The smallest species of mint, pennyroyal enjoys an ancient reputation as an effective healer. This member of the Labiatae family is traditionally known as "Lurk-in-the-Ditch" and "Pudding Grass." European pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) is a perennial which is native to most of Europe and parts of Asia. It is most at home in moist soil near ponds or streams. It grows upright or creeps close to the ground, and has small round hairy leaves and purple flowers. American pennyroyal (Hedeoma pulegioides) is an annual which grows in fields and woods from the Atlantic coast to the Midwest. It grows upright to 18 inches in height, and has a square stem with grayish green leaves. It is believed that the Puritan settlers introduced pennyroyal to the American continent.
American and European pennyroyal have similar properties, although the American variety has twice the amount of essential oils and may be more powerful. Pennyroyal is used medicinally as a carminative, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, and sedative. The name "pulegium," which means "flea," originates from the Roman use of the herb as a powerful insect repellent. The ancient Greeks associated the herb with immortality. Native Americans used pennyroyal as an insect repellent, as well as for headache, colic, cold, and menstrual cramp relief.
Today, aromatic pennyroyal still serves as an effective insect repellent. Infused oil can be applied to the skin or clothing; pillows can be stuffed with dried pennyroyal for the same purpose. For cough or cold relief, add a few drops of essential oil to hot water (do not add oil while water is boiling) and inhale the vapors. On a cautionary note, ingesting the essential oil is dangerous and possibly fatal.
Herbalists have long valued pennyroyal as a remedy for menstrual cramps and suppressed menstrual flow. Susun Weed, in her book "New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way," recommends one or more cups of strong pennyroyal tea "for the three days of the new moon" for amenorrhea. This herb, which is an abortifacient, should not be used during pregnancy. Susun Weed also advises against the use of tinctures or capsules of pennyroyal, due to its blood-thinning properties. Other herbalists, such as John Lust, write that a 20- to 60-drop dosage of the tincture is permissible.
Prepare an infusion by placing a handful of the dried herb in a quart canning jar, and filling the jar with boiling water. Cover tightly and brew for at least four hours or overnight. Juliette de Bairacli-Levy recommends one or two tablespoons of the infusion before meals. For external application, pennyroyal can be steeped in vinegar, or prepared as infused oil. Juliette de Biracli-Levy suggests placing two tablespoons of the crushed herb in a half-pint jar three-quarters filled with corn or sunflower oil and one tablespoon of vinegar. Cover the jar and store in a sunny window for three weeks, shaking the jar daily. Infused oil is ready to strain and use after three weeks.
For thousands of years, aromatic pennyroyal has been esteemed by healers, herbalists, and wise women. Nineteenth-century American author Sarah Orne Jewett, in her book "Country of the Pointed Firs," even named a chapter "Where Pennyroyal Grew." Discover the benefits of this esteemed plant, and you will be in good company.
Sources:
Bairacli-Levy, Juliette de, "Common Herbs for Natural Health," Woodstock, NY: Ash Tree Publishing, 1996.
Edwards, Gail Faith, "Opening Our Wild Hearts to the Healing Herbs," Woodstock, NY: Ash Tree Publishing, 2000.
Grieve, Maude, "A Modern Herbal," Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 1971, 1982 (from original 1931 Harcourt, Brace & Company).
Lust, John, "The Herb Book," New York, NY: Benedict Lust Publications, 2001 (from 1974).
Weed, Susun S., "New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way," Woodstock, NY: Ash Tree Publishing, 2002.