Home Ingredients Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea)

Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea)

Glechoma hederacea L.
Evidence Level
Preliminary
3 Clinical Trials
5 Documented Benefits
1/5 Evidence Score

Ground ivy, also called creeping Charlie or gill over the ground, is a low, creeping perennial of the mint family (Lamiaceae). Despite its name it is not a true ivy. Its dried leaves and stems have long been used in European folk medicine for digestive, liver and bile, chest and skin complaints, sold in England as gill tea, and used by brewers as a bitter herb for beer. The herb is rich in rosmarinic acid and other phenolic compounds and holds a small amount of essential oil, which some sources say contains pulegone, a liver-toxic compound in high doses. No human trial of ground ivy taken by mouth has been published. All findings on bile, liver and inflammation markers come from lab and rodent studies, and horses have been poisoned when fed large amounts of it.

Studied Dose No human dose has been tested: no trial of ground ivy taken by mouth has been published. Traditional use is as a tea of the dried herb, but no official dose was found in the sources reviewed. Rodent studies used extract doses that do not translate to a cup of tea.
Active Compound Dried aerial parts (herb). Phenolic acids, mainly rosmarinic and chlorogenic acids, plus caffeic and ferulic acids; flavonoids such as rutin and apigenin, luteolin and quercetin glycosides; ursolic and oleanolic acids; and a small amount of essential oil (about 0.3 to 3 mL per kg dry herb) with terpenes such as germacrene D, myrcene and ocimene, and pulegone and menthone in some reports.

Benefits

Traditional European tea and bitter brewing herb

Ground ivy has been recorded in European folk medicine since antiquity for digestive, liver and bile, chest and skin complaints. The dried herb was sold in England as gill tea and some breweries still use it as a bitter herb in beer. This is a history of use; no trial in people has tested the tea for any of these uses.

Supported by Trial 1, Trial 3

Herb rich in rosmarinic acid and other phenolic compounds

In lab analyses rosmarinic acid was the main phenolic acid, with about 4.3 to 4.9 mg per g of dried herb extracted by a hot water infusion method, and chlorogenic acid was also abundant. The herb also contains rutin and apigenin, luteolin and quercetin glycosides. With that method, water extracts held about four times more rosmarinic acid than ethanol extracts.

Supported by Trial 1

Antioxidant and inflammatory-signal effects in lab tests

Lab work only. In mouse immune cells exposed to bacterial toxin, a hot water extract lowered nitric oxide and several inflammatory signals (TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-1beta), and rosmarinic acid reduced markers of pro-inflammatory macrophages. In human blood cells, extracts reduced oxidative DNA damage. None of this has been measured in people.

Supported by Trial 3, Trial 1

Bile composition and liver measures in rodent studies

Animal work only. In mice fed a cholesterol-rich diet, a ground ivy extract product given three times daily for 3 weeks lowered bile cholesterol and crystal formation, while once daily did not significantly lower bile cholesterol. In rats with tied bile ducts, a daily hot water extract improved liver damage and scarring markers. These effects have not been tested in people.

Supported by Trial 2, Trial 3

Flavonoids in a Japanese ground ivy tea inhibit an enzyme in lab tests

Lab work only. Kakidoushi-cha, a folk tea in Japan made from an East Asian variety of ground ivy, inhibited xanthine oxidase, an enzyme that makes uric acid. The flavonoids apigenin and luteolin explained about 18% of the effect of a boiling-water extract. Whether drinking the tea changes uric acid in people is unknown.

Supported by Trial 1, Trial 3

Mechanism of action

1

Rosmarinic acid and related phenolic acids

Rosmarinic acid, a caffeic acid ester common in the mint family, is the most abundant phenolic in most analyses, alongside chlorogenic and caffeic acids. These compounds scavenge free radicals in test tubes and lowered inflammatory signaling in immune cell cultures. How much reaches the body from a cup of tea is not known.

2

Flavonoids such as apigenin and luteolin

Apigenin was the main compound of the most active antioxidant fraction in one analysis, and apigenin and luteolin accounted for part of the herb's xanthine oxidase inhibition in another. These flavonoid effects were seen at lab concentrations and have not been confirmed in people.

3

Essential oil terpenes, including pulegone in some reports

The herb yields little essential oil. A Latvian analysis found mainly germacrene D, myrcene, ocimene and eucalyptol, while literature summaries also list pulegone and menthone. In rodents pulegone is turned into menthofuran and other reactive products that harm the liver once glutathione runs out, which is why concentrated pulegone sources raise safety concerns.

