Latin: Hedera helix
Also Known As: Cats foot, Me Hoofe, Robin-run-in-the-edge, True Ivy, Tun-hoof – I'd be interested to see how many of these have been confused with Ground Ivy, though.
Family: Araliaceae
Habitat and Description: Ivy is a familiar sight around the British Isles, with deep green leaves with up to five points on them, with creamy or pale green coloured veins. The leaves usually grow in roughly opposing pairs on long, trailing stems with thready 'roots' growing on the undersides – these are not roots at all, but allow the plant to climb up walls and tree trunks. The leaves are quite leathery, shiny, and paler coloured on the underside. The berries are small and purplish black in colour.
It will grow in most places, and will often twine around trees and up walls, finding a footing in the most unwelcoming crevices. Once ivy has found a home in the garden, it is very difficult to eradicate as the smallest stem with a bit of root on it will re-establish an ivy 'colony'. The plant is parasitic and has been known to kill trees through twining around them too thickly. Basically, though very attractive and with a whole host of folklore associated with it, Ivy is a real nuisance to gardeners!
Parts Used: Leaves. The berries are poisonous and should not be used internally.
Constituents: Ivy contains antimutagenic and anticlastogenic saponins based on oleanolic acid, sterols, polyacetylenes such as falcarinol which can sometimes be responsible for causing allergic reactions, essential oils, flavonoids including rutin, quercetin and astragalin, and caffeic acid derivatives including rosmarinic acid. The saponins and sapogenins are the primary active ingredients, responsible for the expectorant, amoebicidal, anti fungal and molluscicidal properties of the plant. flavonoidA chemical that gives a substance its flavour
Planetary Influence: Saturn (unsurprisingly).
Associated Deities and Heroes: Ariadne, Arianrhod, Bacchus, Cerridwen, Dionysus, Gorgopa, Hymen, Isis, Kundalini, Lakshmi, Osiris, Persephone, Psyche, Saturn, and the White Goddess are all associated with ivy.
Festival: All, and none. Perhaps most specifically Beltane, Yule, Imbolc, Lammas.
Constitution: Cold & dry (fitting as this is a herb of Saturn)
Actions and Indications: Although ivy is not commonly used in current herbal medicine, it has been used for a variety of purposes in the past.
The fresh young leaves are primarily used, and these should be harvested between august and september. The bark was previously used for sores caused by syphilis, and the berries are equally effective however are toxic and purgative, and have been known to cause fatalities in the past. Ivy is analgesic, antispasmodic, vasoactive and cardiodepressant. Topically it can be used to treat neuralgia and related nerve disorders, rheumatic pain and cellulitis, although the fresh leaves have been known to cause contact dermatitis. Internally the herb can be used (with caution) to treat whooping cough.
Ivy is still used to treat whooping cough, and has a primarily spasmolytic activity, with a mildly sedative effect. It brings relief in cases of whooping cough by reducing the amount of attacks and reducing the severity of the paroxysms. It can be used for other respiratory complaints as well, including catarrh, haemoptysis (coughing up blood), pertussus and bronchitis.
Ivy is cathartic, febrifuge, diaphoretic and anthelmintic, and is widely used to treat bronchitis and catarrh as an expectorant – I suspect it is predominantly the saponin content that is responsible for this usage. It is especially efficacious in the treatment of chronic bronchitis, bringing about improved expectoration and reduced levels of pain. Extracts of ivy leaf are often used in preparations for the topical treatment of cellulite, with some success although few clinical trials have been carried out to support this use.
Ivy is cathartic and stimulant as well as antispasmodic and expectorant. The berries macerated in vinegar were used to treat the London plague, and that traditionally single drop doses of the fresh plant juice have been used to treat hydrocephalus. Topically, a poultice of the fresh leaves can be used to treat swollen glands and chronic ulceration of the legs, and a strong tea of it can be used to soothe sunburn. Ivy can also be used to treat joint related problems such as arthritis and rheumatic pain, neuralgia, and disorders including jaundice, dysentery, oedema, syphilis and lymphadenopathy.
