Horehound and Aniseed Tea - relief for colds and catarrh

 Horehound leaves, horehound and aniseed tea, and honey to sweeten it.

I am still suffering from the upper respiratory lurgy from hell, and have turned to the garden for help. Specifically, to the large and healthy plant of horehound (Marrubium vulgare) which sowed itself in the vege garden in summer. I didn't weed it out, because I thought I might have a use for it sometime – and how right I was.

When I started reading my herbals to see what was good for coughs and catarrh (the proper term for excessive snot) I found that everything else in the garden that could have helped (such as elderflowers and goldenrod) was now out of season, so I was lucky that the horehound was still going strong.

I made a tea by infusing the horehound leaves and some aniseed (to improve the taste, and because it is also an expectorant) according to the recipe below, and have been taking 150ml after meals for the past day and a half. It is bitter even with honey in it, but bearable, and it does seem to be helping to shift that snot.

Horehound is a weed (sometimes a noxious one) of dry and over-grazed pastures in New Zealand and Australia, but is not a problem for organic gardeners and farmers who don't over-stress their productive ecosystem, and well deserves a place in the herb garden.

If you want to try this tea for yourself, please check that you do not have any contraindications (e.g. pregnancy, high blood pressure, other medications) and use it in moderation. Read what The Phytopath has to say on horehound and its uses here.

The (somewhat depleted) horehound plant in my vege garden.

Horehound and Aniseed Tea

Ingredients

30 g fresh or dried horehound leaves

1 T aniseed

600 ml boiling water

Method

Put the horehound leaves and aniseed in a large teapot, add boiling water, put the lid on the pot and leave the tea to infuse for 15-20 minutes.

Strain the liquid off the leaves and store in a glass jar or bottle.

Dosage

150-200 ml lukewarm tea 3-4 times per day.

Sweeten each dose with 1 t honey; dilute with extra warm water if desired.