Pennyroyal is a species that grows in many European countries and mostly in humid places with lots of waters. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans used it as a drug for many conditions, whereas it was a very common seasoning in cooking and in scenting wines.

Hippocrates and Dioscourides referred to pennyroyal as a plant of great pharmaceutical significance, Plinius wrote that its smell is useful as a repellent for insects and fleas. In folk medicine it was believed to boost the nervous system as well as the heart and was used in alcohol beverages. Nowadays it is used as a seasoning in cooking, in vinification and pharmaceuticals.