Spiritual and Energetic Uses: There is very little written work concerning the energetic properties of the ivy plant, however I suspect that the ivy plant could be used to teach lessons about tenacity and perseverence, and adapting to one's situation to get the best from everything. Given the plant is used magically for protection, it could possibly also be used to provide some level of protection in a spiritual sense as well for those struggling to begin anew, although this is all personal opinion with little research to reinforce it.
The lesson of ivy is to remind us that where there is life, there is also death, and vice versa. It binds things together, linking trees or forming dense thickets that block out light. Ivy represents the wandering soul in search of enlightenment, and carries the warning to the seeker to be sure of their desires so that they do not become trapped by them. The tree teaches the two sided lessons of binding and freeing, restricting and uniting.
Magical Uses: Ivy has a wide range of magical uses. Its main powers are for protection and healing, and it brings luck to women if they carry it with them. Ivy wards against negativity and disaster wherever it is grown. It is often used in fidelity and love charms, and is 'paired' with Holly (as mentioned in the old christmas carol.)
Brides marrying in the winter months could carry a bouquet of ivy, mistletoe and holly to promote fidelity, long life and protection from the Gods. There's a charm that can be used on the 20th of January to attract 'the love of your life', using a sprig of ivy with seven leaves, a glass of red wine and a red candle scented with musk.
Ivy is sacred to the Goddess on account of its five lobed leaves, and represent the spiral dance of life. Ivy represents the Goddess through the wheel of the year and the cycle of death and rebirth – hence the ivy is sacred to all festivals instead of one specific one as most plants are. Ivy represents the fundamental change in consciousness that is initiated at the start of a new phase in life, opening the recipient to prophecy and vision. Lessons can be learned from the ivy plant, such as the lesson of sacrifice before rebirth.
Ivy is a herb of consecration, immortality and love, and can be worn for Beltane, Yule and Imbolc. It is associated with the suit of Pentacles in the tarot deck.
Folklore: Ivy has a large body of folklore. It is often connected to the vine in myth and legend, with both having the ability to change the consciousness – the ivy has, rightly or wrongfully, gained a reputation as being able to undo drunkenness, and can often be seen on inn signs to this effect. They also mention that the chewing of ivy leaves can induce a temporary alteration of mental state, facilitating inward journeys. The Greek Gods Dionysus and Ariadne are associated with the ivy plant, as are Dionysus' followers, the Bassairds. The ivy has a longstanding association with rebirth and immortality as it is evergreen
The religious cult of women who followed Bacchus / Dionysus were known as the Bacchae, and, after drinking a mixture of fermented ivy, fly agaric and pine sap, rampaged around the countryside tearing animals and humans to pieces. Ivy represents the cycles of the moon, and has a strong link to fertility and the menstrual cycle as a result of this connection.
Ivy has a longstanding two faced reputation, both good and bad, as it is associated with the Goddess and therefore partakes of the entwined principles of life and death. The plant was classically associated with desolation and melancholia in 18th century England, and is often found growing around picturesque ruins as a result of this.
Dose: General concensus seems to be that dosage should be 2mls of a 1:10 25% tincture, per day. Little information can be found about the amount of leaf to infuse.
Contraindications: The berries are poisonous and should not be used. The plant can cause contact dermatitis in some people. Personally I would not recommend that this herb be used by the home herbalist.
Notes: Although some comment has been made on the possibility of this herb as an adaptogen based on the fact that many other plants belonging to the araliaceae have some adaptogenic and tonic properties, the research does not seem to indicate this. In addition to this, to be truly considered adaptogenic the plant would need to be non toxic, which it clearly is not – this is interesting in light of the fact that Borage (Borago officinalis) is an English adrenal tonic, which also has a cold temperament and can cause toxicity in large doses. This provokes further thought on whether the temperature of the country in which the plant grows has some effect on the type of adaptogen it can develop – so for example, sanguine temperaments are generally held to be more benign than phlegmatic and melancholic ones, so a warm climate is more likely to produce a non toxic adaptogen than a cold climate. This is pure speculation but may be worth further consideration. It is also worth noting that on the 'Plants For A Future' database, a comment has been left mentioning that ivy is a useful antidiabetic and hypoglycaemic herb. Little research has been found that supports this theory, however it is worthy of including as a note for future research.