Medicinal Monday... Cat's Foot...a useful herb!

This herbaceous perennial plant was introduced to North America from Europe around 1672 and is commonly known as ground ivy.  It has many other names including cat's foot, gill over the ground, field balm, run away robin, and alehoof.  This herb is common in North America and found in just about every state including Connecticut.  Native Americans found several uses for this herb adding it to their culinary and medicinal practices.

About Cat's Foot
This herb is a perennial evergreen creeper belonging to the mint family, Lamiaceae.  It can be identified by its round fan-shaped leaves with round tooth edges that are attached to square stems that are covered in fine bristly hairs. This herb thrives in moist shaded areas, but can also tolerate the sun. The small bluish-violet flowers cluster in threes and usually bloom April - June.  The herb spreads by rhizomatous and forms dense mats that can be found in the woodlands and on lawns, and considered invasive by some. When the ivy is bruised, it emits a distinctive minty odor because it is a member of the mint family.

Medicinal Uses

The dried plant and crushed leaves were used to make medicine. Many Native American communities used an infusion of the leaves of this plant to treat colds. The medicinal use of ground ivy was especially favored by the Cherokee.  Another use of this herb was dermatological in nature.  The leaves of this plant were infused and the liquid was used to treat hives and rashes in babies, and to treat measles. 

The young leaves of this plant were eaten raw or cooked like spinach and added to stews.  Older leaves would be dried and used as an herbal tea.

Did you Know...

This herb was used by the Saxons and the English before the introduction of hops in brewing ale as a flavoring and preservative.

Gelechoma Hederacea has been used in traditional medicine of Europe for centuries from the treatment for sore eyes, kidney diseases and indigestion to treating coughs and congestion.

A great quantity of the leaves of this herb is toxic to horses and cattle.

Gelechoma Hederacea is Greek and can be roughly translated to Pennyroyal Ivy.

A study in 1986 found that Ground Ivy's ursolic and oleanolic acids inhibit the Epstein-Barr virus.