Herb
Hedeoma pulegioides
B tier
Hedeoma pulegioides is American pennyroyal—a different genus with a similar pungent mint-camphor personality historically used in North American folkways. It is not Mentha, and concentrated products share serious safety concerns. Culinary interest is mainly historical; do not treat as a casual kitchen mint. True cooking mints (spearmint, peppermint) are better everyday choices. Species clarity prevents assuming all “pennyroyal” is identical.
Track this ingredient
Unit
Characteristics
Preparations
Avoid OilHistorical ContextNot Modern Staple
Traits
AmericanAmerican SpeciesCautionDifferent GenusMint-CamphorPungentSafety Caution
History
US
Indigenous and settler uses recorded American pennyroyal as a strong mint herb.
US
Folk medicine popularised Hedeoma preparations.
Toxicity concerns emerged with pennyroyal oil products.
Herbal safety education distinguished American from European pennyroyal species.