Clinical trials

1
Lab Study: Ground Ivy Extracts, Phenolic Content and Human Cell Toxicity
PubMed

In vitro study comparing extraction methods (heat reflux, infusion with maceration, sonication, Soxhlet) and solvents (water, ethanol) for dried ground ivy herb, with HPLC measurement of phenolics and cell toxicity testing. (Grabowska et al. 2022, Plants (Basel))

Cultured human cancer cell lines (skin and gut origin), HepG2 liver-type cells and HaCaT skin cells; no people were treated.

Rosmarinic acid was the main phenolic acid, highest at 4.28 to 4.89 mg/g dry plant in water extracts made by infusion with maceration, versus 1.07 to 1.14 mg/g in ethanol extracts by the same method. Extracts at 10 to 100 µg/mL were not toxic to the normal-type liver and skin cells and showed only weak toxicity to the cancer lines (mostly under 10%), and showed antioxidant activity in DPPH and FRAP tests. Lab findings only.

2
Ground Ivy Extract Product and Bile Composition in Mice (animal study, not a human trial)
PubMed

Rodent study of Hitrechol, a German ground ivy alcohol extract product, on bile flow in normal rats and in mice fed a lithogenic (gallstone-inducing) diet for 3 weeks, dosed once (2.4 mL/kg) or three times daily; capsules supplied by the maker. (Xiao et al. 2021, BMC Complement Med Ther)

Sprague-Dawley rats (6 per group) and 27 male C57BL/6 mice in five groups of 4 to 6; no human participants.

The extract did not change bile flow in rats. In diet-fed mice, three-times-daily dosing reduced gallstone crystal size and amount, bile total cholesterol and bile acids, and liver cell necrosis and fat buildup, and raised liver antioxidant enzymes; once-daily dosing did not significantly lower cholesterol versus the diet group. Small groups. The authors cite unpublished maker study reports of this product in people with gallstones, which were not published in a journal and could not be checked.

3
Ground Ivy Hot Water Extract After Bile Duct Ligation in Rats (animal study, not a human trial)
PubMed

Rat study of daily oral (gavage) hot water extract of ground ivy versus saline after surgical ligation of the common bile duct, a model of cholestatic liver injury. (Wang et al. 2017, J Ethnopharmacol)

Sprague-Dawley rats; no human participants.

The extract improved blood liver markers, bile duct overgrowth, oxidative stress, inflammation and fibrosis compared with saline. It lowered TGF-beta1, connective tissue growth factor and collagen expression, reduced inflammatory cell buildup and NF-kappaB and AP-1 activation, and inhibited the HMGB1/TLR4 pathway. The abstract does not give the dose. Not tested in people.

Side effects and drug interactions

Common Potential side effects

No published trial has tested ground ivy taken by mouth, so side effects in people are unknown. Reviews note that toxicology data, adverse effect reports and contraindications are scarce.
Some sources list pulegone among the herb's essential oil compounds. Pulegone harms the liver and kidneys in rodents at high doses, and the EU herbal medicine committee sets an acceptable intake of pulegone plus menthofuran from herbal medicines of 37.5 mg a day for lifelong use by a 50 kg adult, with lower amounts for children by body weight. The pulegone content of ground ivy tea has not been measured in the sources reviewed; do not swallow concentrated essential oils.
Horses: ground ivy is suspected of causing fatal poisoning in horses, but the reported cases involved feeding only lucerne (alfalfa) contaminated with more than 30% ground ivy, or experimental feeding of ground ivy alone; no poisoning on pasture has been reported.
In test tubes, extracts at 10 to 100 µg/mL were not toxic to human liver-type and skin cells, while another study found extracts lowered human blood cell viability to as little as 65% after 24 hours. What this means for tea drinking is unknown.
Pregnancy, breastfeeding and children: no safety data were found, so it is best avoided in these groups.
People with a liver or gallbladder condition should not use ground ivy in place of medical care; the bile and liver findings come only from rodents.

Important Drug interactions

No interaction studies of ground ivy in people were found.
In human plasma in the test tube, ground ivy extracts did not change clotting times (PT, TT, APTT), but this has not been checked in people taking blood thinners.
Pulegone, reported in some analyses of the oil, is converted by the liver enzymes CYP2E1, CYP1A2 and CYP2C19 to menthofuran, which irreversibly blocks the enzyme CYP2A6 in lab studies. Whether tea amounts matter is unknown; ask a pharmacist before combining ground ivy with prescription medicines.

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Frequently asked questions about Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea)

Is ground ivy related to English ivy?

