I love watching the colours of the garden change, from the first green spring shoots, through the delicate yellow of the primroses and the more strident daffodil yellow, and now shades of lilac and purple from wild violas and ground ivy. These early spring flowers are in the business of attracting as many insects to them as possible – and their limited colour palette of yellow and purple is irresistible to any hardy hoverflies and bees in the garden.
One of these early flowers, ground ivy, is a pretty little creeping perennial with purple-blue flowers, a familiar sight in damp and shady places, wild grassland, hedgerows and woods. It is native to Europe and western Asia. It belongs to the Lamiaceae family, which includes mints and herbs such as rosemary, pennyroyal, spearmint, basil, catnip, and thyme. It grows 8 to 20 inches (20 cm to 50 cm) long and blossoms for three months or even more – which is unusual for a wildflower and has a tendency to be rather invasive in the garden. The leaves are highly aromatic with a camphor-like smell with a hint of peppermint and citronella.
Its name comes from the resemblance of its kidney-shaped leaves to those of the true ivy. It has an affinity with the mucous membranes of the throat, nose, ear, chest and digestive system and makes an excellent remedy for inflammation and congestion in the respiratory tract. In the Ayurvedic tradition its qualities are dry, light and sharp/penetrating and its taste is pungent, astringent and bitter. It clears excess vata and kapha from pranavahasrotas; clears symptoms associated with catarrhal congestion, coughs and colds; clears ama from rasavahasrotas, relieving fevers and infection; enkindles agni, enhances appetite, digestion and absorption of nutrients; protects the lining of the gut from irritation and inflammation; used for indigestion, flatulence, nausea, diarrhoea and worms; benefits mutravahasrotas; antiseptic diuretic, reduces oedema and clear toxins via kidneys; used from cystitis, frequency and urinary tract infections.
According to Dr James Duke, in British folk medicine the expressed juice was applied to black eyes and bruises, the dried leaves were used as snuff and the juice sniffed up the nose to relieve headaches, and children were given the tea mixed with nettles for 9 successive days in spring to purify the blood and improve the complexion.
Did you know? It is a good idea to add ground ivy to your compost heap because of its high iron content, which will boost your compost!
Recipes:
The aerial parts make a pleasant refreshing tisane known as ‘gill tea’. They can also be added to salads, soups, omelettes, and sauces, much like using mint. They can also be cooked like spinach. Some old English recipes flavoured jam with ground ivy and added young spring leaves to porridge, soups, and vegetable dishes.
Ground Ivy Oil for bruises, wounds and muscular pain
500 grams freshly dried ground ivy
1 litre olive oil.
Place the dried plant and olive oil in a blender and blend. Pour into a dark jar and leave to macerate for about a month and then strain it through muslin. Pour into dark bottles and label clearly.
Massage the warmed oil onto the affected part when necessary.
