rss
31
By Judy Sheldon on June 6th, 2010

Some of The Many Health Benefits of Creeping Charlie

I was amazed when I opened one of my herbal books to find this pesky ground covering shown there. After spending two weeks researching the many health benefits of Creeping Charlie all I have to say is this plant is amazing!

Make an infusion.

Her directions for a standard infusion are 1 ounce dried herb to 2 ½ cups of water. Pour boiling water over herb allowing it to steep. A mild infusion would use half the amount of herb; a strong infusion double.

Charlie has lots to offer.

He/she, (Charlie) is not just a pretty face. He/she contains healing properties, volatile oils, antibacterial properties, emollients (to soften skin), is an anti-inflammatory and analgesic, vitamins… Use Charlie as an ingredient in your salads, teas or juices. AllNature.com lists these as some of the benefits you can find in Creeping Charlie:

  1. Aids in relieving congestion and inflammation of mucous membranes associated with colds, flu, and sinusitis.

  2. It is Anti-allergenic

  3. Antibacterial

  4. Anti-flu,

  5. Antihistamine

  6. Anti-inflammatory

  7. Antioxidant

  8. Antiseptic

  9. Antispasmodic

  10. Antiviral

  11. Cancer-Preventive

  12. Expectorant

  13. Stimulates the immune system

  14. Sedative.

Read more in Alternative
« Urine Therapy (Cure Illnesses and Acne!)
Schoolkids Given Medical Pot »

The flowers are purple and shaped like trumpets, the leaves similar to inverted hearts with scalloped edges. The leaf is soft and downy. Charlie is sitting closely to violets, but has chased many of them from my yard.

One single vine can grow to be 24 inches long, and the leaves can become tinged in purple when growing in a sunny area. It spreads very quickly and does not mind shady areas. I’ve even found it growing in my sidewalk and steps. 

If you have lime on your shopping list still, don’t go to this store yet, check this out first:

“Ground-Ivy is being studied for use in preventing Leukemia, Bronchitis, Hepatitis, many kinds of cancer, and HIV. The fresh juice or a medicinal tea is used to treat digestive disorders, gastritis, acid indigestion, and diarrhea. It is also beneficial for liver and kidney function, said to relieve gravel and stones. Although results are not conclusive it is being used as an antidote for lead poisoning. Added to bath as an emollient to soften skin and has a sedative effect.” – AllNature.com – article by Deb Jackson & Karen Bergeron

At feelgoodnow.com we find Creeping Charlie is used for the following:

  • tinnitus

  • catarrh

  • diarrhea

  • bile disorders

  • hemorrhoids

  • tonic

Let Charlie ease your back pain.

Mamaherb.com reports good results with tea made from Charlie’s leaves. This site recommends boiling 5 to 10 leaves in a cup of water, straining and drinking twice daily. The leaves contain properties known to work as a powerful anti-inflammatory and analgesic in relieving the severe pain which can be caused by muscle spasms and neurological pain. It can be flavored with honey, cinnamon or peppermint if desired.

Another way to use it would be to fill a sock with leaves, tie to your bath faucet and run your bath water through the sock. Soak in very warm water for about 30 minutes.

Creeping Charlie supplies vitamin C and iron.

Not only does it supply multiple health benefits but it is nutritious. Some of the other beneficial constituents found within this plant are – AllNature.com:

  • 1,8-cineole

  • alpha-pinene

  • apigenin

  • beta-sitosterol

  • borneol

  • caffeic-acid

  • ferulic-acid

  • hyperoside

  • iodine

  • luteolin

  • menthol

  • oleanolic-acid

  • rosmarinic-acid

  • rutin

  • ursolic-acid

This is one little herb that packs a wallop and it’s free!

I am not buying any more lime but buying planters instead. Charlie is welcome in my lawn.

There were few warnings.

In all the research I did, I saw very few warnings. I would caution those who are pregnant or under a doctor’s care to always discuss any herbal remedy for interactions with medications already on.

22
Liked it
Alternative , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
RSSComments: 31  |  Post a Comment  |  Trackback URL

  1. CHAN LEE PENG | Jun 6, 2010 | Reply

    Sis, you’ve come out with another useful article. God bless you and liked it.

  2. Christine Ramsay | Jun 6, 2010 | Reply

    Wow! That’s an amazing plant, though I haven’t seen it over here.
    It sounds as if it will do the work of all the other herbs put together. A great article.

    Chistine

  3. Judy Sheldon | Jun 6, 2010 | Reply

    Chan, you were the first to see it published! You are so supportive. Thanks for your comment and God bless!

    Christine, it always makes me wonder how many weeds are really not weeds at all? Thanks so much for your visit.

    Take care & God bless.

  4. quiet voice | Jun 6, 2010 | Reply

    …Hi Judy, Hope you are doing well. We can’t call this plant a weed, what an amazing amount of good things it does. Look at the money that could be saved by using Charlie. Excellent article. Thank you.

  5. Judy Sheldon | Jun 6, 2010 | Reply

    Quiet Voice, you’ve got that right. We can save tons of money on health remedies, as this is free.

