Horehound
Marrubium vulgare-white horehound or horehound-is a member of the mint family. This wild herb is indigenous to Europe and Morocco. The woolly, hairy (hoary) leaves and white flowers have been used in herbal medicines.
Uses and Benefits:
Horehound is used mainly as an expectorant and antitussive; it has been employed as therapy for coughs, bronchitis, respiratory infections, and sore throats, and used as a tonic. It has also been taken for cardiac arrhythmias and diabetes; as a bowel and uterine stimulant; for loss of appetite and flatulence; and externally for sores and wounds. Horehound is alleged to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, vasodilator, and diuretic properties.
Horehound may have been used as a bitter confection or food since ancient times. It was chosen as one of the bitter herbs (maror) of the Jewish Passover feast and is still used in confectionary, teas, ales, and other items as a bitter flavor.
Pharmacology:
White horehound contains flavonoids (such as quercetin) and diterpenes, including the lactone premarrubiin which is a precursor of the bitter marrubiin. It also contains alcohols (e.g., marrubenol, marrubiol), mucilage, saponins, and the alkaloids betonicine and stachydine; a number of less important chemicals have also been identified. It is claimed that marrubinic acid works as an appetite stimulant and as a choleretic. Horehound, like other bitter substances, may function as a non