Hold on to your hats, folks — I’ve found another magical, cure-all and multi-use plant to tell you about.
Many of these super food type plants I’ve written about, such as sunchokes and buckwheat, have come to my attention through culinary endeavors. As we all know, many veggies are high in vitamins and other nutrients.
But this new (to me) plant caught my attention not while looking up recipes, but on the other end of the process – in the compost pile. Taking out some kitchen scraps, I noticed lovely green leaves starting to take over the area I used last year for compost.
A quick photo with my phone later used in the Picture This app identified the plant as ground ivy.
If you don’t know about this app, I’m here to tell you it’s very helpful in plant identification. Use the app itself to take a photo, or pull one from your phone’s log and in seconds the app will identify and provide some additional information about the plant.
In this case, the app informed me that growing in my compost is ground ivy. I recognized the summer picture as a plant I notice often, but have not given much thought to. Its scalloped round or kidney-shaped leaves grow opposite each other on a square stem.
Its clusters of light purple flowers bloom from spring through most of the summer and autumn.
I’ve seen this plant every year since childhood, but am embarrassed to admit that I never much wondered what it was.
From the Picture This app, and a deeper dive into the depths of botanical info on the trusty internet, I learned that it is in the mint family and has a history of use for food, beverages and medicine.
Apparently the plant is mildly bitter, and can be tasty as a salad green or in soups. Before hops rose to popularity, ground ivy was used to flavor and clarify beer – hence one of its common names, alehoof (ale + the hoof for the leaf shape).
Medicinally it can be used as a tea, in bath water, extracted into alcohol to make tincture, etc., as with most herbs.
This herb is purportedly high in vitamin C and iron and, as I mentioned above, seems to be a cure-all.
I found articles by herbalists and quotes from published herbals suggesting that it can be used to treat colds and mild lung ailments, clearing sinuses, to ease multiple digestive issues, and help with sore muscles and joints, arthritis, tinnitus, liver, bladder and kidney support, etc.
WebMD notes these uses as well as the healing power of ground ivy in skin creams for sun burn, along with the disclaimer that more evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of these uses.
While I plan some home experiments on myself and my family with this herb, I caution anyone else interested to consult a certified herbalist and to do their own research, especially on the possible negative side effects (WebMD lists the possibilities of ground ivy irritating pre-existing kidney and liver problems).
Please don’t take any of this as medical advice! Rather, take it as a comment on the joy of paying attention to what is growing in one’s environment, and the possibilities of interacting with ubiquitous and overlooked plants.
Early settlers apparently brought ground ivy to America for the beneficial properties, although now many gardeners view it simply as a weed. This new information has inspired me to look closer at other plants I take for granted.
ALDONA BIRD is a journalist, exploring possibilities of local productivity and sustainable living in Preston County.
TWEET @DominionPostWV
