Ballota nigra / Black Horehound: Home Remedy for Whooping Cough in Children 

Ballota nigra, also known as Black Horehound, is an herb that comes from Northern Africa, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean area. Ballota nigra contains substances known as betaines. Black horehound is not the same thing as white horehound another herb that is also valuable, but that has properties that different from those of black horehound.

Traditionally, Ballota nigra has been most widely used as a treatment for whooping cough, but it has a fairly broad range of action and can be used in a variety of situations involving childhood illness. It is not a cure for whooping cough, but rather an important treatment that can be used to reduce coughing fits, which, in turn, can significantly improve the prognosis of the disease. 

In ancient times, Ballota nigra was used to treat serious wounds such as rabid dog bites by creating a plaster of Ballota nigra leaves, honey, or salt. It is a strong sedative that also works on the digestive system. As a digestive tonic, Ballota nigra can be helpful as an herb to prevent nausea and vomiting. 

NOTE: Ballota nigra / black horehound is not the same thing as Marrubium vulgare / white horehound. 

The Renegade Parent's Guide to Children's Health and Healing: Volume 1 - Encyclopedia of Herbal Remedies

Ballota nigra Safety 

In one animal study into the toxicity of Ballota nigra, a single large dose of black horehound aqueous dry extract was administered at 2,000 mg / kilogram body weight. No deaths occurred and there were no signs of toxicity even over the course of 15 days. Post-mortem examination of the mice showed no signs of toxicity either. 

Another study in humans showed no major adverse effects when patients were given 1.5 grams of black horehound daily for 90 days. Patients were given 3 doses of 0.5 grams per day in a 14% ethanol liquid preparation. A few of the patients experienced fatigue and nausea after administration of a dose of Ballota nigra, but this subsided as the study continued. Nausea was relieved by taking the Ballota nigra after meals. Many sources recommend that children under age 3 should not be given Ballota nigra and that children over the age of 3 years should be given Ballota nigra only under the supervision of an herbalist. If you choose to work with this herb, be sure to calculate the dosage based on body weight. 

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Ballota nigra: Medicinal Effects

• Herbal remedy for rabid dog bites
• Herbal treatment for burns
• Neurosedative / Tranquilizer / Sedative
• Herbal remedy for hypochondria
• Herbal remedy for mental illness
• Herbal remedy for Whooping Cough
• Prevents cough
• Natural treatment for nausea and upset stomach
• Treatment for vomiting
• Increases bile flow
• Antiparasitic (used as an enema or supppository)
• Natural insect repellent against fleas
• Antioxidant 
  • Scavenges Hydroxyl Radicals
  • Scavenges Hypochlorite
  • Scavenges Hydrogen Peroxide
  • Scavenges the Superoxide Anion 
• Hemorrhoid treatment
• Diuretic
• Natural treatment for gastrointestinal disorders
• Promotes blood circulation
• Used as a rinse for skin rash
• Antibacterial
  • Moderate natural antibiotic Staphylococcus aureus infection
• Inhibits biofilm and bacterial adherence (aqueous extraction)
• Inhibits liver cancer growth
• Anti-inflammatory
• Herbal Remedy for Gout
• Natural treatment for insomnia and other sleep disorders
• Antispasmodic
• Hypoglycemic / Herbal Remedy for Juvenile Diabetes
• Herbal remedy for restlessness in children
• Herbal remedy for irritability in children
• Natural treatment for intestinal cramping
• Anticholinesterase
• Herbal Antidepressant

Substances Found in Ballota nigra

• Phenylpropanoids
  • Forsythoside B
  • Orthodihydroxycinnamic acid glycosides acteoside (verbascoside)
  • Arenarioside
  • Martynoside
  • Non-glycosidic(+)-E-caffeoyl-L-malic acid
• Flavonoids
  • Luteolin
  • Apigenin

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Ballota nigra: Herbal Remedy for Whooping Cough

Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is caused by a Gram-negative, coccobacillus bacteria. The disease is spread through the air with an incubation period of 7-10 days on the average (with a range of 6-20 days). Whooping cough is a respiratory disease that is most famous for causing patients to produce a “whooping” sound when they inhale after coughing. 

