Pennyroyal was commonly used in the 19th century medicine to induce perspiration at the beginning of a cold and to promote menstruation. It was taken also with brewer’s yeast to induce abortion. It is helpful against nausea and nervous conditions but should not be taken during pregnancy.
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What are the benefits of pennyroyal oil?
Pennyroyal is a plant. The leaves, and the oil they contain, are used to make medicine. Despite serious safety concerns, pennyroyal is used for the common cold, pneumonia, fatigue, ending a pregnancy (abortion), and as an insect repellant, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
Why do people drink Pennyroyal Tea?
Pennyroyal tea has been used for cold relief, fevers, coughs, indigestion, liver and kidney problems and headaches. The fresh or dried leaves of pennyroyal have also been used when treating influenza, abdominal cramps, to induce sweating, as well as in the treatment of diseases such as smallpox and tuberculosis.
What happens if you drink Pennyroyal Tea?
It can cause serious liver and kidney damage, as well as nervous system damage. Other side effects include stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, burning of the throat, fever, confusion, restlessness, seizures, dizziness, vision and hearing problems, high blood pressure, lung failure, and death.
What does Penny Royal mean?
Definition of pennyroyal 1 : a European perennial mint (Mentha pulegium) with small aromatic leaves. 2 : an aromatic North American mint (Hedeoma pulegioides) that has blue or violet flowers borne in axillary tufts and yields an oil used in folk medicine or to drive away mosquitoes.
Is pennyroyal toxic to humans?
Pennyroyal is an herbal extract or oil derived from leaves of the plant in the mint genus (Mentha pulegium) that was used in the past as an insect repellent and an abortifacient. When taken by mouth, pennyroyal oil is highly toxic and has been linked to several instances of toxic liver injury and death.
Can you smoke pennyroyal?
Externally, pennyroyal is used to treat painful attacks of gout, snake and spider bites, and sores. It also acts as a stimulant to smoke away the fatigue.
Does pennyroyal induce period?
It is most notable for its use to induce menstruation and abortion. Use of pennyroyal oil has led to severe adverse reactions - and even death.
Does pennyroyal keep mosquitoes away?
Pennyroyal. Pennyroyal is an extremely potent species of mint. If too much of its oil gets absorbed into the skin or consumed, it can be toxic to humans and animals. But, when grown and used carefully, pennyroyal is one of the most effective plants for repelling mosquitoes.
How much Pennyroyal Tea is toxic?
In humans, consumption of 10 mL of the oil has resulted in moderate to severe toxicity, with case reports of fatalities 1 to 2 hours after consumption of 15 mL.
How much pennyroyal tea should I drink?
Tea: Add one and two teaspoons of dried pennyroyal leaves to a cup. Add boiling water to the leaves and let the tea infuse for at least 10 minutes. You can drink up to three cups each day.
Is pennyroyal toxic to dogs?
Pennyroyal oil is derived from plants within the mint family known as Labiatae. It is frequently used in flea powders and sprays and in fragrances. It can be toxic to dogs, particularly when ingested. There has been one reported case of a dog suffering pennyroyal oil poisoning from dermal (skin) exposure as well.
Is mint an abortifacient?
Folk Abortifacients As mentioned in Chapter 10, there are herbal substances that can induce abortion. For example, pennyroyal (an aromatic member of the mint family) is used as an “underground” method to induce abortion; it is brewed as a tea or taken as a concentrate in pill form.
How is pennyroyal used in medicine?
An essential oil or tea derived from the leaves and flowering tops of the plant, pennyroyal was used in folk medicine to induce abortion, alleviate menstrual symptoms, and to treat inflammatory conditions, chronic bronchitis, and minor ailments. The oil itself is highly toxic, and is not recommended for internal use.
What is pennyroyal tea made of?
The song's title refers to the tea made from boiling the leaves of the plant Mentha pulegium, or pennyroyal, which is used as an abortifacient, among other things, in traditional medicine.
What are the benefits of drinking wonder of the world tea?
The plant is native to Madagascar but is grown in most tropical areas including Jamaica where it is widely used as a herbal remedy to treat respiratory conditions such as asthma, colds, coughs, shortness of breath and bronchitis. It is usually consumed as tea, blended in juices or eaten raw.
How long should pennyroyal tea steep?
For adults (excluding pregnant or nursing women, children, and people with liver or kidney disease), a tea of pennyroyal can be prepared by putting 1–2 teaspoons (5–10 grams) of the herb in 1 cup (250 ml) of boiling water and allowing it to steep for 10–15 minutes.
What is pennyroyal oil used for?
Pennyroyal has been used as an insect repellent, antiseptic, fragrance, flavoring, as an emmenagogue (to stimulate menstrual flow), carminative, stimulant, antispasmodic and for bowel disorders, skin eruptions, and pneumonia. The abortive effect of the oil is thought to be caused by irritation of the uterus with subsequent uterine contraction. Its action is unpredictable and dangerous. The dose at which the herb induces abortion is close to lethal, and in some cases it is lethal. Pennyroyal is not considered safe for ingestion for any use.
