Omnia SanaCommon names in 14 European languages →
The complete database record: 2 documented constituents, 3 pharmacological actions, 6 traditional / indicated uses, with 15 cited sources.
Botanical Description
Woody, evergreen climbing or trailing vine that attaches to surfaces by small aerial rootlets. Juvenile leaves are glossy, dark green with three to five lobes; mature, flowering growth on well-lit stems produces unlobed, oval leaves. Small, greenish-yellow flowers in rounded umbels appear in autumn on mature growth, followed by black berries.[12]
Habitat & Distribution
Grows as a climbing or ground-covering evergreen on trees, walls, buildings and woodland floors, tolerant of shade; native to Europe and Western Asia and widely naturalised elsewhere.
Harvesting
Juvenile (lobed) leaves are picked for medicinal use, typically in spring to summer, then dried and processed into standardised extract; the fresh raw leaf is not used directly due to irritant saponins.
Key Constituents
The secretolytic and antispasmodic active constituents; extracts are standardised to them.
Pharmacological Actions
Antispasmodic / bronchodilatory - eases coughing fits and breathlessness
Antispasmodic / bronchodilatory - eases coughing fits and breathlessness
Traditional & Indicated Uses
Expectorant / secretolytic for productive cough and acute bronchitis (loosens and helps clear mucus)
Expectorant / secretolytic for productive cough and acute bronchitis (loosens and helps clear mucus)
inferred from antispasmodic action
inferred from expectorant action
Traditional Use & History
Ivy leaf has a long European folk history as an expectorant remedy for coughs and chest complaints, and modern standardised leaf extracts are among the best-studied herbal treatments for acute bronchitis and productive cough, shown in clinical trials to reduce cough severity and ease breathing.[12]
Preparations
Leaf extract standardised to saponin (hederacoside C) content, formulated as a cough syrup or drops; the well-studied clinical form for acute bronchitis and productive cough.
Dosage
Commercial standardised ivy-leaf syrups are typically dosed per product labelling (varying by age); clinical trials show benefit within about 48 hours of starting treatment. Educational reference only, not a prescription.
Safety, Cautions & Contraindications
Generally well tolerated; occasional gastrointestinal upset or, rarely, allergic reaction. Use only standardised extract products - the fresh raw plant contains irritant saponins and falcarinol that can cause contact dermatitis.
A cough lasting more than a week, or with fever, breathlessness or purulent sputum, needs medical assessment. Safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding is not established.
Harvest Readiness
[14]
External Identifiers
References & Sources
- Sierocinski, E., Holzinger, F. and Chenot, J.F (2021) 'Ivy leaf (Hedera helix) for acute upper respiratory tract infections: an updated systematic review', European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 77(8), pp. 1113-1122. doi:10.1007/s00228-021-03090-4 Meta-analysis / review
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-021-03090-4 - Baharara, H., Moghadam, A.T., Sahebkar, A., Emami, S.A. et al (2021) 'The Effects of Ivy (Hedera helix) on Respiratory Problems and Cough in Humans: A Review', Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 1328, pp. 361-376. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-73234-9_23 Traditional / reference
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73234-9_23 - Song, K.J., Shin, Y.J., Lee, K.R., Lee, E.J. et al (2015) 'Expectorant and antitussive effect of Hedera helix and Rhizoma coptidis extracts mixture', Yonsei Medical Journal, 56(3), pp. 819-824. doi:10.3349/ymj.2015.56.3.819 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2015.56.3.819 - Yu, M., Liu, J., Li, L., Xu, H., Xing, Y., Zhao, Y. and Yu, Z (2016) 'Pharmacokinetic parameters of three active ingredients hederacoside C, hederacoside D, and alpha-hederin in Hedera helix in rats', Journal of Separation Science, 39(17), pp. 3292-3301. doi:10.1002/jssc.201600523 