Active Ingredient White Horehound (marrubium Vulgare L.)

since ancient egypt, white horehound ( marrubium vulgare l.) has been used as an expectorant (to facilitate removal of mucus from the lungs or throat). ayurvedic, native american, and australian aboriginal medicines have traditionally used white horehound to treat respiratory (lung) conditions. the u.s. food and drug administration (fda) banned horehound from cough drops in 1989 due to insufficient evidence supporting its efficacy. however, horehound is currently widely used in europe, and it

Source:

medlineplus herbs and supplements: white horehound (marrubium vulgare l.)

Medical Condition	Uses based on scientific evidence	Grade*
cough	since ancient egypt, white horehound has been used as an expectorant. ayurvedic, native american, and australian aboriginal medicines have traditionally used white horehound to treat respiratory (lung) conditions. the u.s. food and drug administration (fda) banned horehound from cough drops in 1989 due to insufficient evidence supporting its effectiveness. however, horehound is currently widely used in europe, and it can be found in european-made herbal cough remedies sold in the united states	c
diabetes mellitus without mention of complication	animal studies and early human studies suggest that white horehound may lower blood sugar levels. white horehound has been used for diabetes in some countries, including mexico. further well-designed human trials are needed.	c
heartburn	in germany, white horehound is approved for the treatment of heartburn and lack of appetite, based on historical use. there is not enough information from scientific studies to evaluate the effectiveness of white horehound for these conditions.	c
other disorders of intestine	white horehound has been used traditionally to treat intestinal disorders. however, there are few well-designed studies in this area, and little information is available about the effectiveness of white horehound for this use.	c
pain	white horehound has traditionally been used for pain and spasms from menstruation or intestinal conditions. there is a lack of reliable human studies on safety or effectiveness for this use.	c
pure hypercholesterolemia	early study shows that white horehound may lower cholesterol and triglyceride blood levels. further research is needed to confirm these results.	c

*Key to grades
A: Strong scientific evidence for this use;
B: Good scientific evidence for this use;
C: Unclear scientific evidence for this use;
D: Fair scientific evidence against this use;
F: Strong scientific evidence against this use.