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Witch’s Herbal Entry: Ground Ivy

[Hi, new followers! Updated this entry 04/21 for mobile formatting issues and I added a list of links to other, similar entries I’ve written about other plants to the end. Most of them are probably not as well developed as this one is, but I intend on going back in and filling them in with more detailed information!]

Magic in your own back yard, no effort needed. This one’s a little photo heavy! 

Glechoma hederacea

Common Names: Ground Ivy, Creeping Charlie, Cat’s Foot, Gill-Go-Over-the-Ground, Turnhoof, Alehoof, Run-Away-Robin, Lizzie-Run-Up-The-Hedge

Type: Perennial, Evergreen

Magical Uses: discovery, divination, protection from malicious magic, asserting oneself

Botanical Family: Lamiaceae

Region of Origin: Europe

Growth and Care

Formerly classified as a variety of catnip, ground ivy is generally thought of as a weed these days and is likely to be found in almost any lawn, field or pasture, and along roadsides. It is a low-growing member of the mint family with kidney shaped leaves and a small blue-violet blossom. Bloom time starts in April and usually lasts through July here in the Midwest, but it keeps different habits in Florida and Canada. It grows especially well in slightly shady areas where grass isn’t strong. Despite its status, it is sometimes grown on purpose and I think makes a rather attractive groundcover. Raise it in a pot if you don’t want it to take over! It’s easily misidentified as purple deadnettle or henbit, sharing a generally similar appearance and habitat.

(Above, here’s a patch that is in a shadier area than some of my other photos. As you can see, it’s not blooming yet and the leaves are much greener and have less purple tinge than those that receive more sunlight. In the photo below, you can see the squared stem that’s common to most members of the mint family.)

General Use

Historically, ground ivy was used as an additive in the process of brewing ale, both to clarify and add flavor. While hops have generally been favored for this process since sometime in the sixteenth century, people did continue to use it for a long time in home brewing, and it’s also been used as a replacement for rennet in cheesemaking. Though toxic to horses and cattle in large amounts, humans can safely enjoy it within reason. Leaves, fresh or dried, can be used to make a tea, and can included in soups and salads like spinach, reportedly high in vitamin C and iron content. I would err on the side of caution and use younger shoots, which will have a milder flavor, though. Dried leaves were also used as a snuff to ward off headaches. 

Ground ivy has been used in folk medicine to treat kidney, lung, ringing in the ears, and liver issues, as well as a general cold and cough remedy. Adding ground ivy to the bath was said to have eased aging and help heal wounds that were slow to close. Not enough research exists to support all these claims, though some of the compounds found in ground ivy are known to be irritants to the kidneys and digestive system in humans in large amounts. It also contains the volatile oil pugelone, which is a known abortifacient. It contains this in a far, far lower concentration than in pennyroyal, but I would still urge women who are pregnant or trying to be become pregnant to avoid any internal use.

(Below: you can see ground ivy next to its cousin, purple deadnettle [Lamimum purpureum]. The two are in the same botanical family and share many habits, so they’re easily mistaken for one another. You can see that while they have generally similar leafing habits and square stems, the leaves of deadnettle to the up and left are much fuzzier and less strongly scalloped than the ground ivy to the lower right. In my experience, deadnettle also grows much taller if not mowed.)

Magical and Symbolic Use

In witchcraft, ground ivy can be used to discover the identity of a person working against you magically–just like it clarifies ale, it can clarify a situation. There is a superstition that states milkmaids should likewise wear ground ivy on their person to prevent enchantment to the cows. Another recommended use is to overcome shyness, and this seems to fall right in line with its nature–ground ivy is anything but shy! Most of the gardening articles I’ve read talk about it in language of taking control or command. If you find difficulty in voicing your opinions or are hesitant to take the lead in a situation, ground ivy may be an excellent inclusion in blends or rituals designed to help you assert yourself.

Other entries in this series:

Azalea

Bee Balm

Black-Eyed Susan

Blazing Star

Bleeding Hearts

Forsythia

Garlic Mustard

Purple Dead Nettle

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Sagittarius (i have four placements)

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Scorpio (I have four placements)

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