A Valuable Option for the Treatment of Respiratory Diseases: Review on the Clinical Evidence of the Ivy Leaves Dry Extract EA 575®^[*]

Abstract

Preparations from ivy leaves (Hederae helicis folium, Hedera helix) dry extracts are well established in the treatment of different respiratory diseases. Until today, the efficacy and safety of ivy leaf preparations has been demonstrated in a variety of controlled clinical studies and non-interventional studies. These results were nearly exclusively obtained using the commercial ivy leaves dry extract EA 575®. This paper will provide information on the clinical data obtained with this special extract, showing the importance of those preparations as a valuable therapeutic option for the treatment of acute and chronic respiratory diseases. Overall, 18 publications covering clinical trials and non-interventional studies of, in total, 65 383 patients suffering from acute as well as chronic respiratory diseases were included.

Key words

Hedera helix - Araliaceae - ivy - clinical trial - non-interventional study - efficacy - safety

^* Dedicated to Professor Dr. Dr. h. c. mult. Adolf Nahrstedt on the occasion of his 75th birthday.

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