Day 24: Ground Ivy

Glechoma hederacea

I purposely sought out a haven for wildlife today. I wanted to be held by the peaceful serenity of a place little touched by human hands.

I arrived to rabbits in a thicket, a bright green woodpecker that few up to a tree, a slick red fox and a very confident dear.

All in the space of a 1 hr round trip from my home. Making it the perfect tea break to lift the spirits.

Needless to say, on my walk home I had quite the joyful spring in my step!

ID features

As a mint family plant, ground ivy has a square stem and irregular trumpet-like flowers. There are hairs on the leaves and stem, and bare stem between each leaf and flower whirl.

It grows upright in clusters, and it spreads well enough to upset gardeners who like to weed out weeds. It often grows in shade with partial sun and the ones I found were poking up through long grass at the edge of a thicket.

The leaves are kind of ivy-shaped, a bit like a heart and slightly kidney-shaped. They have a scalloped edge and grow in opposite pairs. They can be reddish purplish at the top of the plant.

The flowers are purple and grow out of the leaf axils in clusters of 2-4. When they drop off, they leave a trumpet shaped green calyx. As the plant matures, empty calyxes are near the bottom half of the stem and the flowers are close to the top.

Medicinal uses

The bitterness and essential oils stimulate the digestive organs and relieve trapped wind, whilst the astringency encourages tissue healing.

The plant has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving actions.

It is most well known for its success in treating head colds. Congestion in the sinuses causes inflammation and pain from the pressure against the sinus cavity walls. As an anticatarrhal it reduces secretions, as well as encouraging drainage.  This means it can ease the symptoms of sinusitis, and associated head pain and tinnitus.

How to make a cuppa

I picked about 5 or 6 stems, including leaves and flowers. The general recommended medicinal dose is 2 tsps. per cup. I cut it up with scissors and bruised it a little.

Taste

The aroma is released on rubbing and as soon as the water is poured on. It is quite a pungent herb. I never feel my words are adequate when trying to describe the taste of ground ivy. It’s clearly bitter and aromatic and has a kind of earthy mushroom-like taste. Perhaps a little like sage, and also of an old outdoor fire perhaps.

Cautions

It is advised to avoid long term use as there is a risk of liver toxicity from the pulegone. Use it only for as long as you have acute symptoms, or as a one off for nature connection and investigative purposes like me.

Do not take if you are pregnant.

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Ground Ivy audio reflections

For those Local to me:

You can book me to host a herb walk either one-to-one, with a friend or as a group, (up to 20 participants max.) £10pp for group, or £30 single/in a pair. Bring a flask of hot water for a foraged tea. Contact to arrange date and time. Locations in and around the Bristol and North Somerset area.

sarah-janecobley@healthneedsthyme.co.uk

 Herbal Medicine Consultations

I am a qualified medical herbalist, trained in much the same way as a GP. However, my medicines are from nature's medicine chest. They nourish and strengthen so that your body can heal itself. I offer consultations via video call and send tonics out in the post. Email me to book an appointment: sarah-janecobley@healthneedsthyme.co.uk