What is Pennyroyal?
pulegioides (American pennyroyal) grows in woods through most of the northern and eastern US and Canada while M. pulegium is found in parts of Europe. Pennyroyal is a perennial, creeping herb with small, lilac flowers at the stem ends. The leaves are grayish green and, like other mint family members, very aromatic.
What is it used for?
In the 17th century, English herbalist Nicholas Culpeper wrote about some uses for the plant including its role in women's ailments, venomous bites, and digestion. European settlers used the plant for respiratory ailments, mouth sores, and female disorders. The plant's oil has been used as a flea-killing bath, hence the name pulegioides (from the Latin word meaning flea), and has been used externally as a rubefacient (counter-irritant). In addition, the oil has found frequent use among natural health advocates as an abortive and as a means of inducing delayed menses. The oil and infusions of the leaves have been used in the treatment of weakness and stomach pains.
What is the oil used for in menses?
In addition, the oil has found frequent use among natural health advocates as an abortive and as a means of inducing delayed menses. The oil and infusions of the leaves have been used in the treatment of weakness and stomach pains.
Can pennyroyal oil cause delirium?
In large portions, pennyroyal can cause abortion, irreversible renal damage, severe liver damage and death. A small amount of oil can produce deli rium, unconsciousness, shock, seizures and auditory and visual hallucinations.
Is pennyroyal an abortive?
Pennyroyal usually is used as the volatile oil as an abortive. Because of severe toxicity at doses of 5 g, it should not be used.
Is pennyroyal oil safe for abortion?
The dose at which the herb induces abortion is close to lethal, and in some cases it is lethal. Pennyroyal is not considered safe for ingestion for any use.
How should I take pennyroyal?
When considering the use of herbal supplements, seek the advice of your doctor. You may also consider consulting a practitioner who is trained in the use of herbal/health supplements.
What other drugs will affect pennyroyal?
Other drugs may interact with pennyroyal, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Tell each of your health care providers about all medicines you use now and any medicine you start or stop using.
What are some uses for a saline solution?
Some uses not proven with research have included treatment of muscular spasms, intestinal gas, pneumonia, weakness, stomach pain, fluid retention, skin conditions, and others.
Is pennyroyal safe for babies?
Pennyroyal is considered likely unsafe to use if you are nursing a baby. Do not use this product without medical advice if you are breast-feeding a baby.
Can pennyroyal cause kidney damage?
liver disease. Pennyroyal is considered likely unsafe to use during pregnancy. There is some evidence that pennyroyal in high doses can cause abortion. It can also cause kidney and liver damage to the mother and be fatal.
Can you take pennyroyal if you have kidney disease?
Before using pennyroyal, talk to your healthcare provider. You may not be able to use pennyroyal if you have certain medical conditions. Ask a doctor, pharmacist, or other healthcare provider if it is safe for you to use this product if you have: high blood pressure; kidney disease; or. liver disease.
Can you take pennyroyal without medical advice?
Do not take pennyroyal without medical advice if you are using any of the following medications:
What is pennyroyal oil used for?
The leaves, and the oil they contain, are used to make medicine. Despite serious safety concerns, pennyroyal is used for the common cold, pneumonia, fatigue, ending a pregnancy ( abortion ), and as an insect repellant, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses. In manufacturing, pennyroyal oil is used as a dog ...
Is pennyroyal oil safe to use?
There isn't enough reliable information to know if pennyroyal is safe to use as a tea. When applied to the skin: Pennyroyal oil is LIKELY UNSAFE when applied to the skin. Special Precautions and Warnings. Pennyroyal is LIKELY UNSAFE for anyone to use, but it is especially unsafe for people with the following conditions.
Can pennyroyal oil cause abortion?
There is some evidence that pennyroyal oil can cause abortions by causing the uterus to contract. But the dose needed in order to cause an abortion could kill the mother or cause life-long kidney and liver damage. Children: It is LIKELY UNSAFE to give children pennyroyal by mouth.
Is pennyroyal safe for breast feeding?
Pennyroyal is LIKELY UNSAFE for anyone to use, but it is especially unsafe for people with the following conditions. Pregnancy and breast -feeding: It is LIKELY UNSAFE to take pennyroyal by mouth or apply it to your skin when pregnant or breast-feeding.
Can pennyroyal cause liver damage?
Liver disease: The oil in pennyroyal can cause liver damage and might make existing liver disease worse.
What is the benefit of pennyroyal?
Health Benefits of Pennyroyal. The herb helps in proper digestion. It facilitates the digestion by stimulating the secretion of digestive juices. The major chemical present in the essential oil of herb promotes the healthy digestion.