The Bordatella pertussis bacteria infects a host by colonizing lung epithelial cells. The bacteria has a surface protein (known as filamentous haemagglutinin adhesin) that binds to sulfatides on the cilia of lung epithelial cells. The bacteria adheres itself to the lung cells and then begins producing tracheal cytotoxin that stops the cilia from beating. Cilia are tiny structures that line the respiratory tract that are responsible for producing a wavelike movement that clears debris from the lungs. When the cilia stop beating, the body responds by sending a message to the brain which causes the patient to develop a coughing fit. The cough causes some of the bacteria to be released into the air, which is what makes this disease infectious.

In addition to tracheal cytotoxin, the whooping cough bacteria also inhibits the function of the patient’s immune system. This toxin (known as the pertussis toxin) inhibits the G protein coupling that regulates the conversion of ATP to cyclic adenosine monophosphate. As a result, phagocytes convert too much ATP to cyclic adenosine monophosphate, which causes a disturbance in cellular signaling. This disturbance prevents phagocytes from responding properly to the whooping cough infection. The pertussis toxin (also known as the lymphocytosis-promoting factor) causes fewer lymphocytes to enter lymph nodes which leads to lymphocytosis (high blood lymphocyte count in the blood). Additionally, the pertussis toxin also limits white blood cell migration to the lungs and decreases the function of macrophages which would normally be responsible for removing the bacteria.

Another toxin known as the adenylate cyclase toxin, deregulates cellular signaling and blocks phagocytosis and the ability of white blood cells to kill the whooping cough bacteria. It also prevents the maturation of dendritic cells and their immigration to the lymph nodes.

Whooping cough is most common in children under the age of 1 year and between the ages of 11 to 18 years of age though children of any age can get whooping cough. Symptoms are similar to the common cold and include a mild cough, low-grade fever, sneezing, and runny nose. Two weeks after the symptoms begin, the characteristic cough starts wherein the patient may make a whooping sound when inhaling or they may vomit. 

Infants under 6 months of age may not make the whooping sound when they cough. Adults also may not make the whooping sound, but rather experience prolonged coughing instead. In adults, whooping cough may look like an irritating or sometimes disabling cough that is undiagnosed for many months.  In babies under 6 months old, a coughing spell may last for more than 1 minute and the child may turn blue, have an apnea, or a seizure. When the patient is not in the midst of a coughing fit, they won’t experience difficulty breathing because the Bordatella pertussis bacteria inhibits the immune system response such that very little mucus is produced in the lungs to cause croup. 

Reactive Oxygen Species Medicines as At-Home Antibiotics for Whooping Cough

As with the other serious childhood diseases, whooping cough should be treated as early as possible using antibiotic medicines. Doctors typically prescribe one of the following types of antibiotics for whooping cough:

• Azithromycin
• Erythromycin
• Clarithromycin

Antibiotic treatment does not relieve the symptoms of whooping cough unless the antibiotics are started within 2 weeks after the infection symptoms begin. This rarely occurs because parents often must go to a doctor to get a prescription for these antibiotics and during the first 2 weeks of infection, the patient often has no reason to take the child in for an appointment.  

The Bordatella pertussis bacteria typically infects the body for 3 weeks or less. During this time, it is valuable to receive some form of antibiotic treatment, though it isn’t necessary to work with the antibiotics listed above. If you want to treat whooping cough at home, you can start by administering a Reactive Oxygen Species medicines which include any of the following:

• Chlorine Dioxide Solution (safe for children)
• Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (safe for children, but must be administered at a clinic in most cases)
• Ozone therapy (safe for children, but must be administered by an ozone therapist)
• Methylene Blue (safe for children, but must be administered at the proper dose by weight)
• Very High Dose Vitamin C + DMSO (or intravenous vitamin C at up to 18,000 mg per day)

Chlorine Dioxide Solution can be administered to infants of any age and young children via a bath. Click here to read more about the Chlorine Dioxide bath protocol.

