Pennyroyal | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
(unranked): | Angiosperms |
(unranked): | Eudicots |
(unranked): | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Lamiaceae |
Genus: | Mentha |
Species: | M. pulegium |
Binomial name | |
Mentha pulegium L. |
Pennyroyal refers to two plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. For the American species, see American pennyroyal. The European pennyroyal, Mentha pulegium, (also called Squaw Mint, Mosquito Plant,[1] and Pudding Grass[2]), is a plant in the mint genus, within the family Lamiaceae. Crushed Pennyroyal leaves exhibit a very strong fragrance similar to spearmint. Pennyroyal is a traditional culinary herb, folk remedy, and abortifacient. The essential oil of pennyroyal is used in aromatherapy, and is also high in pulegone, a highly toxic volatile organic compound affecting liver and uterine function.
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Pennyroyal was commonly used as a cooking herb by the Greeks and Romans. The ancient Greeks often flavored their wine with pennyroyal. A large number of the recipes in the Roman cookbook of Apicius call for the use of pennyroyal, often along with such herbs as lovage, oregano and coriander. Although still commonly used for cooking in the Middle Ages, it gradually fell out of use as a culinary herb and is seldom used so today.
Even though pennyroyal oil is extremely poisonous, people have relied on the fresh and dried herb for centuries. Early settlers in colonial Virginia used dried pennyroyal to eradicate pests. Pennyroyal was such a popular herb that the Royal Society published an article on its use against rattlesnakes in the first volume of its Philosophical Transactions in 1665.[3]
Pennyroyal tea is the use of an infusion made from the herb. The infusion is widely reputed as safe to ingest in restricted quantities. It has been traditionally employed and reportedly successful as an emmenagogue (menstrual flow stimulant) or as an abortifacient. Pennyroyal is also used to settle an upset stomach[4] and to relieve flatulence.[5] The fresh or dried leaves of pennyroyal have also been used when treating colds, influenza, abdominal cramps, and to induce sweating,[4] as well as in the treatment of diseases such as smallpox and tuberculosis, and in promoting latent menstruation.[5] Pennyroyal leaves, both fresh and dried, are especially noted for repelling insects.[4] However, when treating infestations such as fleas, using the plant's essential oil should be avoided due to its toxicity to both humans and animals, even at extremely low levels.[6]
Pennyroyal essential oil is extremely concentrated. It should never be taken internally because it is highly toxic; even in small doses, consumption of the oil can result in death.[7] The metabolite menthofuran is thought to be the major toxic agent. Complications have been reported from attempts to use the oil for self-induced abortion. For example, in 1978 an eighteen year-old pregnant woman from Denver, Colorado died within one week after consuming one ounce of concentrated Pennyroyal oil in an attempt to self-induce abortion.[8] There are numerous studies that show the toxicity of pennyroyal oil to both humans and animals.[9][10][11][12]
Since the U.S. Congress passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act in October 1994, all manufactured forms of pennyroyal in the United States have carried a warning label against its use by pregnant women. This substance is not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.[13]
In Maine writer, Sarah Orne Jewett's novel, Country of the Pointed Firs, one of the residents of Dunnet, Maine whom the narrator befriends, Mrs. Todd, harvests pennyroyal in a field north of the town.
In the Homeric Hymn of Demeter, Demeter in the guise of an old woman as she searches for the abducted Persephone refuses red wine but accepts a drink of barley, water and pennyroyal called kykeon.
Aristophanes made reference to pennyroyal as abortifacient in Lysistrata and Peace. Mari Sandoz writes in her book, Slogum House, "She was the fifth of twelve children in the river-bottom family, with a mother who laid the cards and brewed tansy, pennyroyal and like concoctions for luckless girls who were in need."
The grunge band Nirvana recorded a song named "Pennyroyal Tea."
In the book Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins, pennyroyal is used by Kudra to keep from becoming pregnant.
William Carlos Williams opens his "Kora in Hell: improvisations" city lights books with "Fools have big wombs. For the rest? - here is pennyroyal if one knows to use it. But time is only another liar so go along the wall a little further......"
In the Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve, Professor Pennyroyal is a bogus historian who leads the protagonists of the story to near death.
In the Science Fiction book "The Technician" by Neal Asher, Penny Royal is the name of rogue black AI.
The musician Jesca Hoop mentions "Pennyroyal wine" in her 2008 song, Enemy.
Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). "Pennyroyal". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.