(Mentha pulegium) P: the oil is poisonous
Folk Names: European Pennyroyal, Lurk-In-The-Ditch, Mosquito Plant, Organ Broth, Organs, Organ Tea, Piliolerian Pudding Grass, Run-by-The-Ground, Squaw Mint, Tickweed.
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Mars
Deity: Demeter
Powers: Strength, Protection, Peace
Magickal Uses: Pennyroyal placed in the shoe prevents weariness during travel and strengthens the body in general. Stomach problems can be alleviated by stuffing a green poppet with mint and annointing it with healing oils. When worn it acts against the evil eye and aids in making business deals. To rid a place of evil, sprinkle salt water with a sprinkler made of fresh sprigs of mint, marjoram, and rosemary.
When given to quarreling couples it will cause them to cease their fighting, and so pennyroyal is a herb of peace. Pennyroyal is kept in the home (away from pets and children) for protection. It is also carried on board ships to prevent seasickness.
[From "Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs"]
Introduction
Pennyroyal is the smallest of the mint family, and has some very distinctive properties. The taste and odor of pennyroyal is stronger and far more pungent than other mints, which makes it disagreeable to many people. It's also disagreeable to insects, and pennyroyal has been used as a natural insect repellant for centuries. Pennyroyal tea is often used to treat digestive complaints, but its most well-known folk medicine use is as an abortifacient.
Pennyroyal is widely used in both Europe and North America, where Native Americans used it as a ïhousehold remedy' for digestion, colds, fever, painful menstruation and childbirth. Recently, the use of pennyroyal oil in products has become controversial when products using the oil were implicated in the deaths of two women. The herb is known to be toxic when taken in large doses, and skin contact with the pure oil can cause dermatitis.
Constituents: pulegone,isopulegone, menthol, isomenthone, limonene, piperitone, neomenthol, bitters and tannins.
Parts Used : Aerial parts, especially young leaves and flowers
Preparations: Typically used as a tea infusion, and seldom found in extract and capsule form. The oil be used in cosmetics and for topical application.
Summary:
Pennyroyal has been used for centuries in teas and infusions to help treat digestive disorders and relieve flatulence. It is still often used in salads and as a flavoring herb, though less often than other mint herbs. Like many herbs, it should be used with caution by pregnant women, and in recommended doses. The volatile oils can be toxic, and large doses of pennyroyal should be avoided.
Percautions:
Since it induces contractions, pennyroyal should not be used by pregnant women. In addition, pennyroyal products have been implicated in at least two deaths due to liver malfunctions, which leads some authorities to strongly suggest that pennyroyal oil should not ever be taken internally.
For educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
From: http://www.botanical.com/products/learn/p/pennyroyal_herb.html
PENNYROYAL IN HISTORY
Pennyroyal was indeed a Royal Herb, or at least a favorite of the early English royal families. We know that it was accredited with medicinal properties as early as Pliny, who also remarked on it's effectiveness against fleas. In fact, its Latin name of Pulegium is derived from pulex mean "flea". Native American Indians were well aware of its benefits, and taught the settlers to rub the leaves over the skin to repel insects. In fact, tribal uses were many...the Chickasaw would soak the entire plant in water and place it on the forehead to relieve headache and watery eyes. Other tribes used it for stomach aid, still others to relieve cold and flu. This appears to contradict records indicating that Pennyroyal was one of the plants introduced by the Pilgrim settlers.
MEDICINAL USES
CAUTIONS: While it can be effective in small amounts, it is no longer recommended that anyone take Pennyroyal internally. Pennyroyal can have a toxic effect on the liver, and overdose can cause vomiting, high blood pressure, paralysis, respiratory failure, acute poisoning or even death. The primary use of Pennyroyal today is in oil form and only for external use.
Pennyroyal should not be used long term under any conditions. It is abortive and should not be used in any form if pregnancy is apparent or suspected. Do not use in any form while breastfeeding. Use medicinally only under the supervision of your doctor or homeopathic professional.
The New Age Herbalist echoes my sentiments when they say "The plant world offers a perfectly effective range of natural insect repellents and yet the chemical companies continue to produce products whose effects on animal and bird life are lethal and on human health uncalculated." I couldn't agree more, especially when Nature offers us such an effective alternative to chemicals and sprays.
While Pennyroyal has a rich history of medicinal uses, we now know the cautions of using it internally. Today, the best use of Pennyroyal is externally, as a natural insect repellant. Simply grab a handful of the fresh herb, and rub it on the skin to repel flies, mosquitos, gnats, ticks, chiggers, and fleas. The slightly rosey-minty smell is much more pleasant than smelling like a chemical insecticide.
You can hang dried bunches to repel flies, gnats or other winged creatures in the house. Put it in vases around the home to repel pestiferous pests. Be sure to keep them in places where children and pets won't be tempted to nibble!! Wear a dab of infusion or oil to keep fleas and mosquitoes at bay, and dab some on your pet's collar to do the same. Scatter some leaves among (preferably under) your pet's bedding to combat fleas.
Pennyroyal's past value as a medicinal herb, however, can best be inferred from the sheer quantity which M. Grieve, in A Modern Herbal refers to growing, considering it a "crop" plant rather than just a few in the garden. She relates to us that "Pennyroyal grows abundantly, but being required by the hundredweight it has been cultivated...on account of the difficulty of obtaining sufficient quantities..."