Alternatively, Chlorine Dioxide Solution can be administered to infants of any age and young children using dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and Chlorine Dioxide Solution together. Click here to learn more about how to use Chlorine Dioxide Solution and DMSO to treat baby and childhood illnesses.

Children and babies who are able to drink the Chlorine Dioxide Solution should do Protocol 1000 to receive this medicine or Protocol 1000 PLUS. 

The Reactive Oxygen Species medicines are safe for use in children and even very young newborn infants. Click here to read more about how Reactive Oxygen Species medicines work. These medicines will not destroy the intestinal flora and they don’t carry a risk of promoting drug-resistant bacteria. They work through a very different mechanism of action than the antibiotics prescribed by doctors and the main “risk” involved in using them is that they can easily be canceled out by foods and any antioxidant administered very soon before or after administration of the Reactive Oxygen Species dose.  That being said, when you administer a Reactive Oxygen Species medicine, children tend to appear as though they’re getting better right away (usually within 48 hours), but often, children also experience a “die-off” reaction as the bacteria start to die in large quantities. This die-off reaction (also called a Herxheimer reaction) usually looks a bit like the flu. It’s caused by the accumulation of dead bacteria (or another type of pathogen) along with toxins that these bacteria might release before they can be removed from the body. It’s vital to make sure that the child continues to have normal, frequent bowel movements during this time to ensure that toxins leave the body quickly. Enemas can be helpful in ensuring that bowel movements occur regularly. In fact, enemas can also be used as a way to administer Chlorine Dioxide Solution and, because Reactive Oxygen Species medicines can clean up toxins, administering a Chlorine Dioxide Solution enema once or twice daily can help reduce the die-off reaction in children being treated with Chlorine Dioxide Solution. 

Click here to read more about how to do Chlorine Dioxide Enemas in children and babies.

If you suspect that your child may have whooping cough, you can safely give your child Chlorine Dioxide Solution as a treatment to kill the bacteria. He or she will not develop the cough for 1-2 weeks after the initial presentation of cold / flu symptoms. 

Black Horehound for Whooping Cough

Though black horehound has antibacterial properties, Lydi and I were not able to find studies detailing how powerful it is as an antibacterial medicine against whooping cough. It makes sense that this disease would be understudied in terms of herbal medicine because the primary push these days is to ensure that children are vaccinated, but for parents who opt to avoid vaccinating their child, it’s important to be ready to treat whooping cough at home and to know the protocol. 

Personally, because I know that Chlorine Dioxide Solution works very well against infection, including severe infection, and because I also know that Chlorine Dioxide Solution is safe for use even in tiny infants (I would not hesitate to give this medicine to my baby granddaughter, for example), I would begin treatment with this medicine as soon as I see symptoms of any kind of respiratory illness even if I don’t know the diagnosis. Chlorine Dioxide Solution works against viruses, bacteria, protozoa and more so it makes sense to use this medicine at the first sign of cold and flu symptoms in children. 

Whooping cough can catch parents off guard because around the time that cold and flu symptoms start to wane a bit, the cough begins. The cough is due to a toxin that’s released by the bacteria and that stays in the body even after the bacteria are dead and gone. So, when the cough starts, it’s important that parents don’t work with a Reactive Oxygen Species medicines like Chlorine Dioxide Solution, ozone therapy, or hyperbaric oxygen therapy at this time, but rather begin working with antioxidants and detoxifiers instead along with herbs like black horehound that can reduce the severity and frequency of whooping coughs.

See the end of this discussion for more information about how to administer black horehound for children.

