have a pronounced musky smell, though this is lost once the plant is dried[12]. A good bee plant[1]. White horehound is a good companion plant for growing near tomatoes[11]. The tomatoes crop for a longer period and also produce a heavier crop[7].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  2. Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-87857-262-7

    ↩

  3. Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.

    ↩

  4. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩

  5. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2

  6. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

  7. Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0-304-34324-2

    ↩1↩2

  8. Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6

    ↩

  9. Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-553-23827-2

    ↩

  10. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  11. Baines. C. Making a Wildlife Garden.

    ↩

  12. Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8

    ↩

  13. Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996-00-00 ISBN 9-780751-303148

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  14. Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press ISBN 0-89815-041-8

    ↩

  15. Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas Botanical Research Institute, Texas. 1999-00-00 http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm

    ↩

  16. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9

  17. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  18. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

  19. Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-356-10541-5

    ↩

  20. Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981-00-00 ISBN 0-600-37216-2

    ↩

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