| Botanical Name |
Marrubium vulgare |
| Common Name |
Horehound, Marrubio, Mastranzo |
| Family |
Lamiaceae - Mint |
| Description |
This erect perennial sends up numerous square stems that branch from the base. The leaves are opposite, veiny, oval and wrinkled with toothed margins. They are rough on the upper side and white and wooly underneath. They have short petioles and are paired at each stem joint. This hardy plant prefers damp ground. |
| Mature Size |
1’ – 2 ½’ |
| Bloom |
In summer small, 2-lipped, whitish to purplish flowers appear in dense clusters in the leaf axils. The upper lip is erect and the lower one has 3 lobes. The calyx of each flower surrounds the fruit and develops a whorl of small hooked spines, forming a characteristic cluster of bur-like structures in each leaf axil. |
| Interesting Facts |
This native of Europe or Asia was probably introduced into the U.S. as a garden herb. It escaped cultivation and has become widely distributed. It is considered a garden nuisance and is cursed by sheep ranchers because the hooked spines become entangled in the wool of the sheep. |
| Traditional and Medicinal Uses |
Flowering tops and dried leaves have been used as a flavoring for candy. A well-known cough syrup is made from the leaves. Parts of it have been used for treatment of colds, rheumatism, sores, fever, pneumonia, snake and dog bites, intestinal worms, stomach aches and colic. In the first century it was a treatment for all internal afflictions. |
