Medicinal Uses of Horehound

First let's tackle identification of Horehound before diving into what it is used for medicinally. Horehound is a small bushy plant that sends out numerous annual stems that are square in shape not the traditional round stem shape of most plants. Careful do not rely solely on this feature because is it not unique to Horehound! Horehound grow to about 14 inches tall generally (35cm). Blooming varies by region, but is during the warmer months of the year. Shocker right! The flowers do not appear on the plant its first year of life so they are not always going to be present to help identify the plant.

When the white flowers do occur the will grow from between a leaf or branch and the stem of the plant in a circular pattern around the stem.

The leaves will be your biggest clue to figureing out if a plant is Horehound. The leaves have woolly and whitish color and have a look that is best described as crinkled. The leaves give off a smell when crushed up that can be used to identify the plant also, but only after you have once before identified a plant. Don't neglect the smell however. You may forget identification tips, but for whatever reason, us humans seem to remember smells forever. Once you know its smell you should be able to identity this plant for the rest of your life.

Horehound is a hardy wild plant that does well in dry to well drained soils. It is quite adaptable so you can't rule it out because it is found in a wetter location as this plant will try to grow anywhere. It should just be less common in the wetter habitats.

Horehound is a plant native to Europe but has been spread world wide because of its usefulness as a medicinal plant. If now grows wild probably in a woodlot near you.

Horehound (Marrubium vulgare). should be more accurately called White Horehound or Common Horehound. The leaves and flower have been used thousands of year to treat digestive issues and respiratory issues. And to this day it is still used for these purposes.

One use Horehound is for respiratory health. And is used in the cough drop Ricola if that helps you believe this isn't all voodoo.

How does it work? Horehound helps relax the bronchioles and remove phlegm. Some government agencies have approved horehound for use as a medicianal for respiratory health issues. Starting to believe?

In addition to the respitory use there is both lab and animal studies that show that horehound also has very significant anti-inflammatory properties. These studies are both animal studies and test tube studies aka invitro studies.

Need more? Animal and laboratory studies has shown that horehound has antioxidant properties. Antioxidants help to neutralize free radicals, which cause cell damage to your body.

And it continues. One of the traditional uses of horehound is as an anti-diabetic. A number of animal studies have shown that horehound has a blood sugar-regulating effect.

The only human trail ever done, which was sabatoged by its protocol by not using the molecule that was thought to be responsible for the anti-diabetic effects. Yet this study still found positive imporovements in glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides.

Do you still think big pharm wants you well or sick? Of course no follow up studies have occured.

There are other studies of Horehound that show other benefits to but those other potential benefits are less certain at this point. Cancer, liver and kidneys or the suggestions and I will just leave it at that.

The only medical warnings is that pregnant women should avoid its use. This is one step down from no warnings associated with it at all.

You can use the leave to make a tincture or an infusion.