Table of Contents
What is pennyroyal essential oil used for?
Despite serious safety concerns, pennyroyal is used for colds, pneumonia, and other breathing problems. It is also used for stomach pains, gas, intestinal disorders, and liver and gallbladder problems. Women use it to start or regulate their menstrual periods, or to cause an abortion.
How much pennyroyal oil is toxic?
The toxicity of pennyroyal oil is well recognized, with many documented reports of adverse events and fatalities. 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.
Is pennyroyal oil toxic?
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.
Why is pennyroyal toxic?
Pennyroyal oil contains pulegone, which is highly toxic, particularly to the liver. Ingestion can lead initially to gastrointestinal distress such as nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Later on, it can lead to failure of the liver and kidneys, resulting in bleeding, seizures, multiple organ failure, and death.
What does pennyroyal oil smell like?
Be careful what you put in your mojito! Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium), looks like mint, smells like mint and even tastes like mint but unlike mint contains pulegone, an extremely poisonous compound that is toxic to the liver and acts as an abortificant.
Is pennyroyal oil an essential oil?
What is Pennyroyal Essential Oil? Pennyroyal essential oil is extracted form a plant belonging to the mint family. It is a grass-like creeper herb bearing the scientific name Mentha Pulegium. It is indeed a wonder why such a poisonous plant or oil has been in use as a folk medicine from ancient times.
Is pennyroyal tea safe to drink?
The lower concentration of toxic chemicals in these teas are less harmful than pennyroyal oil. It is recommended that people only drink pennyroyal tea periodically, as it is taxing on the body and should not be drunk on a regular basis. Consumption of pennyroyal tea can be fatal to infants and children.
How do you use pennyroyal as an insect repellent?
To keep flies, gnats and mice away, colonists planted pennyroyal around their farms and homes. To use as an insect repellent, rub the leaves on your clothing rather than on your skin. Because of its strong oils always always wash your hands after working with pennyroyal.
What are the effects of pennyroyal?
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 pennyroyal means?
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 a contraceptive?
Pennyroyal, we came to learn, is an abortifacient, an old friend to “luckless girls in need,” as the Nebraskan novelist Mari Sandoz once wrote. Too much of it can damage the liver and cause convulsions, coma or even death. A little less can end a pregnancy.
Is pennyroyal toxic to cats?
We now know that, whether it’s applied to the skin or ingested, pennyroyal oil is toxic to cats and dogs. The oil comes from two species of pennyroyal plants, which are in the mint family. Pennyroyal oil also can cause nerve damage, seizures, hemorrhage, anemia and respiratory impairment.
Where is pennyroyal found?
The plant is found in humid, low-coastal regions along the Mediterranean Sea, and grows best in fertile, moist soils with partial shade (14.1-8). American pennyroyal grows on dry, sandy soils and is commercially cultivated to only a very limited extent.
What is tincture of pennyroyal?
Pennyroyal has been found helpful in easing coughs and congestion from colds and other respiratory infections. An expectorant, it alleviates dry, hacking coughs and helps expel phlegm. As a diaphoretic, Pennyroyal herbal tincture may help to reduce fevers by inducing perspiration.
Is mint toxic to humans?
Like many herbs, mint can adversely affect some people. People with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) should not use mint in an attempt to soothe digestive issues. According to a 2019 review , mint commonly acts as a trigger for GERD symptoms. Taking peppermint oil in large doses can be toxic .
How can you tell the difference between mint and pennyroyal?
Pennyroyal has small oval leaves, greyish in colour. Flavour: Spearmint is generally a sweet flavour imparting a cool sensation to the mouth. Peppermint has a stronger menthol taste. Pennyroyal is strong with a medicinal flavour.
Can you eat pennyroyal herb?
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.
