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Jewelweed Poison Ivy Remedy: Nature’s Antidote

August 27, 2016 By: Anna12 Comments

 

jewelweed poison ivy remedy

Ever walk in the forest and spot this beautiful plant with a tiny orange flower?  It may be Jewelweed,  which is actually poison ivy’s antidote.  It often grows near poison ivy which is quite ironic.  But Jewelweed isn’t just for preventing a poison ivy, poison sumac, and poison oak rash.  It is also for bee stings, rashes from stinging nettle, and mosquito bites. So learn below how you can make your own Jewelweed poison ivy remedy to stop the itch.

I have always thought this plant was beautiful since I happen to love orange flowers.  So a bird blessed me with a few plants in the raspberry plants last year.

jewelweed poison ivy remedy

Although it is an annual, it re-seeds itself easily.  I went from 4 plants to about 100 this year.  (See the picture above of a section of my raspberry patch.)  I shouldn’t have allowed so many since I think it hurt the growth of my raspberries.

Lesson learned for next year.

There are two varieties of jewelweed:  a pale yellow variety which is spotted in the woodlands along stream banks and other wet areas (impatients pallida)  and the orange spotted one which can be seen in shady or sunny areas along damp areas (impatients capensis.)

I have the orange variety in the raspberry patch.

Forager’s Delight

As mentioned above, Jewelweed is a member of the impatient family and is an annual.  It is called balsam, snapweed, touch-me-not, or quick-in-the-hand.  Its flowers can be orange or yellow with spots.

Not only is it beneficial for healing poison ivy, when young, it is a foragers delight.  According to Mother Earth News, the tender stems can be collected when they are four to six inches high in June.  Boil for 10 to 15 minutes in two changes of slightly salted water.  (I know.  That sounds odd–two changes of water but that was the recipe.)

Drain and then serve with butter plus a dash of salt and pepper or vinegar.

Mother Earth News author, William Beatty, mentions that he has eaten the young Jewelweed sprouts which are under 2 inches raw.  I don’t think I am that adventurous.

Even the pods are edible if you can find them in September.  Beatty states they are reminiscent of English walnuts.

Antidote for Poison Ivy

If you brush up against poison ivy, grab some Jewelweed and open up its stem.  Rub the gooey contents of the stem where the poison ivy contacted the skin. It feels like water.  The plant doesn’t gush with liquid.

Generally Jewelweed is beneficial until mid-summer.  Afterwards it no longer has much sap left.

I am allergic to wild raspberries. They aren’t actually raspberries but are wineberries.

Their stems give me a rash similar to poison ivy.  One of the plants was in the raspberry patch.  I struggled to remove it and the stems kept touching my wrist.

An hour later, I saw the rash starting and quickly rubbed jewelweed on it and it disappeared!

I also had poison ivy or something similar.  Although I put calamine over the rash, I still itched.

I grabbed some jewelweed and rubbed it against the rash, and it magically stopped itching.  I had to reapply each day for a couple of days but eventually, the rash scabbed over.

As I mentioned in my poison ivy remedy article, jewelweed soap doesn’t work for me once I develop a rash.

Jewelweed Poison Ivy Remedy Recipes

Jewelweed can only be used fresh to make the following recipes.  It loses it effectiveness once it dries.

#1 Making a liquid to store in the freezer

jewelweed poison ivy remedy

Cut the stems, leaves, and flowers of the plant.  Add to 2 parts water to one part jewelweed.  Boil it down half of its original volume.  Store the mixture in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.  (Some websites mention 5 days.)

Alternatively, you can make ice cubes with the liquid and store in the freezer.  Use when needed.

#2 Make a salve:

Here are 2 recipes on how to make a salve.

  • Shafer Springs Farm’s recipe
  • How to make Jewelweed Salve.

#3 Add it to Apple Cider vinegar:

jewelweed remedies

I made this recipe.

  • Grab one or more jewelweed stems in flower.
  • Grind them up in a high speed blender like a Blendtec.  Alternatively, use your food processor.  You want to macerate the stems, leaves, and flowers.
  • Add one cup of mashed jewelweed to two cups of apple cider vinegar.
  • Let it sit for no more than 4 weeks and strain the jewelweed.

Use when needed.  It will only last about a year.

Alternatively, you can use witch hazel in lieu of apple cider vinegar.

Join the Conversation:

Do you use a Jewelweed poison ivy remedy?

Similar Posts:

  • Poison Ivy Remedies From a Veteran Poison Ivy Getter
  • Herb Stem Vinegar: Don’t throw out the Stems!
  • Poison Ivy Spreading Due to Climate Change, Says NPR
  • Growing Your Own Raspberries and Blueberries
  • Orange Peel Vinegar Cleaner. Make Your Own Green Cleaner

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About Anna

Anna Hackman is the editor of Green Talk, and owner of The Naked Botanical and a avid (okay obsessed) gardener. She also loves video and podcasting and hosts Green Talk TV and Green Talk Radio. Her most important role is being a mother of four boys.

Chat with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest , and Google+.

Comments

  1. 1

    linda spiker says

    August 30, 2016 at 9:29 am

    So useful and versatile. Good to know!

    Reply
    • 2

      Anna@Green Talk says

      August 30, 2016 at 3:13 pm

      Linda, thanks!

      Reply
  2. 3

    Megan Stevens says

    August 30, 2016 at 10:33 am

    What a fun post to read!! I love orange flowers, too and we live where there is a lot of poison oak. This is great to know about it. And I’d love to eat it, too! Thanks, Anna!

    Reply
    • 4

      Anna@Green Talk says

      August 30, 2016 at 3:12 pm

      I bet you would make an amazing recipe with it Megan. Anna

      Reply
  3. 5

    Dena Norton says

    August 30, 2016 at 11:08 am

    I had never heard of Jewelweed before – what a great post. Pinning…and hoping I never need it! lol

    Reply
    • 6

      Anna@Green Talk says

      August 30, 2016 at 3:12 pm

      Dena, it is good for bug bites too. Anna

      Reply
  4. 7

    Marge says

    August 30, 2016 at 3:52 pm

    Hi Anna! My husband and I were in New Hampshire last week looking at property, and the real estate agent pointed out jewelweed and told us how wonderful it is. I couldn’t remember exactly what she said, so I’m thrilled to see this post of yours. So now I can pin it and won’t have to rely on my memory for how to use it. It’s a beautiful plant, too. I love the orange flowers!

    Reply
    • 8

      Anna@Green Talk says

      September 2, 2016 at 11:39 pm

      Marge, they reseed themselves all over the place!

      Reply
  5. 9

    The Food Hunter says

    August 30, 2016 at 5:36 pm

    always good to know

    Reply
  6. 10

    Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says

    August 30, 2016 at 6:19 pm

    Wow, that is so cool! I have never heard of this before. Great home remedy!

    Reply
    • 11

      Anna@Green Talk says

      September 2, 2016 at 11:40 pm

      Home remedies are the best, Emily!

      Reply
  7. 12

    Elaina Newton says

    September 6, 2016 at 1:01 pm

    How interesting! What are the chances that a poison ivy antidote would grow so close to the original plant? Think about how many people have been walking past a plant that could help them without knowing.

    Reply

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