224 Clinopodium ascendens
Clinopodium ascendens (Jordan) Sampaio
Calamintha ascendens Jordan,Calamintha sylvatica subsp.ascendens
(Jordan) P. W. Ball
common calamint
western and southern Europe, North Africa; introduced into
North America
(Folk credentials questionable) There is one vague statement^206 that the aro-
matic Clinopodium ascendens was in frequent use as a herbal tea in parts of
Ireland in the early nineteenth century, leaving it unclear whether that was for
medicinal purposes (it has been drunk for colds quite widely elsewhere). The
species is accepted as a native of that country, occurring there in some quan-
tity in limestone districts, so it is a likely one to have been exploited.
Origanum vulgare Linnaeus
marjoram
Europe, northern and western Asia, North Africa; introduced into
North America, New Zealand
Though the native version,Origanum vulgare,of this well-known pot-herb is
locally common in the British Isles on chalk and limestone and its varied
medicinal virtues have been much publicised in the literature, folk records of
its use are curiously almost wanting. In Kent (?) it was at one time gathered
in large quantities in autumn. Some was made into a tea for drinking imme-
diately as a prophylactic and the rest hung up in bunches to dry for winter
use.^207 On the Isle of Portland in Dorset it has the reputation of relieving
headaches^208 and in ‘Ulster’ a decoction has been drunk to counter indiges-
tion and acidity.^209 Otherwise it appears to have been essentially a remedy
for horses. That pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) was widely known as ‘organ’,
presumably a corruption ofOriganum,suggests that the latter largely took its
place at least in English folk medicine.
Thymus Linnaeus
thyme
northern Eurasia; introduced into North America
Like so many other members of the mint family,Thymus has been one of
many possible alternatives used for treating coughs and respiratory ailments
(including tuberculosis). British records for this usage come from Devon,^210
Somerset,^211 Suffolk^212 and the Highlands.^213 The most important reason for
drinking thyme tea, though, has been to calm the nerves: the plant is a well-
known sedative. Once drunk almost universally in remote parts of Scotland,