Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea): Traditional Uses & Safety

At a glance

Botanical name: Glechoma hederacea
Family: Lamiaceae
Part used: Aerial Parts
Taste: Bitter, pungent, slightly astringent
Temperature: Warm
Moisture: Drying

Safety at a glance

In pregnancy

Avoid — traditional emmenagogue; insufficient safety data

While breastfeeding

Limited data; avoid during breastfeeding as precaution — traditional emmenagogue.

For children

Mild children's use for chronic congestion at low dose; glycerite preferred

Cautions

Historical use for lead poisoning — not a modern treatment for heavy metal toxicity (refer out); Lamiaceae allergy; may cause GI upset at high doses

General contraindications

Known Lamiaceae allergy; severe liver disease

Stewardship

Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) is globally weedy; called 'Alehoof' before hops took over beer. Stewardship: a beer-history plant — the medicinal flavor agent of pre-hop European brewing tradition.

In the traditional record

Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) — known in Anglo-Saxon England as "alehoof" for its use as a bittering and clarifying herb in ale before the widespread adoption of hops; recorded by John Gerard and Nicholas Culpeper as a long-standing folk remedy for chronic catarrh, sinus congestion, and tinnitus.

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Educational use

The Apothecary is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a diagnosed condition.

On our sources

These entries draw on public-domain materia medica, most of it published before 1900, alongside a smaller number of modern reference works. Energetic qualities such as warming, cooling, drying and moistening are a traditional framework for describing how a plant behaves in the body, not a laboratory measurement. Where a period source states one, we cite it. Where none does, and for many North American herbs none exists, the value reflects modern herbal consensus rather than a historical text. When we cannot support a caution with real evidence, we say nothing rather than guess.