“Horehound is hot, has much moisture, and is effective against various infirmities” (24).

Horehound is a bitter herb that has been used for centuries for a wide range of ailments, the most common use being for respiratory issues. It is still very common in natural medicine today.

Horehound is often recommended to be taken in the form of a lozenge, cough-syrup, or tea to help alleviate a cough or chest cold. In Physica, Hildegard recommends simmering it in wine (combined with equal parts fennel and dill) for this purpose.

A less common use of the herb can be found in her work, Causes and Cures, where she suggests mixing it with sage, oregano, and fennel and infusing it into butter (or grease) to use topically on one’s head to aid in certain types of headaches (Book III).

In addition to using it for respiratory issues, a common use of this herb today is as an ingredient for digestive bitters. Digestive bitters can be purchased already made or they are easy to make homemade. This important dietary supplement be made by combining bitter herbs in an alcohol base (such as high-proof vodka). If you feel you would like to try making your own homemade bitters, there are many recipes and instructional classes available to assist you.

Horehound is one of our prized medicinal herbs here at the Hildegard Haus. It is easy to grow and its silver leaves add a rich shimmer to our backyard herb boxes. At any given time, we have a dried bouquet of horehound hanging to be used in a variety of ways!