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1002/jssc.201600523 - Sieben, A., Prenner, L., Sorkalla, T., Wolf, A., Jakobs, D., Runkel, F. and Haberlein, H (2009) 'Alpha-hederin, but not hederacoside C and hederagenin from Hedera helix, affects the binding behavior, dynamics, and regulation of beta-2-adrenergic receptors', Biochemistry, 48(15), pp. 3477-3482. doi:10.1021/bi802036b Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1021/bi802036b - Alkattan, A., Alameer, R., Alsalameen, E., Almaary, M., Alkhairat, M., Alkhalifah, A., Alghanim, F. and Radwan, N (2021) 'Safety of English ivy (Hedera helix) leaf extract during pregnancy: retrospective cohort study', DARU Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 29(2), pp. 493-499. doi:10.1007/s40199-021-00415-7 Clinical study
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40199-021-00415-7 - Trute, A., Gross, J., Mutschler, E. and Nahrstedt, A (1997) 'In vitro antispasmodic compounds of the dry extract obtained from Hedera helix', Planta Medica, 63(2), pp. 125-129. doi:10.1055/s-2006-957627 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2006-957627 - Gavrila, A.I., Tatia, R., Seciu-Grama, A., Tarcomnicu, I., Negrea, C., Calinescu, I., Zalaru, C., Moldovan, L., Raiciu, A.D. and Popa, I (2022) 'Ultrasound assisted extraction of saponins from Hedera helix L. and an in vitro biocompatibility evaluation of the extracts', Pharmaceuticals, 15(10), pp. 1197. doi:10.3390/ph15101197 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.3390/ph15101197 - Suleyman, H., Mshvildadze, V., Gepdiremen, A. and Elias, R (2003) 'Acute and chronic antiinflammatory profile of the ivy plant, Hedera helix, in rats', Phytomedicine, 10(5), pp. 370-374. doi:10.1078/0944-7113-00260 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1078/0944-7113-00260 - Mendel, M., Chlopecka, M., Dziekan, N. and Wiechetek, M (2011) 'The effect of the whole extract of common ivy (Hedera helix) leaves and selected active substances on the motoric activity of rat isolated stomach strips', Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 134(3), pp. 796-802. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2011.01.036 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2011.01.036 - Rosca-Casian, O., Mircea, C., Vlase, L., Gheldiu, A., Teuca, D.T. and Parvu, M (2017) 'Chemical composition and antifungal activity of Hedera helix leaf ethanolic extract', Acta Biologica Hungarica, 68(2), pp. 196-207. doi:10.1556/018.68.2017.2.7 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1556/018.68.2017.2.7 - Kruttschnitt, E., Wegener, T., Zahner, C. and Henzen-Bucking, S (2020) 'Assessment of the Efficacy and Safety of Ivy Leaf Cough Syrup Compared with Acetylcysteine in Adults and Children with Acute Bronchitis', Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. doi:10.1155/2020/1910656 Clinical study
https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/1910656 - Schonknecht, K., Fal, A.M., Mastalerz-Migas, A., Joachimiak, M. and Doniec, Z (2017) 'Efficacy of dry extract of ivy leaves in the treatment of productive cough', Wiadomosci Lekarskie. Randomized trial
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Efficacy%20of%20dry%20extract%20of%20ivy%20leaves%20in%20the%20treatment%20of%20productive%20cough - Plants For A Future 'Hedera helix (Common Ivy, English Ivy)'. Available at: https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Hedera+helix Traditional / reference
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Hedera+helix - Schaefer, A., Kehr, M.S., Giannetti, B.M., Bulitta, M. and Staiger, C (2016) 'A randomized, controlled, double-blind, multi-center trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a liquid containing ivy leaves dry extract (EA 575) vs. placebo in the treatment of adults with acute cough', Die Pharmazie, 71(9), pp. 504--509. doi:10.1691/ph.2016.6712 Randomized trial
https://doi.org/10.1691/ph.2016.6712
Selected studies & references
All 14 studies in the Knowledge Finder →
This profile is assembled automatically from the Omnia Sana plant database, which we curate by hand. How this site is built.