238 Mentha
recognised by taxonomists. Until grown as pot-herbs, some of which have
crept out of gardens and become naturalised in the wild, ‘mint’ doubtless
denoted a single wild entity for all practical purposes.
Like so many other members of the family Lamiaceae, mint has found
its principal use in countering colds and coughs—though, curiously, the
British records for that are all from the southern half of England: Dorset,^222
Wiltshire,^223 Warwickshire,^224 Suffolk,^225 and Norfolk.^226 A secondary focus
has been on the digestive system, as a cure for constipation, stomach-ache or
inflammation of the appendix (Kent,^227 Norfolk^228 ), perhaps also the ‘stom-
ach trouble’ reported from Gloucestershire^229 and even the ‘heart complaints’
for which ‘horse mint’ has been commended in Lincolnshire^230 if those are
‘heartburn’ at least in part. But ‘a pain in the side after jaundice’, recorded
from the Highlands,^231 must belong in a separate category, as clearly does a
tradition persisting in rural Somerset^232 and the mining communities of
Fife^233 of relieving ‘curdled milk’ in nursing mothers by applying a hot ‘pep-
permint’ or spearmint compress to the breasts. The same applies to rubbing
the gums with the leaves to ease the pain of toothache in Wiltshire.^234
Ireland’s uses have been similar, but the two leading ones in Britain have
exchanged their places there: indigestion and stomach pain have been the
main troubles remedied (Cavan,^235 Limerick,^236 Cork^237 and unlocalised
records^238 ) whereas the only cold cure traced is a record from Co. Dublin—
where it was eaten raw^239 —and the only cough cure is represented by a
spearmint syrup made with water-cress and honeysuckle for whooping
cough in Cork.^240 In the last county a decoction has also been drunk for
headaches,^241 while deafness has been treated there by squeezing the juice
from nine plants and pouring a thimbleful into the relevant ear.^242 Other
Irish applications have been to jaundice in Limerick,^243 measles in Cavan^244
and nettle stings (as a counter-irritant) in Co. Dublin.^245 In some unspecified
part of the country a bunch tied to the wrist or worn elsewhere about the
person has also been held to ward off infection.^246
Mentha pulegium Linnaeus
pennyroyal (pennyroyal of North America is a quite different plant,
Hedeoma pulegioides(Linnaeus) Persoon), organ, hop marjoram
central and southern Europe, North Africa, Macaronesia; introduced
into North and South America, Australasia
The name pennyroyal is a corrupted translation of the Latin pulegium
regium,under which the herbals propagated the belief that Mentha pulegium