Common Horehound

Member of Mint Family

Blooms : all year long

This is such a useful and interesting plant. It is a perennial herbaceous plant which grows from a woody root system and has a very rank odor. It grows about 2 feet tall and usually is found in pastures and open areas.

The stems of this plant are woolly looking as are the leaves on the under side and have a crumpled look about them. The tiny clusters of pale pink flowers are quite showy and bloom close to the main stem of the plant. They are very delicate looking and have exceptionally long stamens and pistil for such a small flower. Click on the picture and get a closer look at these pretty little flowers.

Horehound was introduced into North America from Eurasia many years ago. It was almost always found in gardens of early settlers due to its many medicinal uses. The Native Americans used it as well. The stems and leaves had an antiseptic quality about them and were used to brew teas that were taken for clearing mucus from sinuses and clearing congestion of the lungs. It was also drank for headaches and sinus infections. It is documented that it was used to aid the digestion process and increase appetite. It had qualities which caused the rhythm of the heart to become normal. So many uses from this one little plant, how interesting.

My Grandmother loved to eat Horehound stick candy. She kept it all the time and I can remember when I was a kid we would always buy her a box of it for Christmas. She would give a stick to all the kids and tell them to eat it because it was good for us. It tasted somewhat like root beer but had a rather rank taste. (It was awful, but we ate it anyway because she told us to.)

The juice of this plant is very bitter and when used by Native Americans and settlers they had to sweeten it with honey or molasses. Its name is derived from a Greek words which means "bitter juice".

"The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet."

Proverbs 27:7