Ivy leaf is a popular ornamental climbing plant native to Europe. As an evergreen it is still green in the depths of winter and, as such, is the mainstay of British Christmas decorations for church along with holly, both celebrated in the traditional British folk Christmas carol “The Holly and the Ivy”.
The traditional European indications for ivy leaf were primarily for the respiratory tract and to this day it is used against diseases of the lower respiratory tract associated with productive cough including the common cold, asthma and acute and chronic bronchitis. In modern times it is administered to improve lung function and symptoms of coughing and expectoration, especially with accompanying obstructive pulmonary complaints and microbial infections. Clinical data supports these indications, especially for children.
Ivy leaf’s affinity for the respiratory tract begs the question: “Can it be used for COVID-19?” Current recommendations for the self-management of COVID-19 are similar to how symptoms would be treated for seasonal flu. These include self-isolation, rest, hydration and the use of the painkiller paracetamol or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, in the case of high fever only. Most of the current guidelines do not specifically advise on how to treat cough, one of the main symptoms which, apart from being very debilitating, contributes to the spread of the virus. It is expected that many patients will add other symptomatic/adjuvant treatments such as herbal medicines. A recent study aimed to provide a benefits/risks assessment of selected herbal medicines traditionally indicated for “respiratory diseases” within the current frame of the COVID-19 pandemic as an adjuvant treatment. The researchers concluded that ivy leaf has “safety margins superior to those of reference drugs [paracetamol, ibuprofen and codeine] and enough levels of evidence to merit [its] potential clinical use as [an adjuvant] in the treatment of early/mild cases of COVID-19.”
References
Mandade R J, Choudhuri A, Mashirkar V, Sakarkar D. Analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of Hedera helix leaf extract. Pharmacie Globale (IJCP) 2010, 4 (07).
Lutsenko Y, Bylka W, BylkaIrena W, Matławska M, Darmohray R. Hedera helix as a medicinal plant. Herba Polonica. January 2010;56(1).
Herbal Medicine: Expanded Commission E Monographs. American Botanical Council. 2000. Published by Integrative Medicine Communications. Available from the American Botanical Council. http://cms.herbalgram.org/expandedE/Ivyleaf.html
Schmidt M, Thomsen M, Schmidt U. Suitability of ivy extract for the treatment of paediatric cough. Phytother Res. 2012 Dec;26(12):1942-7. doi: 10.1002/ptr.4671. Epub 2012 Apr 25.
Silveira D, Prieto-Garcia JM, Boylan F, Estrada O, Fonseca-Bazzo YM, Jamal CM, Magalhães PO, Pereira EO, Tomczyk M, Heinrich M. COVID-19: Is There Evidence for the Use of Herbal Medicines as Adjuvant Symptomatic Therapy? Front Pharmacol. 2020 Sep 23;11:581840. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2020.581840. PMID: 33071794; PMCID: PMC7542597.
Treating COVID-19 symptoms at home. Healthdirect Australia. (updated July 2022;accessed 12 Aug 2022). Available from https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/covid-19/treating-symptoms-at-home
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