Lugol’s Iodine to Prevent Whooping Cough Naturally

It is worth noting that Lugol’s iodine is a nutrient supplement that is used to cure asthma and that has the ability to significantly reduce the severity of whooping cough. 

Click here to read more about the use of Lugol’s iodine to cure asthma. 

Click here to read more about the full Lugol’s iodine protocol including dosing for children.

Detoxifying Antioxidant Protocol for Whooping Cough

When whooping cough starts, it’s time to begin working with supplements to detoxify the lungs and that also supports the body’s efforts to rebuild itself. Interestingly, at very high doses, vitamin C is both an oxidant (a Reactive Oxygen Species medicine) and an antioxidant. It can be hard to administer vitamin C intravenously for many people at home though. Nonetheless, vitamin C is an important supplement in the fight against childhood illnesses for parents who opt not to vaccinate their kids. 

Like vitamin C, methylene blue is an over-the-counter medicine that also functions as both a Reactive Oxygen Species medicine (an oxidant) and an antioxidant. This medicine must be properly dosed as it works different in high doses than it dose in low doses. Parents who have vitamin C, methylene blue, and N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) in their medicine cabinet may opt to work with these oxidant - antioxidant medicines from the very beginning of their child’s infection. Note that methylene blue and N-acetyl-cysteine can be hard to administer to infants. 

Click here to read more about how to use methylene blue, NAC, and vitamin C together as an at-home treatment for whooping cough. 

Note that if you choose to work with this protocol, black horehound can be used at the same time as methylene blue, NAC, and high-dose vitamin C. 

Molecular Hydrogen and Nebulizing with Saline: Home Remedy for Whooping Cough

Molecular hydrogen can be administered as drinking water or as a gas that you can inhale. It is a very gentle treatment - so gentle, in fact, that it seems at times to not be doing anything, but molecular hydrogen is a powerful antioxidant that detoxifies the lungs. Indeed, it is so powerful that it is one of few at home treatments to cure emphysema or COPD.

Click here to read more about the use of molecular hydrogen to cure emphysema.

Home Remedy for Whooping Cough: Herbs and More

There are a number of other herbs and home remedies in addition to Ballota nigra and the treatments that we discuss above. These include:

• Tussilago farfara
• Thymus vulgaris
• Hedera helix
• Chelidonium majus
• Lobelia inflata
• Tabebuia impetiginosa 
• Fallopia japonica
• Sarracenia purpurea
• Sanguinaria candensis
• Allium sativum / Raw Garlic
• Cherry Bark
• Aralia racemosa
• Agrimonia eupatoria
• Althea officinalis
• Ipecac

Ballota nigra: Herbal Remedy for Sleep Problems in Children

Ballota nigra is an herb that increases sleeping time while reducing body movements that occur during sleep. This herb slows electroencephalographic activity. Some scientists believe that enhancement of sleep is how Ballota nigra works to reduce depression too.

Ballota nigra: Herbal Remedy for Juvenile Diabetes

Studies have shown that Ballota nigra can significantly reduce blood glucose levels in both healthy and diabetic rats. This herb has the ability to reduce blood sugar levels naturally by 22-32%. Blood sugar level reduction can be observed 6 hours after treatment with Ballota nigra extract is administered. Studies have also shown that this herb can lower cholesterol naturally while promoting insulin release by the pancreas. This study used a dose of 400 mg/kg body weight of a 70% ethanol extract of Ballota nigra to obtain these blood glucose lowering effects. Note, however, that some herbalists suggest that parents stay away from ethanol extracts of this herb in treating children. We have not been able to determine why ethanol / alcohol extracts of Ballota nigra are discouraged in children, but parents should use their best judgment in determining whether an alcohol extract of Ballota nigra or a water extract (such as an herbal tea) would be the best treatment for their child.

