Long before we could buy cough syrup and throat lozenges off of pharmacy shelves, gardeners grew herbs that could be harvested and turned into teas, syrups, and candies to soothe sore throats and ease cold symptoms. White horehound is one of those herbs. It has a distinctive bitter flavor and a long history of traditional use for coughs and digestive complaints. This hardy perennial deserves your attention as an easy-to-grow addition to your herb garden, especially if you are interested in preserving traditional skills and making simple herbal preparations at home.
Let’s look at white horehound and a few other herbs you might want to add to your home apothecary garden. Learn how to grow and harvest this perennial and how to create your own homemade herbal lozenges.
What is White Horehound (Marrubium vulgare)?
White horehound is a perennial herb in the mint family (Lamiaceae), that is native to parts of Europe, North Africa, and Asia. Unlike typical culinary mint, it has a strongly bitter, earthy flavor rather than a refreshing peppermint taste. It produces soft, wrinkled gray-green leaves, square stems, and clusters of small white flowers. Plants typically grow to 12 to 24 inches tall and wide, and the flowers attract bees and other pollinators.
Horehound is a great addition to a traditional kitchen or medicinal herb garden because it tolerates drought, grows in relatively poor soil, and returns year after year in suitable climates. Its lovely silver-green foliage adds color and texture to herb beds and borders.
The History of Horehound as a Medicinal Herb
A Traditional Herb With Ancient Roots
Horehound has been used in European herbal medicine since the first century CE. Ancient herbal traditions associated the plant with respiratory and digestive complaints, and it remained a familiar ingredient in home remedies for centuries. Its bitter leaves and flowering stems were steeped in water or incorporated into sweetened preparations, including syrups and candies.
Later, horehound became especially popular as the flavoring in old-fashioned cough drops and hard candies. Sweeteners like honey and sugar helped to balance out its strong bitterness, making herbal preparations more palatable.
Why Was Horehound Traditionally Used for Coughs?
Traditionally, horehound was considered an expectorant, meaning an herb used to encourage the movement of mucus from the respiratory tract. It was also used to treat digestive discomfort and loss of appetite. These uses come from historical experience, rather than clinical evidence, however its bitter compounds, including marrubiin, have attracted scientific attention.
How to Grow White Horehound From Seed
White horehound, like many plants from the mint family, is easy to grow and requires very little maintenance. It thrives in sunny conditions, can handle drought once established, and does not need fertilizer. The seeds may germinate slowly, but once established the plants are resilient.
Choose a sunny spot with soil that is well-draining. Surface sow the seeds onto prepared soil and press in to ensure good contact. Keep seedlings consistently moist until they grow strong roots. Once established, horehound is drought tolerant and only needs an occasional deep watering during extended dry periods.
Horehound can self-seed and spread easily, so if you want to protect the surrounding habitat, it is recommended to grow in raised beds or containers. You can also remove the seed heads before they mature to avoid unwanted spreading.
When and How to Harvest White Horehound
The Best Time to Harvest Horehound
Horehound is traditionally harvested as the plant begins to flower, when the leaves and flowering stems are most suitable for herbal preparations. Plants often don’t produce a significant amount of flowers until their second year, although some leaves can be gathered the first growing season.
For young plants, it’s important not to remove more than about one-third of the foliage. More established plants can be harvested more heavily, but make sure to leave enough for the plant to recover and continue growing.
How to Cut and Prepare Horehound for Use
Use clean garden scissors or pruners to clip healthy steams, preferably on a dry day after the morning dew has evaporated. Choose clean leaves and healthy flowering tops and avoid damaged, diseased, or insect-infested material. Leaves, stems, and flowers are the parts that are typically used in herbal remedies, not the roots.
Drying and Storing Horehound for Later
Take your clean, fresh horehound stems, tie them into small bundles and hang them upside down in a shaded, dry, well-ventilated area to dry. You can also spread the leaves onto drying screens or use a dehydrator. Once your harvest is completely dry and crisp, remove the leaves and flowers from the tougher stems and store them in an airtight container away from sunlight, heat, and moisture. When properly dried, horehound can be stored for up to one year for best flavor and quality. Be sure to label the container with the herb name and harvest date.
From the Garden to the Kitchen: Traditional Uses for Horehound
Its bitter taste doesn’t make white horehound a popular herb for cooking, but its soothing and expectorant properties make it popular for teas, syrups, candies, and lozenges. Horehound lozenges have been a popular home remedy for centuries. Along with some other helpful herbs and some sweetener, you can make your own.
Three Traditional Herbs for Homemade Throat Lozenges
Traditional recipes for homemade throat lozenges often combined several herbs. They each contribute unique properties and flavor to create a soothing candy.