Pennyroyal Tea was once used as a remedy for everything from headaches to colds to menstrual problems. Grieve tells us that "Pliny gives a long list of disorders for which Pennyroyal was a supposed remedy..." A distilled mixture of Pennyroyal and water was reputed to act as a blood purifier, aid respiration, dizziness, act as an anti-spasmodic, and to right arthritis and joint pain.
Some homeopaths still use the Oil for treatment of severe cramps. See above precautions.
GARDENING
Pennyroyal's same insect repelling properties work well in the garden. Some references say Pennyroyal has a light scent slightly reminiscent of roses, although I don't notice it in mine. Interestingly, it is a wonderful companion plant for them, though. Pennyroyal doesn't spread as wildly as others in the mint family, but it is weedy enough to make a good insect-repelling border plant for a vegetable garden. It takes average, dry soil and full sun. European varieties can take part shade, but prefer a richer soil. Look for the variety erecta which is more leggy and can be bundled most easily for harvest.
Harvesting: The best time to gather Pennyroyal is when the plants are in full bloom, usually in early to mid summer. Cut the stems several inches from the base, and hang in bunches to dry. Rub the leaves off when dry and store them in dark, airtight containers.
Like most mints, pinch off the top shoots for bushiness and increased growth.
MAGICAL USES
As an 'Herb of Peace', Pennyroyal aids in all types of tense situations, from business to personal negotiations. Pennyroyal kept in a bowl can bring peace to the household, or cease fighting between couples.
Folklore tells tales of seamen scattering Pennyroyal on rough seas to calm them. You can carry Pennyroyal on board ships to prevent seasickness.
Pennyroyal offers protection when worn or carried.
Pennyroyal was used to bathe the body of dead to ensure peaceful transition to the next journey.
Beyerl says in a compendium of Herbal Magick that "Pennyroyal is most useful in penetrating the mysteries of death and rebirth." For students seeking greater awareness of the Wheel or work with reincarnation or rebirthing, Pennyroyal can be a great asset. It has a history of association with Initiations, and understanding of the Mysteries.
So go ahead, pinch those Pennyroyals and enjoy a pest-free environment, naturally!
[From: http://www.gardenguides.com/480-pinching-pennys-pennyroyals.html ]
And from Alchemy Works - a favorite herb site for me - http://www.alchemy-works.com/herb_pennyroyal.html
The Greeks incorporated pennyroyal into secret rituals of initiation. Amongst Celts, it is associated with the Great Mother, and it is usually considered a Venus herb. It does contain the planetary metal for Mars (iron) and has some Mars qualities, though, such as causing sweating (heating) that has been used to chase away a cold. It is also associated with the Moon because of its ability to sedate and calm. The Old English name for pennyroyal is dweorge dwosle. The first part of the name is from the word for dwarf, dweorgh, meaning not a small person but a metaphysical being who lived the earth and was associated with mining and smithing. The derivation of the second part of pennyroyal's Old English name is unknown, although it is possibly derived from the word for destroy, dwascan, in which case the name for pennyroyal would mean "dwarf destroyer." Was pennyroyal used in charms against dwarves? We don't know - nor do we know why people would feel the need for such charms. Perhaps to protect their own dwarfish pursuits - mining and blacksmithing? Still, this gives us a new perspective on pennyroyal with possible anti-Earth Elemental uses. This would coincide with its Airiness as a member of the mint family and a minty aromatic. Something to consider in your work with this herb.
Non-Magickal Uses:
The Romans used the leaves as an insect repellent, and during the Middle Ages, it was a strewing herb (it smells really good) and used to get rid of bugs. Renaissance sailors purified their drinking water with it, and its scent mixed with wormwood was a remedy for seasickness. Many recommend stuffing pennyroyal into a cloth collar to help companion animals fend off fleas. I have tried this with my cats to no avail. The best non-toxic method I have found to deal with fleas is daily vacuuming of the house. Pennyroyal tea has long been popular for warding off colds, because it causes sweating.
Toxicity and abortions:
This Venus-ruled herb has also been made into a tea and drunk to start menstruation, and it has a reputation for causing abortions. But does it really do that? Here is an article about pennyroyal toxicity by a registered herbalist in the UK. Besides comparing pennyroyal toxicity to that of the OTC-painkiller acetaminophen (called paracetamol in England), he makes the point that pennyroyal does not cause abortions. The American College of Clinical Pharmacy agrees, asserting that no documented case of pennyroyal causing an abortion exists. The idea of using pennyroyal as an abortifacient appears to be a misreading of Culpeper, who said it was sometimes used to expel a DEAD fetus that was stuck inside the mother. This misinformation has just been repeated and repeated, with no one even checking Culpeper. If you need an abortion, contact Planned Parenthood for help finding one. You can enter your zip in the box on that site to find a center near you, or you can email them or call them. Pennyroyal has many uses for magickal ritual, including as a help for exploring the border between life and death. Use pennyroyal to explore that borderland magickally, not physically. This herb is also known as pulegium, run-by-the-ground, lurk-in-the-ditch, pudding grass, and pilioleria.
So as you can see just from this little bit of information I've posted here that there can contradictions on the safety of ingesting this herb, the the oil is the most dangeorus. I suggest if you want to use it for internal usage, that you check and double check on the safety guidelines before doing so.
S.
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