Common Ivy Tea – Ideal For Chest Congestion
Common ivy, or Hedera helix as it is botanically known, is a plant that most of us will be familiar with. Other Common Names: Common ivy, true ivy, gum ivy, woodbine, winter-green, winter-grunt, kissos, bergflétta. A member of the ginseng family (Araliaceae), it is also known as English ivy. English ivy is an herb. English Ivy is native to Europe, north and central Asia, and Africa, and is cultivated in the United States. Traditionally it has been used for many purposes. It was believed to help with the intoxication effects from alcohol, to help swollen feet, and was also part of a formula originating in the 12th century that was used in preparation for surgery. This may well have been due to its antiseptic actions. Before much was known about anatomy, or the chemical constituents of plants, herbalists used the “Doctrine of Signatures” to decide what to use a plant for. This principle states that nature provides plants, trees, and seeds that resemble certain parts of the body, which can be used for supporting the health of that body part. The physical traits, smell and where it is grown relates to part of the anatomy affected. With Ivy it was recorded that vines are synonymous with veins and that plants of this type are linked with purifying the blood and bronchial health. It was said that a plant that clings to itself could help clear mucous that is adhered to the inner systems. People probably do not realize that the climbing ivy plant (Hedera helix), so often found in their gardens and yards, has a long history in folk healing. In folk medicine, the plant’s shiny, dark evergreen leaves have traditionally been used for colds and congestion, for fighting fever (by inducing sweating), and for controlling parasites. Legend has it that Bacchus, the ancient Greek god of wine, wore an ivy wreath around his head because the plant was supposed to help someone stay sober while enjoying the taste of the wine.
Plant Description and Chemical properties
English ivy is an herb. Habitat: 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. The flowers of this herb have a purple-blue hue, which has a propensity to become pale mauve. This is primarily owing to the fact because the blossoming may endure for three months or even more – which is basically extraordinary for any wildflower. The leaves emit a camphor smell having an essence of peppermint and citronella. Parts used: Stems, flowers, leaves.
Although ivy’s composition has not been subject to detailed scientific investigations, it is known to contain 5–8% saponins. Other constituents in the leaf include an alkaloid called emetine that is similar to one found in the herb tylophora. Although emetine typically induces vomiting, in ivy leaf it seems to increase the secretion of mucus in the lungs. While the emetine content is very low in ivy, this could in part explain its traditional use as an expectorant (a substance that promotes the removal of mucous from the respiratory tract). Animal studies have shown the saponins found in ivy extract prevent the spasm of muscles in the bronchial area.
Health Benefits
The English or Common ivy, a climbing vine, is used to prepare a range of therapeutic remedies. Anecdotal evidence points to the efficacy of this herb in treating many other conditions. Ivy is now known to contain a chemical called a-hederin, which supports relaxation of the muscle cells in the airways. It produces a substance called a surfactant that allows mucous to become less viscous (more watery) and therefore easier to clear from the lungs. This effect also means that if airways are dry and tickly it can moisten the surfaces to soothe the throat. Due to its extensive use over the years there have been a number of studies performed using ivy for bronchial support, including it’s use in children. The leaves are used to make medicine. English ivy is used for disorders of the liver, spleen, and gallbladder; as well as for muscle spasms, gout, joint pain (rheumatism), chronic bronchitis, and tuberculosis. Laboratory studies indicate ivy leaf Extract has antibacterial, ant parasitic, antifungal, antispasmodic, and anti-inflammatory properties.
It is also used for reducing swelling of the membranes that line the breathing passages and breaking up chest congestion (as an expectorant). English ivy leaves seem to be able to break up chest congestion and relieve muscle spasms. It seems to help breathing in children with chronic bronchitis. Today the herb is most widely used for treating respiratory tract congestion, such as that associated with a cold. Germany’s prestigious Commission E approves of ivy leaf for this purpose, as well as for Inflammation-related bronchial (lung) conditions. Specifically, ivy leaf may help to: relieve symptoms of bronchitis. Several studies indicate ivy leaf alone and in conjunction with thyme relieves symptoms of bronchitis including coughing and respiratory pain.
In one large after-market study, 9657 children and adults with bronchitis were given syrup containing dried ivy leaf extract for seven days. The response rates in 1234 children ranging in ages from less than 2 to 17 years of age for whom data were available were 92.0% to 96.5% in the various age groups. Coughing improved with an average reduction in coughing fits of 81.3%. For respiratory tract congestion, take 300-800 mg of the Standardized extract each day. Alternatively, drink a cup (8 ounces) of ivy leaf tea three or four times a day. For many years ivy medicinal uses have revolved around its ability to alleviate respiratory problems. Ivy is used extensively in Europe to combat asthma, other chronic respiratory ailments and symptoms of the common cold such as coughing and congestion. The principle active compounds in ivy have the ability to loosen mucus and also stimulate the production of natural respiratory secretions to prevent dry cough. In Germany, clinical studies have shown ivy provided demonstrable improvement in patients suffering from chronic respiratory disease. Patients were able to breathe more deeply and reduced coughing. In another study some patients were treated with an ivy extract and others were treated with the drug Oxol, an expectorant. After four weeks the measurable results in both groups were similar. Ivy medicinal uses have been qualified in medical studies to be effective in treating bronchitis, asthma, congestion, and sinus conditions.
Some people apply English ivy directly to the skin for burns, calluses, under-skin infections (cellulitis), swelling, nerve pain, parasitic infections, ulcers, joint pain (rheumatism), and swollen veins (phlebitis). Relieve the pain of leg sores in chronic venous insufficiency. Chronic venous disease is a condition where the valves in the veins of the legs sometimes allow blood to flow backwards and pool in the veins of the legs. This pooled blood increases pressure in the veins and causes problems including leg heaviness, varicose veins, and chronic leg ulcers. When these signs and symptoms develop, the person is said to have chronic venous insufficiency. One study of eighty patients with leg ulcers showed a cream containing ivy leaf relieved the pain caused by these ulcers and should be used in conjunction with conventional compression therapy.
Dosage and preparation
English ivy is most often used in the form of an extract and is seldom used as a prepared tea. Ivy is used medicinally in extract form, topical balms and lotions, shampoos, and cosmetics. It is even used in anticellulite creams. Proprietary mixtures formulated to treat bronchitis usually contain .3 gram of the ivy leaf or its equivalent in extract form.
Side Effects
The safety of the syrup was good with only 2.1% of the patients reporting adverse effects, mostly gastrointestinal. It should be noted that a 2011 review of studies suggests there were flaws and a lack of placebos in earlier studies of ivy leaf’s effect on upper respiratory tract infections. The combination of ivy and thyme may have some benefit; however, more studies are needed to confirm these results. The berry of the ivy plant is toxic if ingested by humans. With no evidence of ill effect from its prolonged usage the ivy should be in everyone’s herbal pharmacopeia.
Category: HERBAL TEAS
