Almost forgotten, Ivy gets just a single mention in the chorus of the Christmas song, “The Holly and the Ivy”. Holly steals the show in the verses.

Like holly (Leaf 97, https://lnkd.in/dZm76rjM), ivy is a ever green plant used to decorate winter festivities since pre-Christian times. Without any botanical basis, black-berried ivy is sometimes considered “female”, partner to the “male”, red-berried holly. Ivy is considered to represent faithfulness, renewal and everlasting life.

Ivy (Hedera helix, Araliaceae family) is native to Europe and western Asia. It climbs on trees and walls, sometimes climbingtens of metres served by vascular tissue adapted to conduct water rapidly to the apex (Gant haler et al, 2019). There are two growth phases, first “juvenile”, later “adult”. Adult leaves are more frost-resistant, darker green, and the ones seen in Christmas decorations.

Ivy extracts are used in cough expectorants, recognised by the European Medicines Agency. Main active ingredients appear to be sapononins (see Leaf 16, https://lnkd.in/dZm76rjM).Used topically, ivy extract was demonstrated to ease osteoarthritis pain (Dehghanet al, 2020), and hasten wound healing in animals (de Moraes Palma et al, 2021).

Wishes for a joyous Christmas to all who are celebrating, and a happy, healthy, peacefull 2024 for all.

Further reading

❧ Byfield A. “Ivy: the forgotten festive plant”. The Guardian 31 Dec 2013. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2013/dec/31/ivy-christmas

❧ Ganthaler A et al (2019). “Are hydraulicpatterns of lianas different from trees? New insights from Hedera helix”. JExp Bot. 70(10):2811-2822. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erz071

❧ Andergassen S, Bauer H (2002) “Frost hardinessin the juvenile and adult life phase of ivy (Hedera helix L.)”. PlantEcology 161, 207–213 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020365422879

❧ EMA Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products(2017) “Assessment report on Hedera helix L., folium”. European MedicinesAgency EMA/HMPC/325715/2017.  https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/herbal-report/final-assessment-report-hedera-helix-l-folium-revision-2_en.pdf

❧ Sierocinski E et al (2021)  Ivy leaf (Hedera helix) for acute upperrespiratory tract infections: an updated systematic review. Eur J ClinPharmacol 77, 1113–1122. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-021-03090-4

❧ Dehghan M et al (2020). Comparison of theeffect of topical Hedera helix L. extract gel to diclofenac gel in thetreatment of knee osteoarthritis. Journal of Herbal Medicine, 22,100350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hermed.2020.100350

❧ de Moraes Palma FA et al (2021). Study ofwound healing in rat skin treated with extract of Hedera helix, L. BrazilianJournal of Development, 7(12), 115126-115139. https://ojs.brazilianjournals.com.br/ojs/index.php/BRJD/article/view/41041  

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