Dry some of the beautiful flowering stems in spring and summer, and cut them into sections with a circlet of mauve blossom on each one. Add them to potpourri mixtures for a less sweet but cooler fragrance than usual, and make sure you put this mix in transparent containers to enjoy the colour.
A tea made from the leaves is good for depression. The usual quantity of a small handful to a cup of boiling water is plenty. Add honey or a slice of orange to this one: it is delicious.
For a change instead of using mint or parsley, garnish parboiled or steamed tiny new potatoes with pennyroyal leaves. Add a nob of butter to the saucepan when they are cooked, then the herb leaves, and shake gently about to spread the taste. Use only a few leaves. They are quite strong in flavour.
The herb’s power as an insecticide, especially against fleas, is denoted in its name, Mentha pulegium or “Flea Mint”, so your dog could also benefit from having its coat rubbed with the crushed leaves and stems of pennyroyal, and a few leaves sprinkled on its blanket every few days should ensure flea-free bedding too.
Pennyroyal has been prescribed for everything from “the itch” to jaundice, and the old herbal writers placed great store by it wherever warming, soothing and cleansing of the body was required. It was placed under the dominion of Venus, and was also prescribed almost automatically for any female complaints.
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