No. Despite the name, ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) is a creeping member of the mint family (Lamiaceae), also called creeping Charlie or gill over the ground. Research on ivy leaf cough products made from Hedera helix does not apply to it.

Why was ground ivy used in brewing beer?

Ground ivy is a bitter, aromatic herb, and some breweries still use it as a source of bitterness in beer. In England the dried herb was also drunk as gill tea from the 18th century. These are culinary and folk uses, not evidence of a health effect.

Does ground ivy contain pulegone?

Some literature summaries list pulegone and menthone among its essential oil compounds, but a recent analysis of Latvian plants found the oil was dominated by other terpenes such as germacrene D and myrcene, and the herb yields only about 0.3 to 3 mL of oil per kg. The EU herbal medicine committee treats pulegone as liver-toxic at high doses and limits its intake from herbal medicines. The amount in a cup of ground ivy tea has not been measured.

Is ground ivy poisonous to horses?

It is suspected of causing fatal poisoning in horses, but a veterinary review found that the reported cases involved horses fed only lucerne (alfalfa) heavily contaminated with ground ivy (more than 30%) or fed ground ivy alone in experiments. A review of pasture cases in Central Europe found no reports of poisoning from grazing. These are animal findings and do not show what happens in people.

Can ground ivy be used during pregnancy?

No safety data on ground ivy in pregnancy or breastfeeding were found, and no human trial of the herb has been published. Because some sources report pulegone in its oil, it is best avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

What is Ground Ivy?

Ground ivy, also called creeping Charlie or gill over the ground, is a low, creeping perennial of the mint family (Lamiaceae). Despite its name it is not a true ivy.

What is Ground Ivy used for?

NutraSmarts does not list Ground Ivy under a health category. What the research covers: Ground ivy has been recorded in European folk medicine since antiquity for digestive, liver and bile, chest and skin complaints. The dried herb was sold in England as gill tea and some breweries still use it as a bitter herb in beer.

What is the recommended dosage of Ground Ivy?

No human dose has been tested: no trial of ground ivy taken by mouth has been published. Traditional use is as a tea of the dried herb, but no official dose was found in the sources reviewed. Always follow the product label and check with a healthcare provider for personal advice.

Is Ground Ivy safe, and does it have side effects?

Side effects and cautions reported for Ground Ivy include: No published trial has tested ground ivy taken by mouth, so side effects in people are unknown. Reviews note that toxicology data, adverse effect reports and contraindications are scarce. Some sources list pulegone among the herb's essential oil compounds. It may also interact with some medications. Ground Ivy is not right for everyone, so check with a healthcare provider first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, or take prescription medication.

Does Ground Ivy interact with any medications?

Possible interactions include: No interaction studies of ground ivy in people were found. In human plasma in the test tube, ground ivy extracts did not change clotting times (PT, TT, APTT), but this has not been checked in people taking blood thinners. If you take prescription medication, check with a pharmacist or doctor before using it.

How strong is the scientific evidence for Ground Ivy?

NutraSmarts rates the evidence for Ground Ivy as Preliminary (1 out of 5). It is backed by 3 study summaries and 14 cited references summarized on this page. A higher rating reflects more, larger, and better-designed human studies.

References(14 citations)

Evidence ratings on NutraSmarts are based on the totality of human clinical research, with emphasis on randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews. The references below directly support claims made throughout this page.

