Hedge mustard

What is Hedge mustard?

Hedge mustard is a small weedy plant of the cabbage family. Its botanical name is Sisymbrium officinale. The leaves, flowers and stems are used fresh, dried, or made into a throat syrup.

In Italy it is called erba dei cantanti, the singers' herb. Folk use centred on hoarseness, a tired voice and dry cough. Singers, teachers and preachers took syrups and gargles before speaking or performing.

Here is the honest verdict. Good human trials are almost absent, so the voice claim is not proven. Long traditional use is not proof that a plant works, and it is not proof that it is safe.

How does Hedge mustard work?

No one has shown how hedge mustard affects the human voice.

Crushed leaves release mustard oils. In test tubes these compounds are mildly irritating and slightly antibacterial. Whether that does anything in a human throat is not established.

In animal and cell studies, extracts appear to relax airway muscle and thin mucus a little. Those results come from the lab bench, not from people with hoarse voices.

Part of the soothing feel may come from the syrup base. Sugar, honey and water coat a dry throat and ease the tickle. That effect is not specific to this plant.

What forms does Hedge mustard come in?

Hedge mustard is sold mainly as a throat syrup or spray, often blended with honey.

Common forms: - Syrup or honey-based throat preparation - Throat spray, usually mixed with other herbs - Dried herb for tea or for a gargle - Tincture, an alcohol extract - Fresh young leaves eaten as a bitter salad green

Strength varies widely between brands. Many sprays hold only a small share of hedge mustard.

Read the label for the other ingredients too. Alcohol, menthol, sugar and extra herbs are common. Those can matter more than the hedge mustard itself.

Where it comes from:

European folk healers used hedge mustard for throat and chest complaints for centuries.

It grew along roadsides and hedges across Europe, so it was cheap and easy to gather. Old herbals listed it for hoarseness, cough and loss of voice.

The names carry the story. The French called it herbe aux chantres. Italians call it erba dei cantanti, and both mean the singers' herb.

Writers from the 1600s onward praised it for a lost voice. Italian singers kept the habit alive into modern times. Pharmacies in Italy still sell syrups under that name.

What does Hedge mustard help with?

• Hoarseness and a tired or strained voice: This is the classic use, and it is the reason for the name erba dei cantanti. Singers and speakers took syrups and gargles to recover a rough voice. Modern human evidence is very thin. There are no large, well-run trials showing that it restores the voice. Any soothing you feel may come from the syrup base. Hoarseness lasting more than three weeks needs a doctor, not a herb.
• Sore, dry or scratchy throat: Folk use treated hedge mustard as a throat soother, usually in honey. The plant holds some mucilage, a slippery gum that coats tissue. That is a plausible reason for short comfort, but it has not been tested properly in people. Honey and warm liquid alone ease sore throats. Hedge mustard has not been shown to add to that.
• Dry, tickly cough: Old herbals listed it for cough, and some labels still do. In animal and cell work, extracts appear to relax airway muscle slightly. That is laboratory evidence only. No reliable human trial shows it quiets a cough. A cough with fever, blood, breathlessness or weight loss needs medical review.
• Throat irritation from smoke, dust or heavy speaking: Teachers, auctioneers and singers used it after long days of talking. There is no human trial testing this use. Rest, water and humid air have better support. A new, lasting voice change in a smoker should always be checked by a doctor.
• Use as a bitter wild salad green: Young leaves have been eaten in Europe as a sharp, mustard-flavoured green. This is a food use, not a medical one. Eaten as a vegetable in normal food amounts, it is treated like other brassicas. Nobody claims a health effect from a salad.

Which foods are rich in Hedge mustard?

Hedge mustard is not a nutrient you get from a varied diet. The young leaves are sometimes eaten as a peppery wild green in Europe, like rocket or watercress. That is a food use, and no health claim rests on it.

What are the side effects of Hedge mustard?

• Mild stomach upset or nausea
• Heartburn or a burning taste
• Burning or tingling in the mouth and throat from the mustard oils
• Itchy rash or swelling in people allergic to cabbage, mustard or broccoli
• A mild increase in urine, as it has a traditional water pill (diuretic) reputation

Good to know:

Reported side effects are mild and seem uncommon at food-like amounts.

The main serious risk is an allergic reaction in people sensitive to brassica plants. That is rare, but it can be sudden.

Formal safety data is limited. Very little is known about heavy or long-term use, in children, or in pregnancy.

How much Hedge mustard should you take?

• Recommended daily: This page gives no personal dose. What labels usually carry is a few millilitres of syrup, taken two or three times a day. Dried-herb teas are often listed at about 1 to 2 grams per cup. Products differ a lot in strength and in what else is mixed in. Follow the label on the product you actually hold, and ask a pharmacist if you take other medicines.
• Best time of day: No time of day has been shown to work better. Singers traditionally took it shortly before performing or speaking. If you use it, spacing doses across the day is the usual pattern on labels.
• With or without food: Food makes little difference. Syrups, sprays and gargles are often used between meals, so the coating sits on the throat longer. If the taste or the mustard oils upset your stomach, taking it with food may help.
• Time to effect: If a syrup soothes you, the feeling usually comes within minutes and fades within the hour. That is mostly the coating effect of a sweet, thick liquid. The plant itself has no proven timeline. It may do nothing at all for your voice. Many people notice no change.
• How long to take it: Traditional use was short, over a few days of a hoarse or sore throat. No study tells us what long-term daily use does. Treat it as a short-term comfort measure only. If hoarseness or a cough lasts more than three weeks, stop and see a doctor.