article · Endocrine Metabolic & Immune Disorders - Drug Targets
Mentha pulegium, commonly known as pennyroyal, is a fragrant perennial herb native to Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. It has long been utilised in traditional Moroccan medicine, food flavouring, and cosmetics. The plant features an extensive chemical profile across its stems, leaves, and aerial parts, containing bioactive constituents such as terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, and saponins. These compounds underpin diverse pharmacological properties, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, wound-healing, and insect-repelling activities. However, significant safety concerns exist regarding its use. While low doses of plant extracts are not toxic, pennyroyal essential oil is highly toxic even in small amounts, carrying severe hepatotoxic risks and potential fatality in children. Consequently, careful documentation of its biological activities and chemical composition is essential before progressing to formal clinical evaluations.
Pennyroyal is widely used in traditional medicine and domestic herbal preparations, yet it poses severe health hazards, especially liver toxicity and poisoning risks for children. Understanding the specific chemical constituents and biological boundaries of Mentha pulegium helps clarify which compounds possess genuine therapeutic value, ensuring future medical and commercial developments avoid the hazardous, toxic components found in its essential oils.
The plant shows early-stage potential for developers of natural insect repellents, wound-healing formulations, and therapeutic compounds targeting diabetes, inflammation, or microbial infections. However, the work represents early-stage profiling and literature documentation rather than ready formulations. Significant toxicology screening and safety separation are required to isolate therapeutic compounds from dangerous toxins before any clinical trials or consumer-facing commercialisation can occur.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
Abstract: The species Mentha Pulegium L. (M. pulegium L.) belongs to the family Lamiaceae, native to Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, and the genus Mentha. It has been traditionally used in food, cosmetics, and medicines. It is a perennial, fragrant, well-liked, herbaceous plant that can grow up to half a meter tall. It is extensively used as a food flavoring, particularly for Moroccan traditional drinks. Chewing mint and M. pulegium, a relaxing and refreshing plant, can be used to treat hiccups and act as an anticonvulsant and nerve relaxant. Pennyroyal leaves that have been crushed have a pungent, spearmint-like scent. Pennyroyal is used to make herbal teas, which, while not proven to be harmful to healthy adults in small doses, are not recommended due to their liver toxicity. Infants and children can die if they consume it. Pennyroyal leaves, both fresh and dried, are particularly effective at repelling insects. Pennyroyal essential oil should never be taken inter-nally because it is highly toxic, even in small doses, it can be fatal. This plant is used in traditional Moroccan medicine to treat a wide range of conditions, including influenza, rheumatism, migraine, infertility, ulcer, pain, gastrointestinal problems, fever, diabetes, obesity, mental and cardiac dis-orders, constipation, respiratory ailments, and cough. M. pulegium is a great candidate for contem-porary therapeutic usage since it contains a wide variety of biologically active compounds, includ-ing terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, and saponins in all its parts. Among the different parts used are the whole plant, the aerial part, the stem, and the leaves. More interestingly, the entire plant contains a variety of compounds including Pulegone, Isomenthone, Carvone, Mentho-furan, Menthol, 1,8-Cineole, Piperitone, Piperitenone, Neomenthol, -humulene, and 3-octanol. Eriocitrin, Hesperidin, Narirutin, Luteolin, Isorhoifolin, Galic acid, and Rosmarinic acid are found in the leaves. p-hydroxybenzoic acid, Ferulic acid, Caffeic acid, Vanillic acid, Syringic acid, Pro-tocatechuic acid, Cinnamic acid, Phloretic acid, o-coumaric acid, p-coumaric acid, Catechin, Epi-catechin, Chrysin, Quercetin, Naringenin, Carvacrol are all found in the areal part. Alterporriol G, Atropisomer, Alterporriol H, Altersolanol K, Altersolanol L, Stemphypyrone, 6-O-methylalater-nin, Macrosporin, Altersolanol A, Alterporriol E, Alterporriol D, Alterporriol A, Alterporriol B, and Altersolanol J are also found in the stem of fungus. Pulegone, Piperitone, p-Menthane-1,2,3-triol, β-elemenene, guanine (cis-), Carvacrol acetate, and Phenyl ethyl alcohol are all components of this plant's essential oils. Moreover, the study also sought to investigate and document all cur-rently available evidence and information on the nutritional composition and therapeutic uses of this plant ornamental. Its pharmacological applications include antimicrobial, antioxidant, antihy-pertensive, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, antifungal, anticancer, burn wound healing, antispasmodic, and hepatotoxicity. Finally, toxicological studies have revealed that while low doses of extracts of the plant M. pulegium are not toxic, however, its essential oils of it are extremely toxic. In order to evaluate future research needs and investigate its pharmacological applications through clinical trials, the current assessment focuses on the distribution, chemical composition, biological activities, and primary uses of the plant.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.2174/1871530323666230914103731
Is something wrong with this record? Report it or request removal.
Discussion
Have you built on this work, tried to replicate it, or seen it applied in practice? Share what you know. Verified researchers and MARATTO™ domain experts can open a discussion, and any member can reply. Contributions are reviewed before they appear.
No discussion yet. Open the first thread.
New to MARATTO™? Create a free account.
