Horehound – White (Marrubium vulgare) & Horehound – Black (Ballota nigra)
Flowers: June to September. Height: 30 – 90cm (23 – 36in).
Black horehound has purple flowers and is also known as Black Stinking Horehound due to its strong smell.
Medicinal: Horehound has been mentioned in conjunction with medicinal use dating back to the 1st century BC, where it appeared as a remedy for respiratory ailments. Horehound cough syrups and drinks for sore throat and chesty colds were used “to rid the tough phlegm; as also to void cold rheums from the lungs of old folks, and for those that are asthmatic or short-winded” Culpeper’s Complete Herbal (1653). Taken as a tea, White Horehound was used to treat eczema and shingles.
Culinary: Used as a flavouring in desserts and baking.
Magic & Myth: White Horehound was seen as a magical herb with the powers of exorcism, healing and protection.