Note that in a number of childhood diseases such as measles and mumps, it seems that the pancreas often becomes inflamed (acute pancreatitis). When the pancreas becomes inflamed during a measles infection, pancreatic enzyme levels may become too high which can lead to diarrhea and also poor nutrient absorption which, in turn, makes the illness worse. Derangement of pancreatic function can also lead to low insulin levels, poor glucose uptake by cells, and in turn, low energy in the cells to fight the disease. This is worth noting in a discussion about Ballota nigra because this herb has been used traditionally as an herbal treatment for whooping cough, another serious childhood disease. 

Though measles is a viral disease and whooping cough is a bacterial disease, certain herbs for diabetes like Kudzu or Momordica charantia reduce viral infectivity in measles infection by making it impossible for viruses to attach to or infect cells, suggesting that the virus needs to perhaps piggyback on insulin to be able to gain access to the interior of the cell. 

Click here to read more about alternative and herbal remedies for measles.

Ballota nigra is a powerful blood sugar reducing herb, but there are other herbal remedies for juvenile diabetes. Some of these herbs can be used together to create an herbal combination, but always start by working with one herb for juvenile diabetes and observe the effects of this herb on your child before you administer other herbs in combination. With a combination of herbs, you could accidentally lower your child’s glucose levels too much or too quickly so get a feel for how your child reacts to each herbal remedy before you add other herbs to a daily regimen to cure juvenile diabetes.

Below are other herbs for juvenile diabetes:

• Moringa oleifera
• Melissa officinalis
• Adansonia digitata / Baobab Fruit

Again, note that each of these are an alternative treatment for juvenile diabetes that have different mechanisms of action in terms of how they lower blood sugar levels naturally. Be sure to administer each one separately as a stand-alone treatment and observe its effects on your child before you administer any combination of these herbs together at the same time.

Ballota nigra: Herbal Antibiotic

Ballota nigra has been used traditionally to treat bacterial infections such as whooping cough, but scientific studies on the use of Ballota nigra are sparse and most are studies that were done to find lead agents for the development of pharmaceuticals. So, while only a few pathogens have been studied in terms of their vulnerability to Ballota nigra, this herb is likely powerful against many bacterial infections. As an herbal antibiotic, Ballota nigra has an antibacterial action against the following according to the scientific literature:

• Escherichia coli

• Salmonella typhi

• Micrococcus luteus

• Bacillus subtilis

• Salmonella paratyphi

• Proteus mirabilis

• Enterococcus faecalis

• Staphylococcus aureus

• Klebsiella pneumoniae

A methanol extract of Ballota nigra is most powerful against the following bacteria:

• Escherichia coli

• Salmonella typhi

• Micrococcus luteus

• Bacillus subtilis

• Salmonella paratyphi

The crude extract (chloroform or ethyl acetate) of the Ballota nigra root has excellent inhibitory activity against the following bacterial infections:

• Enterococcus faecalis

• Proteus mirabilis

• Staphylococcus aureus

The stem of the Ballota nigra plant as an ethanolic extract is active against all of the following bacterial infections:

• Salmonella typhi

• Enterococcus faecalis

• Proteus mirabilis

• Staphylococcus aureus

• Klebsiella pneumoniae

• Escherichia coli

A water extraction of the stem of the Ballota nigra plant was active against the following bacterial infections:

• Klebsiella pneumoniae

• Escherichia coli

Ballota nigra leaves as a chloroform or butanol extraction is an herbal antibiotic against Salmonella typhi. A hexane fraction has the maximum antibiotic activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Ballota nigra: Herbal Remedy for Mold Exposure and Fungal Infection

An alcohol extract of the stem of the Ballota nigra plant can inhibit Aspergillus niger. The root of the Ballota nigra plant is active against Aspergillus fumigates as an alcohol extract. The leaves of the Ballota nigra plant is active as a water extract against Aspergillus flavus. The stem of the Ballota nigra plant is active as a water extract against Fusarium solani. 

