Ivy for Lungs, Coughs, Burns, and Scars with Luke Ó hErodáin

What if a plant we spend so much time pulling off our trees and walls is actually a forgotten medicinal ally?

Common ivy (Hedera helix) has a complicated reputation. It’s abundant, beautiful, and deeply woven into the European landscape, yet many people think of it as an invasive to eradicate rather than something to learn from. In this episode, herbalist Luke Ó hErodáin reveals the forgotten medicinal traditions surrounding common ivy and why he believes this plant deserves a second look. He shares how ivy became one of his most trusted lung herbs, the traditional preparations that caught his attention, and the fascinating history behind its use in European medicine.

Luke also shares the story behind the research project that has become one of his major passions: uncovering and translating the work of the French eclectic herbalists. These forgotten practitioners were exploring whole-plant medicine, sophisticated preparations, and local substitutes for exotic herbs at a time when the medical world was rapidly changing. Their work raises some fascinating questions about what we’ve lost—and what we might rediscover by looking backward.

Ready to explore ivy beyond the garden wall? Luke has shared not one, but four recipes for working with this remarkable plant! You can download your beautifully illustrated recipe card here.

By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

► What makes ivy such a powerful herbal ally for people with deep congestion in the lungs

► How Luke works with ivy for burns, scars, cellulite, and other skin concerns

► Important cautions to consider before using ivy internally

► Surprising ways French herbalists used phytochemistry to inform their herbal practice in the early 1900’s

► How the rise of modern industrial medicine changed the herbalism landscape practically overnight

► and so much more…

For those of you who don’t know him, Luke Ó hErodáin (Luke Heron), Dip Herb Med, is a medical herbalist based in Ireland and operating his clinic in Cork. He is the current lead of the Herbal Alliance and is actively engaging with professional herbalists in the UK and Ireland to navigate through this digital age through the Herbal Alliance.

Before becoming a herbalist, Luke spent a decade in the media and technology industry working in film production, digital marketing and tech deployment, a background that informs his critical perspective on AI and digital ethics. He is an independent researcher focusing on the French Eclectic Doctors, led by Dr. Henri Leclerc (who likely coined the term ‘phytotherapy’) and is actively preserving and translating their works. Luke is a foraging instructor dedicated to bridging traditional local and indigenous Irish plant wisdom with modern insights.

I hope this conversation leaves you looking a little differently at the plants you pass every day—and perhaps a little more curious about the herbal wisdom hiding in old books, forgotten traditions, and even the plants we’ve learned to overlook.

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Get full show notes, transcript, and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

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You can find Luke at CelticFoxHerbal.com.

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On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.

Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.

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Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of the bestselling book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She's a registered herbalist with the American Herbalists Guild and teaches many popular online courses. Read about how Rosalee went from having a terminal illness to being a bestselling author in her full story here.