Western Herbalism
Hedge Mustard
Sisymbrium
Also known as Singer's Plant, Bank Cress.
Hedge mustard is a slender, roadside and waste-ground annual or biennial of the mustard family, native to Europe and naturalized widely in North America and elsewhere. The flowering tops and leaves are the parts used. It has long been known in European folk and eclectic practice as the singer's or preacher's herb, taken as a syrup or infusion to restore a hoarse or overworked voice and to ease a nagging cough.
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Indications what the tradition reached for it in
- Hoarseness
- Laryngitis
- Chronic cough with thick mucus
- Loss of voice
- Bronchitis
- Sore throat
- Catarrh of the upper respiratory tract
- Weak or strained voice in singers and public speakers
Specific indications
Hoarseness or loss of voice from overuse of the throat, as in singers, teachers, or public speakers
Persistent dry, irritating cough with little expectoration, where the throat feels tight and rasping
Safety
Pregnancy: Traditional data are insufficient to confirm safety in pregnancy, so avoid or use only under professional supervision.
Breastfeeding: No reliable safety data in lactation; avoid routine use pending better evidence.
The record lists 2 contraindications; open the plate in the library to read them in full.
In practice
Hedge mustard earns its old nickname of the singer's plant. It is reached for when the voice fails from overuse, from a dry irritating throat tickle, or from lingering laryngitis after an upper respiratory infection, especially where the cough is unproductive and the throat feels raw and tight. A simple infusion or a honey-based syrup made from the fresh or dried aerial parts is the classic form, sipped warm through the day; it combines well with licorice, thyme, or coltsfoot-type demulcent and expectorant herbs for a rounded chest and throat remedy. Because it belongs to the mustard family, the fresh plant contains glucosinolates that can be mildly irritant in quantity, so practitioners tend to favor gentle infusions or diluted syrups rather than concentrated extracts, and to use it as a short course for acute voice loss or catarrh rather than an ongoing daily tonic.
Dosing as the sources wrote it
| Preparation | As written | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Infusion | 1-2 g dried aerial parts as infusion, three times daily | 1000-2000 mg |
| Syrup | 5-10 mL traditional syrup preparation, several times daily for acute hoarseness | 5-10 mL |
| Tincture (1:5, 40%) | 2-4 mL three times daily | 2-4 mL |
| The powdered seeds may be used internally in the dose of from 5 to 30 grains, or an infusion may be given every 2 or 3 hours in tablespoonful doses. | 324-1944 mg |
Doses are reproduced from the sources for practitioners and are not a recommendation for any person.
From the sources
Overview. Hedge mustard is a slender, roadside and waste-ground annual or biennial of the mustard family, native to Europe and naturalized widely in North America and elsewhere. The flowering tops and leaves are the parts used. It has long been known in European folk and eclectic practice as the singer's or preacher's herb, taken as a syrup or infusion to restore a hoarse or overworked voice and to ease a nagging cough.
Clinical Notes. Hedge mustard earns its old nickname of the singer's plant. It is reached for when the voice fails from overuse, from a dry irritating throat tickle, or from lingering laryngitis after an upper respiratory infection, especially where the cough is unproductive and the throat feels raw and tight.
Drawn from King's American Dispensatory, 18th edition (Felter and Lloyd), and the Bountiful Herbs editorial.
In formulas
Hedge Mustard stands in 7 documented formulas in the library, among them dà xiàn xiõng wán, j jião lì huáng wán, ting lì dà zão xiè fèi tāng.
Often paired with
jujubeZiziphus jujuba
Licorice rootGlycyrrhiza glabra
Chinese RhubarbRheum palmatum
PoriaWolfiporia extensa
Zhu LingPolyporus umbellatus
GingerZingiber officinaleNearby on the shelf
HawthornCrataegus oxyacantha
HawthorneCrataegus oxycantha
HeartseaseViola tricolor
HeatherCalluna vulgaris
Hedge-hyssopGratiola
HelleborusHelleborus niger
Hemlock water dropwortOenanthe crocata
Hemp agrimonyEupatorium cannabinumThe whole plate is in the library. The compass, Compare, the Sky of eleven hundred plants and the formulary open with an email address and a password, free, with the formula builder and its safety engine. Herbert without limit, his formulating, clients, the handouts and the labels are the paid room.
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