    I hope you are doing well also. Take care & God bless!

  6. Goodselfme | Jun 6, 2010 | Reply

    Great ways to locate, grow, use and benefit from this weed.thank you for sharing your wisdom to compose this for my education.

  7. giftarist | Jun 6, 2010 | Reply

    I’ve never known this until you post it. This is quite an amazing plant.

  8. Guy Hogan | Jun 6, 2010 | Reply

    I didn’t know anything about this plant. Well, today I learned something new. Unfortunately, I live in an apartment.

  9. VTech | Jun 6, 2010 | Reply

    Good Post.

  10. Judy Sheldon | Jun 6, 2010 | Reply

    Roberta, thanks always for your support!

    Giftarist I had the plant in my yards for several years before I knew what it was.

    Guy, if it can grow in the cracks of my steps and sidewalk it should do very nicely for you in a window planter.

    Thanks so much for your visits. Take care & God bless.

  11. Tulan | Jun 6, 2010 | Reply

    I think all wild plants have a use if we only knew what it was. it’s good to learn about one more.

  12. Deanna Lynn Sletten | Jun 6, 2010 | Reply

    Hi Judy,

    This is so interesting. I see that all over our yard too! Didn’t know it was so healthy for you. Thanks for the fascinating article. :)

  13. Fornis | Jun 7, 2010 | Reply

    Good detailed work on a plant. Are you a medicinal plant researcher?
    I do a tweet for this.

  14. Angelgirlpj | Jun 7, 2010 | Reply

    I have this stuff grown in my yard & flower beds. You can’t kill it by pulling it up as I’ve tried. But I didn’t know it had good properties either. thanks.

  15. CA Johnson | Jun 7, 2010 | Reply

    This is really great. I knew this would be amazing when you mentioned that you were going to write this article. Thank you for letting us know all of the health benefits to this herb.

  16. Moses Ingram | Jun 7, 2010 | Reply

    Interesting, I had never heard of this. Thanks.

  17. Judy Sheldon | Jun 7, 2010 | Reply

    VTech, your comment most have posted while mine was. Sorry. I do appreciate your support.

    Tulan, I agree with you. I believe it would be to our own best interest to study the health benefits of wild plants.

    Deanna, I hope you haven’t uprooted them all yet. :-)

    Fornis, I have a passion for herbal remedies and love researching them. Thanks so much for your support.

    Pam, stop pulling and start nipping. You can benefit from these. :-)

    CA, I found the information on Creeping Charlie to be fascinating. I have a cup full inside my home now and I am dying to try it out.

    Moses, I have over 30 natural health care books and only about five mentioned it, and then I found more information online once I typed in the Latin name. I believe God blessed us with natural herbs for our benefit.

  18. valli | Jun 7, 2010 | Reply

    Interesting information.

  19. Jenny Heart | Jun 8, 2010 | Reply

    Learned a lot in this great article Judy.

  20. sara20 | Jun 9, 2010 | Reply

    Excellent manner and very well-written sentence is doing, with useful information includes a good things you have in your article.

    Thanks and cheers.
    Sara

  21. Judy Sheldon | Jun 10, 2010 | Reply

    Valli, Jenny, and Sara, thanks for the support.

    Take care & God bless!

  22. Melody SJAL | Jun 13, 2010 | Reply

    Such a little wonder indeed, thanks for sharing this well-researched and nicely presented article, Judy.

  23. Judy Sheldon | Jun 13, 2010 | Reply

    Melody,

    Thanks so much for your comment and support.

    Take care & God bless.

  24. Anuradha Ramkumar | Jun 19, 2010 | Reply

    Very informative article. I think this doesn’t grow in our country. Let me check out.

  25. drelayaraja | Jun 21, 2010 | Reply

    Great information :) Nice share

  26. drishti8 | Jun 24, 2010 | Reply

    Interesting information. Thanks for sharing this stuff.

  27. BC Doan | Jun 29, 2010 | Reply

    Judy, my comment didn’t go through, so I’m trying again!

    You always fascinate me with herbal article. This is a great and informative one. Sorry to get here so late.

  28. Judy Sheldon | Jul 1, 2010 | Reply

    Icy, I tried to thank the commenters the other day and my comment would not post either. Fingers crossed and here goes – thanks all for your support. Take care & God bless!

  29. Judy Sheldon | Feb 7, 2011 | Reply

    Joyful Squirrel, I’ve been told that also – that our own area produces the wild herbs that would most benefit us.

  30. The Mind Relaxer | Feb 13, 2011 | Reply

    Haven’t seen one before, looks really a good alternative because it comes with so much benefits.. hope to have one on my backyard too.

  31. Judy Sheldon | Feb 13, 2011 | Reply

    The Mind Relaxer, I feel guilty for all the Creeping Charlie I pulled up before I knew. lol

RSSPost a Comment
« Previous Post
Next Post »
More in Alternative (5 of 5 articles)
Acupuncture Can Improve Blood Circulation