People and their pets have
benefited from the pennyroyal mint for a long
time. The profusely growing plant with lilac-colored
flowers needs to be enjoyed with caution, however.
People and their pets like pennyroyal
but fleas don’t. Mentha pulegium, the plant’s
botanical name, designates the plant as a member
of the mint family. The pulegium part comes from
the Latin word pulex, which means flea.
Crushed fresh pennyroyal leaves
are said to deter insects when rubbed on the skin
and help keep pets flea free. Since the days of
ancient Rome, people have sprinkled the dried
herb on their pets’ bedding and used a pennyroyal
infusion in flea shampoos.
Once used in the kitchen to
flavor stuffings and savory black puddings (otherwise
known as sausages in the United States), its flavor
is overpowering and so pungent it is considered
too disagreeable for use in today’s kitchen.
In England and in the Native
American Indian tribes of North America, the leaves
of the perspiration-inducing pennyroyal plant
made into a hot tea were taken to reduce fever
and chills from colds and the flu.
Caution is strongly advised
when ingesting this particular member of the mint
family. It is known to cause contractions of the
uterus and was once relied upon quite strongly
as an effective and powerful abortifacient. It
was also used to induce the onset of delayed menstruation.
Women using the pennyroyal oil
to expel unwanted pregnancies have met their deaths
in doing so. Others have developed irreversible
kidney damage, convulsions, and coma. Pregnant
women should never ingest pennyroyal leaves or
oil.
While it
seems pretty harmless to chase away the fleas
with pennyroyal, women need to consult a physician,
rather than an herbalist, when faced with issues
of the reproductive system.
Reference
Kruger, Anna; An Illustrated Guide to Herbs: Their
Medicine and Magic; A Dragon’s World Book;
Limpsfield and London; 1993
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