FoodFood InformationHerbs&Spice
HOREHOUND (Marrubium vulgare)
This is a perennial relative of mint with much branched stems that growabout 2 feet high. Its aromatic, wrinkled, gray green leaves are coveredwith downy white hair; flowers also are white. As a garden ornamental itsome times looks rather weedy, but it can serve as an edging in a gray garden.
Horehound is an age old medication for coughs and sore throats. The ancientGreeks and Romans used it as an antidote for poisoning, to cure insect andsnake bites, and to keep scorpions and spiders away from their homes. Ithas become naturalized and a weed in parts of California.
It grows easily in poor, sandy, dry soil and full sun; once established,it can be rather aggressive. Sow seeds in flats and transplant the seedlingsinto the garden 12 inches apart.
Horehound is used to make horehound candy, and a tea brewed from the leavesis sometimes taken to relieve a cough or cold.