What is Pennyroyal?
Pennyroyal an Ayurvedic herb which is used for the treatment of various digestion problem, stress, cough, gout, menstrual problem, nervous disorders, and lungs conditions. Leaves are used to make various medicines which are used during different health ailments. Women mostly use it to regulate their menstrual periods. The herb contains antioxidant properties (protects oxidative damages), anti-inflammatory properties (reduce inflammation), and antimicrobial properties (protect from microbial infection). It also acts as a great stimulant which counteracts weakness.
What are the names of the plants that are a perennial herb?
Other names of the herbs are such as European Pennyroyal, Squaw mint, Mosquito plant, and pudding grass. The leaves of the Mentha Pulegium emit very strong fragrance when crushed. It's a perennial, herbaceous herb.
What is the antiseptic property of essential oil?
The antiseptic property of herb kills the germ and harmful bacteria's, which cause the infection in the urinary tract, urethra, kidneys, and uterus. The essential oil contains piperitone, piperitenone, alpha-terpineol and pulegone as the major components which show its great activity towards harmful bacteria especially gram-positive bacteria.
What are the chemicals in essential oils?
The essential oil obtains from this herb contains chemicals such as menthol, menthone, menthofuran, 1, 8-cineole, methyl acetate, isomenthone.
Does Mentha Pulegium tea help with coughing?
The herbal tea made from the leaves of Mentha Pulegium can have anti-inflammatory activity on the respiratory tract, due to which it helps to soothe your throat and provide relief from cough and sore throat.
Why do you use essential oil for arthritis?
The essential oil form this can be used in a small amount because it can cause irritation.
What is the purpose of the pennyroyal plant?
The scientific name Mentha peluqium is believed to originate from the Latin pulex meaning flea, alluding to its use as a flea repellent. It was historically rubbed on the body to repel fleas and has been used in modern times around the home to prevent fleas from entering. (Do not spray directly on your pets or allow your pets to ingest the plant). Furthermore, pennyroyal is said to protect against the Evil Eye. Charms and herbal sachets of pennyroyal were worn or hung in the home to protect the wearer from ill-will, hexes, and curses. The herb can also be used in hex or curse-breaking spells and the oil to anoint candles for similar magical purposes. In Medieval Europe, boughs of pennyroyal were hung in sickrooms to heal and protect those within from disease. In other folklore, pennyroyal was placed in one's shoes prior to traveling to protect the wearer and prevent their feet from tiring.
How to take pennyroyal tea?
Its use is highly discouraged by all medical websites. To create an infusion, pour one cup of boiling water over 1-2 teaspoons of dried leaves and allow it to infuse for 10-15 minutes. Drink up to three times a day. As a tincture, 1-2 milliliters can be taken up to three times a day.
Is pennyroyal good for uterine contractions?
Its main use, however, is as an emmena gogue to stimulate menstruation and uterine contractions. As such, it should be avoided during pregnancy. Due to its toxic nature, pennyroyal oil should not be taken internally.
What is pennyroyal associated with?
Because of its association with midwifery, pennyroyal is also associated with Hecate , Eileithyia and other Goddesses associated with the art. Use pennyroyal in healing spells and sachets.
What does it mean when a pennyroyal roots?
Pennyroyal roots at growth nodes, meaning that stems touching the ground can form a new plant. It’s a very aggressive grower and should be kept in a pot to prevent it taking over the world!
What does pennyroyal do to your feet?
It is said that pennyroyal in your shoes will protect you from tired feet. Include pennyroyal in blessings before traveling and spells designed to protect a traveler.
Why do people wear pennyroyals?
Garlands of pennyroyal worn about the head was supposed to prevent headaches and giddiness and to help clear the mind. It was even believed to purify foul water.
Is pennyroyal stronger than European pennyroyal?
American Pennyroyal#N#Hedeoma pulegioides#N#Much commercial pennyroyal oil comes from this plant, though it is only distantly related to the above described plant. However, they do have the same active constituents and can be used the same. American Pennyroyal may be stronger than European Pennyroyal and doses should be adjusted accordingly. American Pennyroyal is an annual that does well in dry soil in full sun.
Does pennyroyal lower blood sugar?
Pennyroyal may lower blood sugar levels ; however, it should not be used for an extended period of time and is therefore not useful for this purpose for those who need to regulate their blood sugar levels. Also, if you are taking any medication to regulate your blood sugar levels, you should not use pennyroyal at all.
Can you use pennyroyal oil on your skin?
Infusing olive oil with Pennyroyal and other insect repelling herbs will create an herbal insect repellent to smooth onto your skin, as long as you’re not allergic or pregnant.
What is pennyroyal oil?