  1. Bereteu-Costa AD, Pallag A, Potra Cicalău GI, Ganea M, Pașca MB, Morar MT, Ciavoi G. Glechoma hederacea (L.): Phytochemical Profile, Biological Activities and Emerging Perspectives in Oral Health-A Review. Plants (Basel). 2026;15(15):2396. doi: 10.3390/plants15152396.PubMedUsed to support: Review of ground ivy chemistry and lab research. States that, to the authors' knowledge, no clinical trials or human intervention studies of ground ivy have been published, that the evidence comes mainly from lab, animal and chemistry studies, that rosmarinic acid is one of the major constituents, and that toxicology data, adverse effects, contraindications and herb and drug interaction data remain scarce.
  2. Krasocka W, Olszewska MA, Magiera A. Glechoma hederacea: A Comprehensive Insight into the Botanical Specification, Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry, Nutritional Value, Pharmacology, and Non-medicinal Applications. Planta Med. 2026;92(12):1072-1135. doi: 10.1055/a-2866-3799.PubMedUsed to support: Review (abstract read): ground ivy has been recorded in European traditional medicine since antiquity, with traditional use for digestive, liver and bile, respiratory and skin complaints; phenolic acids, flavonoids, lignans, alkaloids and terpenoids have been identified; extract activities come from lab and animal work, and the authors call for animal and clinical studies of efficacy and bioavailability.
  3. Grabowska K, Amanowicz K, Paśko P, Podolak I, Galanty A. Optimization of the Extraction Procedure for the Phenolic-Rich Glechoma hederacea L. Herb and Evaluation of Its Cytotoxic and Antioxidant Potential. Plants (Basel). 2022;11(17):2217. doi: 10.3390/plants11172217.PubMedUsed to support: Lab study, not human evidence. Rosmarinic acid was the main phenolic acid in the dried herb, highest (4.28 to 4.89 mg/g dry plant) in water extracts made by infusion with maceration, with chlorogenic acid also predominant and rutin the main flavonoid. Water and ethanol extracts at 10 to 100 µg/mL were not toxic to normal human liver-type (HepG2) or skin (HaCaT) cells. The introduction notes gill tea has been sold in England since the 18th century and that some breweries use ground ivy as a bitter source in beer.
  4. Sile I, Krizhanovska V, Nakurte I, Mezaka I, Kalane L, Filipovs J, Vecvanags A, Pugovics O, Grinberga S, Dambrova M, Kronberga A. Wild-Grown and Cultivated Glechoma hederacea L.: Chemical Composition and Potential for Cultivation in Organic Farming Conditions. Plants (Basel). 2022;11(6):819. doi: 10.3390/plants11060819.PubMedUsed to support: Lab and cultivation study, not human evidence. In Latvian wild and cultivated plants, 70% ethanol extracts were dominated by chlorogenic and rosmarinic acids (rosmarinic acid the highest) plus flavonoid glycosides. Steam-distilled essential oil yield was 0.32 to 2.98 mL per kg dry weight, and its main compounds were beta-myrcene, beta-ocimene, germacrene D and B, eucalyptol and 1-octen-3-ol. Extracts and rosmarinic acid reduced pro-inflammatory (M1) markers in mouse bone-marrow macrophages.
  5. Pasca MB, Costa AD, Gitea D, Moisa C, Jurca T, Burlou-Nagy Fati C, Olah NK, Pallag A, Gitea MA. Comprehensive Pharmacobotanical and Phytochemical Profiling of Glechoma hederacea L. from Bihor County, North-West Romania. Life (Basel). 2025;15(9):1466. doi: 10.3390/life15091466.PubMedUsed to support: Botanical and chemical profiling study, not human evidence. Its literature summary lists essential oil components including camphene, pinocamphene, pinene, menthone, myrcene and pulegone, plus rosmarinic, ferulic and caffeic acids, flavonoids and ursolic acid; in the authors' own Romanian samples apigenin and caffeic acid were the most concentrated phenolics. One author works for a plant extract company.
  6. Sławińska N, Kluska M, Moniuszko-Szajwaj B, Stochmal A, Woźniak K, Olas B. New Aspect of Composition and Biological Properties of Glechoma hederacea L. Herb: Detailed Phytochemical Analysis and Evaluation of Antioxidant, Anticoagulant Activity and Toxicity in Selected Human Cells and Plasma In Vitro. Nutrients. 2023;15(7):1671. doi: 10.3390/nu15071671.PubMedUsed to support: Test-tube study with human blood cells and plasma, not a trial in people. The aerial parts contained rosmarinic, neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acids and flavonoids, mainly rutin and apigenin, quercetin and luteolin glycosides. Extract and fractions (1 to 50 µg/mL) did not change plasma clotting times (PT, TT, APTT), reduced oxidative DNA damage in blood cells, and lowered blood cell viability to as little as 65% after 24 hours.
  7. Xiao M, Yang M, Ji X, Li D, Xie Y, Lyu Y, Zuo Z. Protective effect of Glechoma hederacea extract against gallstone formation in rodent models. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2021;21(1):199. doi: 10.1186/s12906-021-03368-1.PubMedUsed to support: Rodent study, not human evidence. A ground ivy alcohol extract product (Hitrechol) did not change bile flow in normal rats; in mice on a cholesterol-rich diet, dosing three times daily for 3 weeks reduced gallstone crystals, bile cholesterol and bile acids and liver cell damage and raised liver antioxidant enzymes, while once-daily dosing did not lower cholesterol. The introduction cites unpublished maker study reports in people with gallstones, which are not journal publications. Capsules were supplied by the maker; funded through a service agreement with a Hong Kong pharmaceutical company.
