English Ivy - Side Effects and Health Benefits

Botanical Name of English Ivy: Hedera helix.

Other Common Names:
Common ivy, true ivy, gum ivy, woodbine, winter-green, winter-grunt, kissos, bergflétta.

Habitat:
English Ivy is a common garden plant that is native to Europe and temperate Asia.

Description:
English ivy is an evergreen climbing vine with glossy, angular leaves. It climbs using fibrous shoots resembling roots which grow along the length of the stem and attaches to surfaces with small disks which cling to the roughness a bark or wall where the ivy climbs. If these shoots find soil, they become true roots. The English ivy may injure trees upon which it grows by taking nutrients from the trees. At the summit of the tree or wall, the ivy will branch out in a bushy form; the leaves change from their usual five-lobed and angular leaves, becoming ovate with entire margins. The flowers only form where the branches grow above their support and the ivy takes its branching form projecting a foot or two from the climbing stems with flowers at the end of every shoot.

The flowers of English ivy are small clusters of yellowish-green nearly globular umbels. The five petals are broad and short with five stamens. There is little scent, but the flowers have abundant nectar which provides food for bees in late autumn. The black or deep purple pea-sized berries are smooth and succulent, ripening the following spring, providing birds with food. The evergreen leaves provide winter shelter for birds, and many birds prefer ivy for a nest-building site.

English ivy is very hardy, withstanding frost, as well as urban smoke and the air pollution of manufacturing regions. It lives to a great age, and its stems become woody and may reach considerable size. Ivy trunks often reach a diameter of a foot or more where the plant has climbed over rocks or old buildings

Plant Parts Used:
Leaves and berries.

English Ivy Leaves and Fruit
(Hedera helix)
(Click on image to enlarge)
Attribution:Petr Filippov

English Ivy Leaf Extract

English Ivy Leaf Extract by Nature's Life

Therapeutic and Traditional Uses, Benefits and Claims of English Ivy

• English ivy is a member of the ginseng family, and has been used in traditional herbal medicine both in Europe and Asia since ancient times.

The Medicinal Herb English Ivy
(Hedera helix)
Flora batava by Jan Kops,
Herman Christiaan van Hall
and others - 1844
• Historically, English ivy was held in high esteem; its leaves formed the poet’s crown, as well as the wreath of Bacchus. Ivy was probably dedicated to Bacchus because it was believed that binding the brow with ivy leaves would prevent intoxication.
• Greek priests presented an ivy wreath to newly-married couples, as a symbol of fidelity.
• English ivy was sacred to the Druids and considered the female counterpart to the masculine holly. Together with mistletoe and holly, ivy is a traditional herb used to decorate houses for the Christmas season.
• Traditional folk medicine used English ivy internally for liver, spleen and gallbladder disorders, and for gout, arthritis, rheumatism and dysentery. Externally it was used for burn wounds, calluses, cellulitis, inflammations, neuralgia, parasitic disorders, ulcers, rheumatic complaints and phlebitis.
• English ivy is most widely used today as a natural treatment for respiratory tract congestion; it is a respiratory catarrh used for symptomatic treatment of chronic inflammatory bronchial conditions. English ivy contains saponins which appear to be responsible for preventing spasms in the bronchial area. It has been found the ivy leaf extract helps to increase oxygen in the lungs, and is an effective anti-inflammatory for bronchial conditions such as asthma and bronchitis.
• Commission E, a prestigious medical group in Germany approved ivy leaf extract as an herbal decongestant as well as treatment for inflammation-related lung (bronchial) conditions.
• English ivy exhibits antiviral, antimycotic, and anthelmintic and effects and some studies indicate that the leaf extract may have anti-cancer and antioxidant properties.
• Folk medicine used ivy leaf poultices externally as a treatment for swollen glands and chronic leg ulcers and topical decoctions have been used as a natural treatment for scabies, lice and sunburn.

Dosage and Administration

English Ivy Tincture: 40-50 drops daily as single doses of 5-10 drops.

English Ivy Tea: 1 heaped teaspoonful to 0.25 liter hot water; steep the mixture for ten minutes; tea and other infusions may be taken 3 times daily.

English Ivy Poultice: Mix fresh ivy leaves 1:3 with linseed meal.

English Ivy Infusion: 1 heaping teaspoonful to ¼ cup boiling water and steep for ten minutes.

Side Effects and Possible Interactions of English Ivy

Fresh English ivy may cause mild skin irritation. If signs of an allergic reaction occur, such as a rash, itching or gastrointestinal upset, discontinue use. Ivy is considered to be generally free of side effects; however, if taken in high doses it may cause nausea and vomiting due to its emetine content. Ivy should be avoided during pregnancy and lactation unless otherwise directed by a qualified health care provider.

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"Poison is in everything, and no thing is without poison. The dosage makes it either a poison or a remedy"
Philipus Aureolus Paracelsus