Herbs Guide

Black Horehound

Family Name: Labiatae

Botanical Name(s): Ballota nigra

Popular Name(s): Marrubium nigrum, Black Stinking Horehound

Parts Used: Herb

Habitat: Black Horehound grows wildly throughout Europe.

Description: Black Horehound possesses a perennial root of a woody and fibrous nature. Its leaves are arranged in pairs on the stem, each pair being at right angles to the pair it succeeds. They are stalked, with margins coarsely serrate and dull green in colour. Its flowers are arranged in more or less dense whorls at the axils of the leaves and are generally white in colour.

Uses: Black Horehound has antispasmodic and anti-emetic properties. It is used as an emmenagogue, astringent and vermifuge substance. Black Horehound is an excellent remedy for the settling of nausea and vomiting.