It is commonly known as ground-ivy, gill-over-the-ground,[2] creeping charlie, alehoof, tunhoof, catsfoot, field balm, and run-away-robin.

[10] It forms dense mats that can take over areas of lawn and woodlands, thus is considered an invasive or aggressive weed in suitable climates where it is not native.

[2] A non-native invasive in North America, Glechoma is familiar to a large number of people as a weed, a property it shares with many others of the mint family.

It can be a problem in heavy, rich soils with good fertility, high moisture, and low boron content.

Because the plant is stoloniferous and continues to spread from its roots or bits of stem which reroot, even small infestations resist repeated hand weeding.

In addition to adverse long-term effects on soil or groundwater,[11][12] recent research discounts the very efficacy of borax treatment, primarily because finding the correct concentration for a given area is difficult and the potential for damaging desired plants is high.

[13] Although it has been used by humans as a salad green and in herbal medicines for thousands of years, the species is also believed to be toxic to livestock, particularly horses.

[3] Like other members of the Lamiaceae, G. hederacea contains bioactive volatile oils, including terpenoids and pulegone; these are responsible for the characteristic "minty" odor and taste of plants in the mint family.

Their activity in humans varies depending on many factors, including concentration, quantity of intake, and whether administration is internal or external.

Lamiacaeae plants with very high volatile oil concentrations, such as European pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium), have traditional uses as disinfectants, flea-killers, and abortifacients, and are hepatotoxic to humans.

[14] Other members of the Lamiacaeae, such as Mentha spicata, spearmint, are widely and safely used in teas and flavorings for their volatile oils.

A variegated variety is commercially available; in many areas, this is the dominant form, which has escaped cultivation and become established as an aggressive, adventitious groundcover.

[18][19] G. hederacea has been used in the traditional medicine of Europe going back thousands of years; Galen recommends the plant to treat inflammation of the eyes.

John Gerard, an English herbalist, recommended it to treat tinnitus, and as a "diuretic, astringent, tonic, and gentle stimulant.