Edible Parts:
Edible Uses: Condiment  Tea

Horehound is a hardy, widespread perennial herb with a long history of use in traditional medicine and herbal confectionery. Its leaves and flowers can provide a distinctive bitter flavor, but the plant offers little nutritional value as a conventional food [2-3]. Its greatest historical importance lies in herbal preparations, particularly cough drops, syrups, and teas. Despite producing abundant seeds, horehound is not a practical grain resource, and people should not consume its seeds without reliable evidence of safety. For US southwestern foragers, horehound is an easily recognized but relatively unimportant food plant. Its aggressive growth and ability to colonize disturbed habitats also make it an environmental concern in many regions [2-3]. Overall, horehound deserves an edibility rating of 1 out of 5 because it is primarily a flavoring herb rather than a substantial food source [2-3]. Horehound is primarily used as a flavoring rather than a food. People have traditionally used the leaves and flowers to make herbal teas, sweets, cough drops, and medicinal syrups. Other parts, including the seeds, are not established as edible foods and should not be consumed. The leaves contain intensely bitter compounds, particularly marrubiin, which contributes to the plant's characteristic flavor. People generally use horehound in small quantities, often with sugar or honey to make its bitterness more palatable [2-3]. Edibility Rating: 1 out of 5 – Very limited food value. Horehound is useful as an occasional herbal flavoring, particularly in sweetened preparations, but its extreme bitterness and lack of substantial edible parts make it a poor food resource [2-3]. Taste and Preparation: Horehound has an exceptionally bitter flavor with resinous, earthy, and slightly medicinal notes. Fresh leaves produce a strong herbal taste that can be difficult to balance with other ingredients. The flavor has been described as resembling tar or old rubber, although individual perceptions vary. People traditionally prepare horehound tea by steeping the leaves and flowering tops in hot water. The resulting infusion is strongly bitter and is usually sweetened with honey or sugar. People also use the plant to flavor traditional horehound sweets, which are particularly associated with European and North American herbal traditions. The seeds are produced abundantly but are not recognized as a conventional food. Your field notes describe experimental toasting and roasting of the seeds, which improved their flavor and produced a coffee-like beverage when brewed. However, these observations do not establish that the seeds are safe to consume, and their use as food is not recommended. Seasonality: Horehound produces new leaves in spring and continues growing through the warmer months when moisture is available. Flowering generally occurs from May to October in the Northern Hemisphere, although timing varies with climate. People traditionally gather the leaves and flowering tops during active growth. Seed heads develop through summer and often remain on the plants well into autumn. These dry to a light brown color and retain numerous small nutlets. Traditional Uses: Horehound has a long history of use in European and Mediterranean herbal medicine. People traditionally valued it for respiratory complaints, particularly coughs and congestion, and used it in herbal teas, syrups, and lozenges. The plant contains bitter compounds that have been investigated for their potential biological activity. Historically, horehound was regarded as an expectorant, though traditional use should not be mistaken for conclusive evidence of clinical effectiveness. Horehound sweets remain one of its best-known culinary applications. These are generally made by infusing the leaves or flowering tops in sugar to produce a strongly flavored confection [2-3]. Safety: Consume horehound only in small quantities as a traditional flavoring. Concentrated preparations or excessive consumption may cause adverse effects, including digestive discomfort. Medicinal doses are not recommended during pregnancy because of concerns about possible effects on the uterus. People taking medications, particularly those for blood pressure or blood glucose, should seek professional advice before using concentrated horehound preparations. The seeds are not established as safe foods, and the experimental uses described in your source should not be interpreted as evidence of safety. The leaves are used as a seasoning[27]. Bitter and pungent, they are sometimes used to flavour herb beer or liqueurs[4, 183]. Horehound ale is a fairly well-known drink made from the leaves[4, 238]. A mild pleasantly flavoured tea is made from the fresh or dried leaves[183], it is a favourite cough remedy[4, 46].

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Antidiarrhoeal  Antidote  Antiflatulent  Antiseptic  Antispasmodic  Appetizer  Cholagogue  Diaphoretic  
Digestive  Diuretic  Emmenagogue  Expectorant  Hepatic  Stimulant  TB  
Tonic

White horehound is a well-known and popular herbal medicine that is often used as a domestic remedy for coughs, colds, wheeziness etc[4, 254]. The herb apparently causes the secretion of a more fluid mucous, readily cleared by coughing[254]. The leaves and young flowering stems are antiseptic, antispasmodic, cholagogue, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, emmenagogue, strongly expectorant, hepatic, stimulant and tonic[4, 7, 9, 21, 165, 238]. Horehound is a very valuable pectoral, expectorant and tonic that can be safely used by children as well as adults[4]. It is often made into a syrup or candy in order to disguise its very bitter flavour, though it can also be taken as a tea[4]. As a bitter tonic, it increases the appetite and supports the function of the stomach[254]. It can also act to normalize heart rhythm[254]. The plant is harvested as it comes into flower and can be used fresh or dried[238]. The root is a remedy for the bite of rattlesnakes, it is used in equal portions with Plantago lanceolata or P. major[207]. The German Commission E Monographs, a therapeutic guide to herbal medicine, approve Marrubium vulgare for dyspepsia, loss of appetite (see [302] for critics of commission E).

Companion  Essential  Repellent

An essential oil is obtained from the plant and used as a flavoring in liqueurs[46]. The plant has been used as a cure for cankerworm in trees[238]. No more details are given, but it is probably a strong infusion of the flowering shoots, or the essential oil, that is used[K]. The growing plant repels flies[201]. Horehound flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees and other insects. Its extended flowering period can make it a useful nectar source in dry environments where other flowering plants may be scarce. However, its ability to dominate disturbed vegetation can reduce the diversity of native plants. In areas where horehound becomes invasive, any benefits to pollinating insects must be considered alongside its negative ecological effects.

Special Uses

Attracts Wildlife  Food Forest  Scented Plants