Content
- Hints for recognizing the poisonous pennyroyal
- Recognize pennyroyal on the flower
- At which locations does Poleiminze occur?
- The clear recognition is not easy
- Peanut is no longer used as a medicinal plant
- Tips
The pennyroyal (pictured here) looks a lot like peppermint
Hints for recognizing the poisonous pennyroyal
The pennyroyal is poisonous and therefore may not be absorbed internally. A likelihood of confusion exists to the non-toxic peppermint, which enjoys great popularity in this country. This will tell you if you have poisonous pennyroyal or peppermint in front of you.
Recognize pennyroyal on the flower
Most properties of the pennyroyal also apply to the non-toxic peppermint. The only differences that can be seen with the naked eye are the length of the stamens and the flower throat.
In the pennyroyal, the stamens protrude beyond the flower, while they are the same length in the peppermint.
The flower throat of the pennyroyal has a slight hairiness, which does not occur in the peppermint.
At which locations does Poleiminze occur?
Pennyroyal is very rare. It grows mainly on moist soils near rivers and lakes.
Peanut prefers limy, but nutrient-rich soils.
Larger deposits of pennyroyal exist only in the Rhine-Danube area.
The clear recognition is not easy
The distinction between peppermint and pennyroyal is not easy. Crossbreeding with other mint species also changes the flowers and leaves of the peppermint. Sometimes it is no longer possible to determine, even with careful examination, what kind it is.
If you are not sure, you should leave such plants behind. Poisoning by pennyroyal can cause serious discomfort.
Peanut is no longer used as a medicinal plant
Because of their toxicity in all plant parts, pennyroyal is no longer relevant in today's natural medicine. In addition, recent research has shown that the poison of the pennyroyal can damage the liver.
In the past, tea was made from the herb and used for contraception and abortions. The deaths caused by ingestion helped to identify the toxicity of the plant.
In small doses, pennyroyal may only be used as a spice.
Tips
Polinamen is one of the endangered species and is protected. It is therefore hardly to be feared that it is mistaken for the frequently occurring peppermint.