Pennyroyal oil is extracted from the leaves of the pennyroyal plant, which is in the mint family. Pennyroyal oil has had many folklore medicinal uses for at least 2000 years. Because of its strong spearmint fragrance, it was used as an herb to flavor teas and food and as an insecticide. It is most notable for its use to induce menstruation and abortion. Use of pennyroyal oil has led to severe adverse reactions - and even death.
Why did the woman swallow pennyroyal oil?
She was able to tell the physician that she'd swallowed an ounce of pennyroyal oil 2 hours earlier in an attempt to abort a suspected pregnancy. She was admitted to the intensive care unit for monitoring and treatment. She worsened over the next 40 hours.
Can pennyroyal oil be used as an insect repellent?
Always check with your healthcare provider before taking any traditional medicine, botanical product, tea, herb, or dietary supplement. Never use pennyroyal oil as an insect repellant or as medicine. Never prepare your own herbal medicines.
Is there an antidote for pennyroyal oil poisoning?
There is no antidote for pennyroyal oil poisoning. Thus, prevention and early treatment are key.
Is pennyroyal oil toxic?
Pennyroyal oil is an herbal extract from a plant in the mint family and has been used for centuries as a folk remedy. Pennyroyal oil is highly toxic, and its use has resulted in severe illness, liver failure, and death.
What is pennyroyal used for?
Where pennyroyal has seen the most use, however, is an emmenagogue – to stimulate menstration – and as an abortifacient – to induce the abortion of a fetus. Women taking control of their reproductive systems, via pennyroyal, dates back at least to the early Greeks and was common well into the 20th century. In the early 1900’s pennyroyal pills, in attempts to slip through the prying eyes of anti-abortionists, were sometimes labeled as ‘Elamef’ (read it backwards) or simply sold for ‘female troubles.’ But whenever, and however, pennyroyal was used, the thought is that it stimulates the menstrual process and uterine contractions, expelling the fetus and placenta. But like for other indications, there is no documentation that pennyroyal induces abortions. What is well known, however, is its toxicity. (1)
Where does pennyroyal come from?
The later is where pennyroyal, Mentha pulegium, fits in. Pennyroyal, a flowering plant native to Europe, is a member of the Lamiaceae family, which contains many aromatic herbs such as mint, basil, oregano, and thyme. Like its cousins, pennyroyal can be used as a culinary herb and was common throughout the Middle Ages, ...
What are the chemicals in pennyroyal oil?
Essential oils can contain various chemicals called terpenes, with menthol and thujone being notable examples (especially if you’ve been reading this site for a while), and pennyroyal oil is no exception. Of the terpenes found, the most prominent is (R) - (+)-pulegone, comprising ~85% of pennyroyal oil.
How many bottles of pennyroyal oil did they give to the first woman?
The first, an 18-year old female, presented with abdominal pain and vomiting after intentionally ingesting two one-half ounce bottles of pennyroyal oil to abort a suspected pregnancy (her pregnancy test at the hospital was negative).
When was the pennyroyal fatality?
The earliest reported pennyroyal fatality (that I could find) took place in 1897, after a 23-year old woman drank one tablespoon of pennyroyal oil to induce menstruation, which went missing six months prior (4).
Does pennyroyal oil work?
Today, the most common preparation of pennyroyal is as its essential oil, extracted from fresh or dried herb by steam distillation. There are a plethora of purported uses for pennyroyal oil, mostly in aromatheraphy by aerial diffusion or topically, most with little to no scientific or medical basis: as an antipsychotic, a digestive aid, a decongestant, for gout, and for hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) to name a few. Does it work? Probably not, but seeing how horrible a drug colchicine can be, I understand why those afflicted with gout might give pennyroyal a whirl.
What Is Pennyroyal?
What Is It Used for?
- Traditional/Ethnobotanical uses
Pennyroyal has been recorded in history as far back as the first century AD, when it was mentioned by Roman naturalist Pliny and Greek physician Dioscorides. In the 17th century, English herbalist Nicholas Culpeper wrote about some uses for the plant including its role in women's ail… - Miscellaneous uses
Pennyroyal has been used as an insect repellent, antiseptic, fragrance, flavoring, as an emmenagogue (to stimulate menstrual flow), carminative, stimulant, antispasmodic and for bowel disorders, skin eruptions, and pneumonia. The abortive effect of the oil is thought to be caused …
What Is The Recommended Dosage?
- Pennyroyal usually is used as the volatile oil as an abortive. Because of severe toxicity at doses of 5 g, it should not be used.
Side Effects
- Pennyroyal may cause abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, increased blood pressure and increased pulse rate, and dermatitis. In tea form, small amounts have been used without reported side effects.
Toxicology
- In large portions, pennyroyal can cause abortion, irreversible renal damage, severe liver damage and death. A small amount of oil can produce delirium, unconsciousness, shock, seizures and auditory and visual hallucinations.
Further Information
- Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances. Medical Disclaimer