Were you planning to use the herb pennyroyal on your animal, or the
essential oil made from the herb? If I were you, I'd probably use the
herb, since the essential oil is several hundred times as concentrated
as the herb. That type of concentration is probably overkill as far as
repelling bugs is concerned .. plus, it increases the possibility of
side effects or other negative effects greatly.
The first known use of pennyroyal to repel fleas was in the first century,
when the Roman naturalist Pliny noted the aromatic plant repelled fleas.
(It was nicknamed "fleabane"). The chemical that repels insects in
pennyroyal herb is called "pulegone", by the way, and it is also present in
some commercial insect repellents. It is effective against flies, gnats,
mosquitoes, fleas and ticks.
Pulegone also has the effect of stimulating uterine contractions, which
is why the *essential oil* of pennyroyal cannot be used by, or around,
pregnant women (or animals). Unfortunately, the dosage necessary for
abortion is quite close to the lethal dosage. As little as 1/2 teaspoon of
pennyroyal *essential oil* can produce convulsions. According to a report
in the Journal of the American Medical Association, an 18-year-old pregnant
woman died within 2 hours after taking 2 tablespoons of the essential oil,
despite emergency medical treatment.
The essential oil, though, is a *super* concentrated version of the
herb, and the herb is quite safe. According to University of Illinois
pharmacognosist Norman Farnsworth, Ph.D., it would take about 75 *gallons*
of pennyroyal tea to approximate a lethal dosage of pulegone in a human.
Sources:
Allen, W.T. 1987. Lancet II:1022.
Buechel, D.W. et. al. 1983. Journal of the American Osteopathic
Association 82:793.
Early, E.F. 1961. Lancet II:580.
Sullivan, B et al. 1979. Journal of the American Medical Association
242:2873.
(000)___(000) Ela Heyn
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[Posted in FML issue 3261]
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