Jewelweed is a plant and is also called spotted touch me not . The steam, leaves, flowers, and fruits are used to make medicine. Poultices, and salves from Jewelweed can be used as a remedy for bruises, burns, cuts, eczema, insect bites, sores, sprains, warts, and ringworm.
Description:
Jewelweed grows to 3.5 ft tall annual with oval, toothed leaves. Flowers are shaped like pendants, yellow to orange with red spots. Jewelweed flowers from June to September. The Fruits grow in long green pods, and pop when touched, dispersing the seeds
Location:
Grows in moist, shady soils along streams, all across the United States.
Uses:
Tea (decoction), Infused oil, fresh plant poultice, contact dermatitis, rash, eczema, psoriasis.
Crushing the leaves to make a poultice is a remedy for poison ivy. Drinking a tea from the leaves is a remedy used to prevent poison ivy. You can also freeze the tea and apply it to rashes.
Jewelweed can be used for treating poison ivy, poison sumac and poison oak rash. Jewelweed was used for other skin eruptions associated with bee stings, nettle stings, hives, herpes, blisters, hemorrhoids, acne, and burns. Jewelweed has also been used in the form of infusions (strong tea) internally for headache, stomachache, kidney problems and externally for bruises, muscle sprains and soreness.
Medicinal Properties
Plant Properties: Diuretic, demulcent, emollient, anti-inflammatory, antipruritic (stops itching), antihistamine, anti-fungal
Energetics: Cooling, astringent, moistening, bitter
Parts Used:
The entire plant. The roots are very shallow making this an extremely easy plant to harvest. The stems and the knobby joints are the areas of the plant that are most fluid-filled.
How it works
Jewelweed contains a chemical called lawsone in its leaves proven to have antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties that is said to help improve itching and rash after you touch poison ivy.
Harvesting
When to Harvest: I have gathered jewel weed in the early spring when the first two tiny leaflets appear. They are potent enough to use for medicine even at this stage. The ideal time to harvest jewel weed for medicine making is when it is flowering, but if you need some right away, even the smallest plants will do.
