Day 224: Pennyroyal "is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae, native to Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Crushed pennyroyal leaves emit a very strong fragrance similar to spearmint. Pennyroyal is a traditional folk remedy, emmenagogue, abortifacient, and culinary herb, but is toxic to the liver and has caused some deaths," to quote Wikipedia, referring to ingestion of the plant. There are some words in there it might do well to remember in these troubled times, but the reason I grow it is not included in that description. Mentha pulegium is nature's own insect repellent. Before I had a cedar chest, I used to store a pennyroyal sachet in my bags of raw wool, in my sweater drawer and among my wool hiking socks. The fragrance is quite pungent, as mentioned above, so it should be used sparingly. A small packet containing no more than a tablespoon of the dried herb is sufficient to keep the critters from eating your socks and sweaters.
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