Marrubium vulgare plant
is a well-known and popular herbal medicine that is often used as a
domestic remedy for coughs, colds, wheeziness etc. The herb apparently
causes the secretion of a more fluid mucous, readily cleared by
coughing. The leaves and young flowering stems are antiseptic,
antispasmodic, cholagogue, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic,
emmenagogue, strongly expectorant, hepatic, stimulant and tonic.
Marrubium vulgare
is a very valuable pectoral, expectorant and tonic that can be safely
used by children as well as adults. It is often made into a syrup or
candy in order to disguise its very bitter flavour, though it can also
be taken as a tea. As a bitter tonic, it increases the appetite and
supports the function of the stomach. It can also act to normalize heart
rhythm. The plant is harvested as it comes into flower and can be used
fresh or dried. The root is a remedy for the bite of rattlesnakes, it is
used in equal portions with Plantago lanceolata or P. major.
Marrubium vulgare is an expectorant herb, meaning it helps loosen
bronchial secretions and eliminate mucus. Expectorant herbs help loosen
bronchial secretions and make elimination of mucus easier. Numerous
herbs are traditionally considered expectorants, though most of these
have not been proven to have this effect in clinical trials.
Marrubium vulgare
has expectorant properties, possibly due to the presence of a diterpene
lactone in the plant, which is known as marrubiin. Marrubium vulgare
has a long history of use for relieving coughs.
Marrubium vulgare’s major active constituent increases the flow of saliva and
gastric juice.
Bitter herbs
are thought to stimulate digestive function by increasing saliva
production and promoting both stomach acid and digestive enzyme
production.4 As a result, they are particularly used when there is low
stomach acid but not in heartburn (where too much stomach acid could
initially exacerbate the situation). These herbs literally taste bitter.
Some examples of bitter herbs include greater celandine, wormwood,
gentian,dandelion, blessed thistle, yarrow, devil’s claw, bitter orange,
bitter melon, juniper, andrographis, prickly ash, and centaury.5.
Bitters are generally taken either by mixing 1–3 ml tincture into water
and sipping slowly 10–30 minutes before eating, or by making tea, which
is also sipped slowly before eating.
Marrubium vulgare
contains a number of constituents, including alkaloids, flavonoids,
diterpenes (e.g., marrubiin), and trace amounts of volatile oils.6 The
major active constituent marrubiin and possibly its precursor,
premarrubiin, are herbal bitters that increase the flow of saliva and
gastric juice, thereby stimulating the appetite.7 Similar to horehound,
elecampane has been used by herbalists to treat people with indigestion.
Carminatives (also called aromatic digestive tonics or aromatic bitters)
may be used to relieve symptoms of indigestion, particularly when there
is excessive gas. It is believed that carminative agents work, at least
in part, by relieving spasms in the intestinal tract
The mucilage of slippery elm gives it a soothing effect for coughs.
Usnea also contains mucilage, which may be helpful in easing irritating
coughs.
There is a long tradition of using
wild cherry syrups to treat coughs. Other traditional remedies to
relieve coughs include bloodroot,
catnip,
comfrey (the above-ground parts, not the root),
horehound,
elecampane,
mullein,
lobelia,
hyssop,
licorice,
mallow, (
Malvia sylvestris),
red clover,
ivy leaf,
pennyroyal (
Hedeoma pulegioides,
Mentha pulegium),
onion, (Allium cepa), and plantain (Plantago lanceolata, P. major).
None of these has been investigated in human trials, so their true
efficacy for relieving coughs is unknown.
