Medicinal Monday - Horehound

Horehound is a native to Europe and Asia that has been naturalized to most other areas of the world including the United States. Native Americans adapted this hardy perennial herb and used it in many ways medicinally from treating colds, coughs, and sore throats to treating swellings and increasing circulation.

About Horehound
The scientific name of this herb is Marrubium vulgare.  Horehound is an aromatic herb of the mint family.  The plant has oval leaves that are covered in white wooly hairs and it bears small, white flowers.  Marrubium vulgare or white horehound grows nearly two feet tall and has a short woody root.  The leaves are oval, wrinkled and dark green on the top and pale with downy white hairs on the underside.  The tubular flowers form dense whorls at the leaf axils and bloom during the second year of growth from June to August.  The seeds are dark brown and have tiny barbs that attach to animal fur and clothing.  They attract bees when they are in bloom.

Medicinal Uses
Horehound is one of the oldest cough remedies in the world.  This time-honored cough remedy can be found in syrup, candy, and tea preparations today.  Many Native American communities use horehound to treat coughs and colds, sore throats, and whooping cough including the Cherokee, Diegueno, Hopi, Kawaiisu, Mahuna, Navajo, Rappahannock and Yuki.  The Costanoan make a salve from the leaves and put it on boils, and the Isleta used a poultice of crushed leaves to treat swellings.  The Navajo, Ramah use a decoction of this plant to treat stomachaches, they and also use a decoction of the root before and after childbirth.  To increase circulation the Paiute whip the body with the branches of this herb.

Did you Know...

It is thought that this herb may have been used as one of the bitter herbs used on the night of Passover.

In Roman times, it was used as an antidote for poison and the Egyptian pharaohs kept it in their medicine chests.

The common name horehound comes from the Old English words har and hune meaning downy plant.  This description refers to the white hairs that give this plant its appearance.

Other names for this plant include eye of the star, seed of Horus, mavel, bull's blood, and houndsbane.

About The Institute for American Indian Studies

Located on 15 woodland acres the IAIS preserves and educates through archeology, research, exhibitions, and programs.  We have an outdoor replicated 16th c. Algonkian Village and Wigwam Escape and a Museum with temporary and permanent displays of authentic artifacts from prehistory to the present that allows visitors to foster a new understanding of the world and the history and culture of Native Americans. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut.