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Mentha pulegium

Common name:	Pennyroyal	Family:	Labiatae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	17, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	In large quantities this plant, especially in the form of the extracted essential oil, can cause abortions so it should not be used by pregnant women[165].
Range:	Centraland southern Europe, including Britain, Mediterranean region, Macaronesia.
Habitat:	Moist meadows and sandy soils by streams etc[9, 17].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	3

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Pulegium vulgare[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	English Pennyroyal [H], European Pennyroyal [E], Pennyroyal [H,B,L,P], Pennyroyal, European Or True [S], Polei [D], Poleo [E], True Pennyroyal [H], Yarpuz [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	pulegium = pennyroyal
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Lamiales. Renamed to Lamiaceae -- Mint family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Chile Europe Mexico Spain Turkey
Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds	From USDA PLANTS database, Weeds Australia , DEFRA Injurious Weeds
	Listed as noxious/invasive for: Western Australia.

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.4m by 0.6m . It is hardy to zone 7 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from August to October, and the seeds ripen from September to October. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees. It is noted for attracting wildlife. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Meadow, Ground Cover.

Edible Uses

Condiment Leaves Tea.

Leaves - raw or cooked[2, 9, 27]. Used as a flavouring in salads or cooked foods[183]. A spearmint-like flavour, though rather coarser, it is not used very often in Britain[4].
A herb tea is made from the fresh or dried leaves[183]. For drying, it should be harvested as the plant comes into flower[4].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antiseptic Antispasmodic Carminative Diaphoretic Emmenagogue Sedative Stimulant Uterine tonic.

Pennyroyal has been used for centuries in herbal medicine. Its main value is as a digestive tonic where it increases the secretion of digestive juices and relieves flatulence and colic[254]. Pennyroyal also powerfully stimulates the uterine muscles and encourages menstruation, thus it should not be prescribed for pregnant women since it can procure abortions, this is especially the case if the essential oil is used[238, 254].
The herb is antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, sedative and stimulant[4, 9, 46, 165]. A tea made from the leaves has traditionally been used in the treatment of fevers, headaches, minor respiratory infections, digestive disorders, menstrual complaints and various minor ailments[222, 238, 254]. It is occasionally used as a treatment for intestinal worms[254]. Externally, an infusion is used to treat itchiness and formication, inflamed skin disorders such as eczema and rheumatic conditions such as gout[254]. The leaves are harvested in the summer as the plant comes into flower and are dried for later use[4].
The essential oil in the leaves is antiseptic, though it is toxic in large doses[222].

We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.

Other Uses

Cleanser Essential Ground cover Pot-pourri Repellent Strewing.

An essential oil is obtained from the whole plant, used in soap making[46, 61] and as a cleanser for fabrics[169]. A yield of 14kg of oil per hectare is considered good[4].
The plant has a low spreading habit and can be used as a ground cover, though it is somewhat sparse in the winter and can be invaded by the more aggressive weeds[K].
The growing or dried plant repels fleas, ants, moths, mice etc[18, 20, 148, 169, 201, 238]. Rats and mice intensely dislike the smell of mint. The plant was therefore used in homes as a strewing herb and has also been spread in granaries to keep the rodents off the grain[244]. A strong infusion applied to the face will keep gnats away in the summer[245].
The aromatic leaves are used as an ingredient of pot-pourri[238].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in most soils and situations so long as the soil is not too dry[200]. Plants are very quickly diminished by dry conditions[4]. Prefers a stiff moist soil that is slightly acid[16, 27, 37, 200]. A sunny position is best for production of essential oils, but plants succeed in partial shade.
Pennyroyal is often grown in the herb garden and is also cultivated commercially as a medicinal plant[4, 115]. There are two main forms of this species. One has weak prostrate stems and spreads by rooting where the stems touch the ground, it is only 10cm tall[4]. The other is erect, does not spread so freely and grows about 30cm tall, thus making it easier to harvest[4]. There is also at least one named form, called 'Dwarf' it is only a few centimetres tall[183].
The whole plant a strong spearmint smell.
The flowers are very attractive to bees and butterflies[24].
A good companion plant for cabbages and tomatoes[20], helping to repel cabbage root fly and other burrowing insects[201].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Germination is usually fairly quick. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer. Mentha species are very prone to hybridisation and so the seed cannot be relied on to breed true. Even without hybridisation, seedlings will not be uniform and so the content of medicinal oils etc will vary. When growing plants with a particular aroma it is best to propagate them by division[K].
Division can be easily carried out at almost any time of the year, though it is probably best done in the spring or autumn to allow the plant to establish more quickly. Virtually any part of the root is capable of growing into a new plant. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. However, for maximum increase it is possible to divide the roots up into sections no more than 3cm long and pot these up in light shade in a cold frame. They will quickly become established and can be planted out in the summer.

Scent

Plant: Crushed Dried: The whole plant a strong spearmint smell.

Cultivars

'': No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[S] SW USA Dist. Maps from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Illustration from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Illustration from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
Images from the CalPhoto database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.

[16] Simons. New Vegetable Growers Handbook. Penguin 1977 ISBN 0-14-046-050-0
A good guide to growing vegetables in temperate areas, not entirely organic.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[18] Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979
Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.

[20] Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978 ISBN 0-88266-064-0
Fairly good.

[24] Baines. C. Making a Wildlife Garden.
Fairly good with lots of ideas about creating wildlife areas in the garden.

[27] Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press ISBN 0-89815-041-8
A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.

[37] Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878
Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[115] Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.
Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.

[148] Niebuhr. A. D. Herbs of Greece. Herb Society of America. 1970
A pleasant little book about Greek herbs.

[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
An excellent small herbal.

[169] Buchanan. R. A Weavers Garden.
Covers all aspects of growing your own clothes, from fibre plants to dyes.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[201] Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993 ISBN 0-304-34324-2
A well produced and very readable book.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[244] Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990 ISBN 0-330-30725-8
Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

Readers Comments

A sceptical guide to Aromatherapy

Rich (pfaf@scs.leeds.ac.uk) Sat Feb 19 14:50:13 2000

Aromatherapy Publications have several cautionary articles about the Hype found among aroma therapy practioners. The author is pro aromatherapy but wary of the many outlandish claims made.

Weeds as a future source for human consumption

Martha D�az B (martha@ecologia.edu.mx) Thu Jun 28 17:02:26 2001

We reciently recieved this article on the use of various weeds in south america. We though that you might enjoy it.

Abstract

Weeds may constitute an additional food source for humans. Up to 66% of weed species are edible and abound in urban and agricultural environments. A total of 43 species were sampled in tropical areas in Coatepec Mexico (e.g. roadsides, urban vacant lots, streets, sugar cane and coffee plantations). A similar survey performed in a temperate area in Bariloche Argentina with 32 species sampled. At a greater geographic scale, a comparison between Mexican and Argentine weeds shows that, proportionately, the food parts vary a little between regions. In general, the uses go from leaves, seeds, roots, fruits, and flowers.

Link: Weeds as a future source for human consumption

Cross references: Plants: Acalypha wilkesiana, Amaranthus dubius, Amaranthus hybridus, Amaranthus spinosus, Anagallis arvensis, Alstroemeria aurea, Berberis buxifolia, Brassica rapa, Bidens odorata, Cichorius intybus, Cirsium vulgare, Claytonia perfoliata, Cytisus scoparius, Chenopodium album, Chrysanthemum leucanthemum, Canna indica, Chenopodium ambrosioides, Commelina diffusa, Commelina erecta, Drymaria cordata, Drymaria gracilis, Galinsoga quadriradiata, Heliconia caribaea, Hydrocotyle bonariensis, Hydrocotyle mexicana, Ipomoea purpurea, Ipomoea tilliacea, Ipomoea triloba, Hypochoeris radicata, Lactuca serriola, Malus sylvestris, Medicago lupulina, Melilotus albus, Margaranthus sulphureus, Oenothera odorata, Osmorhiza chilensis, Oxalis corniculata, Oxalis latifolia, Phaseolus vulgaris, Piper auritum, Plantago hirtella, Plantago lanceolata, Portulaca oleracea, Papaver rhoeas, Rumex acetosella, Rumex longifolius, Rumex obtusifolius, Sida acuta, Sida glabra, Sida rhombifolia, Sida spinosa, Solanum nigrum, Sonchus oleraceus, Spilanthes americana, Sanguisorba minor, Silybum marianum, Sonchus asper, Sonchus oleraceus, Stellaria media, Taraxacum officinale, Tragopogon dubius, Tradescantia fluminensis, Tagetes micrantha, Trifolium repens, Tripogandra serrulata, Xanthosoma robustum, Youngia japonica. Genera: Mentha.

Weeds as a future source for human consumption

Klaus (allmendeperma@web.de) Thu Aug 16 16:12:55 2001

I really wonder what this has to do with montia perfoliata. The edible uses of weeds might be interesting, but not as a comment to this plant.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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