  8. Wang YY, Lin SY, Chen WY, Liao SL, Wu CC, Pan PH, Chou ST, Chen CJ. Glechoma hederacea extracts attenuate cholestatic liver injury in a bile duct-ligated rat model. J Ethnopharmacol. 2017;204:58-66. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2017.04.011.PubMedUsed to support: Rat study, not human evidence. In rats with surgically tied bile ducts, daily oral hot water extract of ground ivy improved blood liver markers, oxidative stress, inflammation and scarring (fibrosis) markers compared with saline, with lower TGF-beta1, NF-kappaB and AP-1 signaling, possibly through the HMGB1/TLR4 pathway.
  9. Chou ST, Lin TH, Peng HY, Chao WW. Phytochemical profile of hot water extract of Glechoma hederacea and its antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. Life Sci. 2019;231:116519. doi: 10.1016/j.lfs.2019.05.075.PubMedUsed to support: Lab study, not human evidence. Rosmarinic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, rutin, genistin and ferulic acid were the most abundant compounds in a hot water extract. In LPS-stimulated mouse macrophage cells the extract reduced DNA damage, nitric oxide and malondialdehyde, raised glutathione, and lowered iNOS, COX-2, TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-1beta expression.
  10. Masuda A, Takahashi C, Inai M, Miura Y, Masuda T. Chemical evidence for potent xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity of Glechoma hederacea var. grandis leaves (kakidoushi-cha). J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2013;59(6):570-5. doi: 10.3177/jnsv.59.570.PubMedUsed to support: Lab study, not human evidence, of kakidoushi-cha, dried leaves of the East Asian variety Glechoma hederacea var. grandis used as a folk tea in Japan. The flavonoids apigenin and luteolin strongly inhibited the enzyme xanthine oxidase and explained about 35% of the activity of a methanol extract and about 18% of a boiling-water extract.
  11. Ha JH, Kang WH, Lee JO, Cho YK, Park SK, Lee SK, Cho HK. Clinical evaluation of the depigmenting effect of Glechoma Hederacea extract by topical treatment for 8 weeks on UV-induced pigmentation in Asian skin. Eur J Dermatol. 2011;21(2):218-22. doi: 10.1684/ejd.2010.1232.PubMedUsed to support: Topical study, not oral evidence: a placebo-controlled 8-week trial of a 1% ground ivy extract lotion applied to UV-induced pigmented spots in Asian women reported lighter spots and less skin inflammation. It does not show any effect of taking ground ivy by mouth and is not counted toward oral evidence.
  12. Aboling S. Do Poisonous Plants in Pastures Communicate Their Toxicity? Meta-Study and Evaluation of Poisoning Cases in Central Europe. Animals (Basel). 2023;13(24):3795. doi: 10.3390/ani13243795.PubMedUsed to support: Veterinary review of pasture poisoning case reports in cattle, sheep, goats and horses, not human evidence. It describes ground ivy as poisonous to horses under forced feeding, citing a 1956 report, but lists it under assumed zero poisoning on pasture because no pasture poisoning report exists.
  13. Vanselow R, Brendieck-Worm C. Ground-ivy (Glechoma hederacea) and the cause of toxicosis in horses: In search of evidence. Zeitschrift für Ganzheitliche Tiermedizin. 2012;26(3):88-93. doi: 10.1055/s-0032-1315014.SourceUsed to support: Veterinary article in German with an English summary, not PubMed-indexed (abstract and summary read; full text not read). Reviewing the literature behind the suspicion that ground ivy causes fatal poisoning in horses, the authors found the reported cases involved special conditions: horses fed only lucerne (alfalfa) contaminated with more than 30% ground ivy, or horses fed ground ivy alone in experiments.
  14. European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC). Public statement on the use of herbal medicinal products containing pulegone and menthofuran. Final. EMA/HMPC/138386/2005 Rev. 1. European Medicines Agency. 2016;EMA/HMPC/138386/2005 Rev. 1, adopted 12 July 2016..SourceUsed to support: Official EU statement, not PubMed-indexed. It concerns mint-family plants and oils such as peppermint and pennyroyal and does not mention ground ivy. In rodents pulegone and its metabolite menthofuran harm the liver and kidneys through reactive metabolites once glutathione is depleted; IARC classes pulegone as possibly carcinogenic to humans (2B). The HMPC set an acceptable oral intake for herbal medicines of 37.5 mg a day of pulegone plus menthofuran for lifelong use by a 50 kg adult, or 75 mg a day for treatment lasting less than one year, with lower amounts for children by body weight, and notes moderate to severe poisoning after about 10 ml of pennyroyal oil.