Horehound (Dried/Fresh) (White Horehound)

In History...

This plant is known both as Common Horehound and as White Horehound. It is said that the word horehound itself comes from the name of the Egyptian god Horus, who was the god of light and bore the head of a hawk.

As a result, the plant was once called by the Egyptian priests as "Seed of Horus”, "Eye of the Star” and even "Bull’s Blood”. It was used to ward off unwanted magic spells that revealed themselves in the form of disease.

In ancient Rome, it was used as an antidote, helping to cure such ailments as poisons, snakebites and cases of rabies.

Finally, horehound was even cultivated for the production of beer. Today it can be found growing in gardens still being valued for its menthol-like flavor and loved for the many health benefits it provides either in tea form, lozenges or in syrups.

Benefits of Horehound Tea

So how can this herbal medicine help you? Horehound tea is a healthy solution to your ailments due to its many constituents that work together to protect you.

Among these constituents you will find vitamins A, B-complex, C, E, iron, potassium, volatile oil, resin, tannin, wax, fat, sugar, flavonoids, caffeic acid, and most importantly the bitter marrubiin.

Let’s see what benefits this tea has in store for you.

Respiratory Illnesses

• Horehound tea is a great herbal blend for the many nasty flu and cold symptoms. The marrubiin present in this herb makes it act mainly as an expectorant, helping with coughs by dissolving phlegm that is causing congestion in your lungs.

• Drinking horehound tea is great to obtain relief from inflammation to the lungs, bringing a soothing sensation to the airways, reducing itching sensations of a painful sore throat.

• Clearing lungs and throat means breathing better. And that also means that this tea can help with headaches caused by sinus infection.
  
  If you have difficulty breathing, less oxygen reaches your brain which can cause quite painful headaches and a constant feeling of exhaustion.

• This tea fights not only cold symptoms but also various other upper respiratory disorders causing breathing difficulties, like asthma, bronchitis, wheezing coughs, whooping coughs and even tuberculosis.

• Sweeten your tea with honey, for added benefits when fighting a cold and the nasty coughs that come with it. Breathe, smile and stay healthy!

Digestion Problems and Acid Indigestion

• The good thing about Horehound tea is that it also is a great digestive tonic. It focuses mainly on acid indigestion, so take a cup of tea before bed and feel the liberating sensation of a faster digestion.
  
  How? Well, this tea helps to deal with acid reflux that is bound to keep tossing and turning all night.

• Sometimes you just feel the uncomfortable sensations of bloating or gas. Horehound tea can help with both of these problems by promoting the healthy flow of gastric juices and the production of bile.

• This herbal tea is a great remedy to return your whole digestive system to full health, increasing your appetite, helping you to better absorb nutrients with every mouthful and, finally, even aiding you in getting rid of intestinal worms.

Other Health Benefits

• If you’ve cut yourself, have a minor wound or skin abrasion and you haven’t any skin disinfecting agents in your medicine cabinet, then go to the kitchen and make yourself a pot of horehound tea.
  
  Let it cool and then apply it as a skin wash. Its antiseptic properties make it a great disinfectant, meaning that you will heal faster.

• This tea exhibits antispasmodic, diaphoretic, and diuretic properties.

• Horehound tea has been long used to treat uterine fibrosis. Women may also find this tea helpful to ease cramps and pains associated with menstruation. So ladies, this one is a must have when that time of the month comes around.

• Finally, this wonderful tea also shows benefits at the heart level, improving heart muscle contractions, reducing both sugar and bad cholesterol levels in the blood, while at the same time increasing the levels of good cholesterol.
  
  
  

Side Effects of Horehound Tea

Before taking this tea, please consider the following recommendations:

• Talk to your doctor before taking horehound tea in medicinal doses.
  
  There is still not enough evidence as to the real effectiveness of this herbal tea and though it has been banned by the FDA as a cough remedy, European consumers still have access to this herb be it in cough syrups or lozenges.

• Though there have been some side effects reported such as hallucinations, pupil dilation, irregular heartbeat, and dryness of mouth.
  
  These are rare and can be associated with overconsumption, so reduce your horehound tea intake and these symptoms should naturally go away.

• In the appropriate amount, adjusted to their weight, this is an herb that may be considered safe for children.

• Pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid this tea, exactly because of the lack of proof and testing that guarantees that this tea is safe for you at this stage in your life.

Drinking Horehound Tea

Get your teacup ready and let’s learn how to make horehound tea.

• Start by boiling water for your tea.

• Place a teaspoon of horehound leaves per cup of tea inside your teapot.

• Pour the boiling water over the leaves. And then allow to steep for about 5 minutes. The longer you let it steep, the stronger your tea will become.

• Strain the tea, using a filter or cheesecloth and you will be left with a clear light amber colored brew.

• Sweeten it with honey and add a bit of lemon juice. The taste of the tea is quite bitter, but using honey will be a better choice than sugar, particularly if you are trying to cure a nasty cough.

• Let your tea to cool. It is recommended that you take it lukewarm for best results.

How to take your tea:

• For coughs and as an expectorant, take a half cup of this tea every few hours.

• To help you digest better and deal with acid indigestion, then you should take a cup of tea about 30 minutes before each meal.

Here’s a tip: If you get fresh horehound leaves, then either use them fresh or dry them immediately and always keep the dried leaves in an airtight container.