Pennyroyal was once a folk-name for marjoram, much like spuds is still a folkname for potatoes. Far from having anything to do with pennies, the herb’s name essentially means royal flea-killer. Its original Latin name was pulegium, meaning flea-bane, because its minty leaves were used to repel the hopping pests. Pulegium evolved into the French plant name, pouliol, which became attached, for some reason, to the French word real, meaning royal. In the sixteenth century, the French pouliol real entered English and soon became pennyroyal, perhaps due to the influence of the older pennywort, a plant with pennyshaped leaves.
Variety of mint that has very aromatic leaves.
Strong minty odour. Used in earlier times to flavour puddings and sauces. Tea is still used today to ease headache. Has insect-repelling properties.
Name for various plants, especially those of the genera Hedeoma and Mentha, that yield commercial oil used as a carminative and stimulant.
The given description refers to a type of herb called “ground ivy”. It is a member of the mint family and has a trailing growth habit along the ground rather than growing upright. Ground ivy is commonly used for making herb tea and occasionally in soups and stews for flavoring. It is also known by several other names including “creeping charlie” and “gill-over-the-ground”.
The common name for the herb Menthapulegium, which women have used for centuries in attempts to induce menstruation when they suspected pregnancy. However, it is notably unreliable and likely entirely ineffective for this purpose, and not devoid of associated risks.