Herb
Horehound
A bitter old-fashioned cough herb, taken as tea or a lozenge, traditionally used to loosen mucus and calm a stubborn cough.
📊 How it ranks (our editor score) — 78/100Tap to see the breakdown
🌱 What it is
Horehound is a bitter, gray-green herb long used in cough teas and lozenges. It has a distinctive sharp taste that softens nicely with a bit of honey.
✨ Why it's good for you
- Traditionally used to help loosen mucus
- May help support a calmer, easier cough
- Often used to soothe a scratchy throat
- Traditionally taken as a comforting warm tea
🥗 Nutrition
Per 1 cup brewed tea (240ml) · about 2 calories
- Marrubiin (bitter principle)
- Volatile oils
- Negligible macronutrients
Source: Nutrition estimate (per typical serving)
🥄 How to use it
Steep 1 teaspoon of dried horehound in hot water for 10 minutes and sip, sweetened with honey to soften the bitterness; old-fashioned horehound candies use the same herbA plant, or part of one, used for flavor, food, or gentle health support. More →.
How much: As teaA warm drink made by steeping herbs in hot water. How to make a tea →, 1 teaspoon dried herbA plant, or part of one, used for flavor, food, or gentle health support. More → per cup, sweetened, a few times daily for a short stretch.
Show full details & how to prepare it
Horehound is a grey-green, bitter herbA plant, or part of one, used for flavor, food, or gentle health support. More → that has been a cough-and-chest remedy for so long that 'horehound candy' is still sold today. Its bitterness is part of how it works — encouraging the airways to loosen and clear thick mucus.
The teaA warm drink made by steeping herbs in hot water. How to make a tea → is genuinely bitter, so a spoon of honey helps it down. Because large amounts can unsettle the stomach and, in excess, nudge the heart's rhythm, it's best kept to modest tea amounts and short courses — and any lingering cough deserves a doctor's look.
Ways to prepare it
⚠️ Cautions
- Very bitter; large amounts can upset the stomach or, in excess, affect heart rhythm — keep to modest tea amounts.
- Avoid in pregnancy and with diabetes or heart-rhythm conditions without a doctor's okay.
- See a doctor for a cough lasting more than three weeks or with breathlessness or blood.
📚 What others say
- A traditional cough-and-chest remedy
- Long used as a bitter expectorant for stubborn coughs
Learn more
🕊️ A word of encouragement
Even bitterness, rightly used, can bring relief. Not every gift is sweet at first, yet good can still come of it.
💬 Ask Remy about Horehound
📚 Resource confidence
Based on mentions in health references
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