Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium)
Flowers: July to September. Height: 23cm (9in).
Greek mythology and the Mentha (Mint) family are said to be connected. Minthe was a river nymph in the Cocytus River (one of the five rivers of Hades). Persephone caught her husband Hades about to seduce her and in her revenge she turned Minthe into a lowly mint plant that people would walk upon. Mint supposedly got its pungent sweet smell when Hades softened the spell so that when people walked upon his lover they would smell her sweetness. Also known as Fleabane because when rubbed on the skin or strewn, Pennyroyal repelled fleas.
Medicinal: It was a digestive tonic, cough remedy, purified stale drinking water and was a preferred medieval remedy against poison. Culpeper’s Complete Herbal (1653) suggests it be used to reduce nausea and thought that it “purges melancholy”.
Culinary: A poisonous plant, it was used sparingly for flavouring in salads and cooked foods.