- White Horehound (Marrubium vulgare) - Traditionally used in herbal preparations for coughs and respiratory complaints. It contributes a distinctive bitter, earthy flavor. Sweetening the infusion helps balance its bitterness.
- Marshmallow Root (Althaea officinalis) - Marshmallow root contains mucilage, a substance that forms a slippery, gel-like texture when mixed with water. It has traditionally been used to soothe irritated tissues in the mouth and throat. Cold-water extraction is the preferred method to prevent breaking down horehound’s mucilage, which would be damaged by the more familiar hot infusion method.
- Garden Sage (Salvia officinalis) - Sage is more popularly known as a culinary seasoning, but it has a long history in traditional herbal preparations for mouth and throat discomfort. Its savory, slightly peppery flavor blends well with honey and compliments the stronger taste of horehound.
Recipe: Old-Fashioned Honey, Horehound, and Sage Throat Lozenges
These homemade herbal drops combine the deep, bitter flavor of horehound with aromatic sage and the natural sweetness and soothing properties of honey. Inspired by traditional horehound candy recipes, they can be slowly dissolved in the mouth like an old-fashioned throat lozenge.
This recipe is prepared in the fashion of typical hard candies by taking the herbal infusion and cooking it with honey and sugar until it reaches the hard candy stage. If you choose to add the optional marshmallow root, keep in mind that the heat may diminish its protective and soothing properties.
Ingredients
FOR THE HERBAL INFUSION
- 1 tablespoon dried white horehound leaves and flowering tops
- 1 teaspoon dried culinary sage leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried, cut marshmallow root (optional)
- 1 cup water
FOR THE HARD CANDY
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup strained, concentrated herbal infusion
- Powdered sugar or cornstarch, optional, for preventing sticking
EQUIPMENT
- Small, heavy-bottomed saucepan
- Candy thermometer
- Fine-mesh strainer
- Silicone candy molds or a heatproof silicone baking mat
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the herbal infusion
Place the dried horehound and sage in a heatproof container and add 1 cup of boiling water. Cover and steep for 15–20 minutes. Strain thoroughly and measure out ¼ cup of the strongly flavored infusion.
If using marshmallow root, prepare it separately by soaking the dried root in cool water for several hours, then strain. A small amount can replace part of the infusion, although its texture will change during candy-making.
Step 2: Combine the ingredients
Add the sugar, honey, and ¼ cup strained herbal liquid to a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Once the mixture begins boiling, stop stirring and insert a candy thermometer.
Step 3: Cook to the hard-crack stage
Continue cooking until the mixture reaches approximately 300°F (149°C), the hard-crack stage for candy.
Watch carefully because honey-containing mixtures can foam, darken, and scorch. A candy thermometer is much more reliable than judging the syrup by color alone.
Immediately remove from heat when the target temperature is reached.
Step 4: Shape the lozenges
Carefully pour the hot mixture into small, heat-safe silicone candy molds, or portion it into small drops on a silicone baking mat rated for candy-making temperatures.
Work carefully: boiling sugar syrup can cause severe burns.
Allow the drops to cool completely until firm.
Step 5: Store your homemade herbal candies
Remove the cooled candies from their molds. Wrap them individually in candy wrappers or keep them in an airtight container with layers of parchment to prevent sticking.
Store in a cool, dry location. Homemade honey candies can absorb moisture and become sticky, so make small batches and discard candies that become damp or show signs of spoilage.
Note: This is a suggested small-batch recipe and you should feel free to adjust the amounts of ingredients to your taste. If you like it sweeter, use less horehound. You may also want to adjust the amount of sage so that it doesn’t overpower the other flavors.
Other Ways to Use Homegrown Horehound
Not every harvest needs to become candy. Horehound can be dried for herbal tea blends, added in small amounts to traditional herbal syrups, or kept as a fragrant dried herb for homemade gifts.
For horehound tea, steep a modest amount of dried leaves in hot water, adding honey to balance the bitterness. Try making an herbal syrup with a strained infusion of horehound and honey that you can keep in the refrigerator.
Grow a Little Herbal History in Your Own Garden
Growing white horehound is a great way to reconnect with traditional gardening and the resourcefulness of earlier generations. With its silvery foliage, drought tolerance, and simple growing requirements this perennial herb can be a valuable addition to your apothecary garden.
Whether harvested for dried herbal blends or used to flavor old-fashioned candies, growing horehound can lead to new skills beyond the garden. Explore more of our heirloom medicinal herb seeds to find your next natural remedy.
This article is intended for gardening, culinary, and historical education. Traditional herbal uses are not necessarily supported by modern clinical evidence. Homemade herbal preparations are not substitutes for professional medical care. Consult a healthcare professional before using medicinal herbs, especially during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, or when taking medication.