Ballota nigra: Herbal Remedy for Leishmaniasis in Children

Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by a protozoan parasite. The disease is typically transmitted via the sand fly which can bite a human and inject the Leishmania protozoa into the body. There are three types of Leishmaniasis:

• Cutaneous
• Visceral
• Mucocutaneous

Studies have shown that Ballota nigra can be used as a crude extract, chloroform extract, or ethyl acetate fraction of the plant root as a natural treatment for leishmaniasis. Inhibition of Leishmaniasis becomes apparent on the sixth day of treatment when the protozoa does not convert from an amastigote form into the promastigote form. 

Hexane fractions demonstrate inhibition of Leishmaniasis from the eighth day of treatment when the amastigote does not convert to the promastigote form. 

Note that water and butanol fractions of Ballota nigra were inactive against the Leishmaniasis amastigote. Aqueous fractions of any part of the plant did not have any anti-Leishmaniasis activity.

The stem of the Ballota nigra plant as a crude ethanolic extract begins to inhibit the amastigote to promastigote form starting on the fifth day of treatment.

Ballota nigra: Natural Antidepressant Herb for Children / Natural Anti-anxiety Herb 

The aqueous dry extract of Ballota nigra at a dose of 200 mg / kg body weight has been shown to have a tranquilizing effect in mice. The herb reduces anxiety and also reduces spontaneous motor activity during sleep. Meanwhile, it also acts as an antidepressant. 

Scientists have shown that certain substances found in the Ballota nigra herb show an affinity for dopamine, benzodiazepnine, and morphine receptors in the brain. 

In one study involving 28 patients with general anxiety disorder, depression, and sleep problems, Ballota nigra was used as a stand-alone treatment for 90 days. These adult patients were given 3x5 mL of black horehound in liquid form (14% ethanol which corresponds to a total dose of 1.5 grams or 3 divided doses of 0.5 grams each). After 60 days of treatment, 65% of patients showed marked improvement in their sleep. After 90 days, 73% of patients showed significant improvement. Ten of the 28 patients had been taking benzodiazepines before the study and 3 of them quit taking benzodiazepines completely. Four of the 10 reduced their benzodiazepine dose by half. 

Children with ADHD, for example, often have difficulty sleeping and, in fact, some studies have claimed that a child’s inability to sleep can be the root cause for this disorder. If your child has been diagnosed with ADHD (or if he/she simply has difficulty concentrating), click here to read more about Mucuna pruriens as an herbal cure for ADHD. Note also that Mucuna pruriens and Ballota nigra can be used together as a home remedy for ADHD.

Ballota nigra: Herbal Cure for Cancer

Ballota nigra essential oil as well as the essential oils of related plants Ballota undulate and Ballota saxatilis have been studied as natural cures for cancer. Ballota nigra is safe for use in children as an herb that cures cancer, but it should be used with other herbal remedies for cancer as well as nutrient cures for cancer such as:

• Trifolium pratense
• Arctium lappa

• Vitamin B17
• Lugol’s iodine (see protocol of nutrients that support Iodine therapy for cancer in children)
• Vitamin K2

Though Ballota nigra works against all types of cancerous tumors, this anticancer essential oil has been shown to have strong anticancer effects against the following types of cancer:

• Melanoma
• Other types of skin cancer
• Breast cancer
• Human leukemia
• Colon cancer
• Liver cancer

Ballota nigra essential oil is believed to work as a natural cure for cancer due to its 7-alpha-acetoxyroyleanone content which inhibits DNA synthesis in cancer cells.

Ballota nigra Dosage for Children

The single adult dose for an adult of B. nigra consists of between 1.5 to 5 g. This dose is for an adult of average size (around 150 pounds). It can be administered as a tea or infusion or as an extract prepared with ethanol (max. 45% v/v) or with water. The same dosage is for elderly people. For children (ages 3–12 years) administer Ballota nigra in proportion to the adult dose per pound of body weight. 

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