How to Use Jewelweed: A Simple, Natural Remedy and Preventative

Throughout most of the eastern woodlands, those who spend time camping and hiking will undoubtedly come in contact with poison ivy. We learn from an early age to avoid it, to know how to identify it, and even the adage, "Leaves of three, let it be." Yet with all of the information about avoiding poison ivy, there is one bit of information that usually seems to be left out of the woodland experience education.

I'm talking here about Jewelweed: Nature's remedy for poison ivy. It can even be applied as a preventative. Some sources say that wherever you find poison ivy, you will also find jewelweed nearby, but that is not necessarily the case. Before the concrete jungle, it was more probable. Poison ivy grows quite well in urban and suburban areas as well as the woods. Jewelweed prefers the shady, moist wooded areas.

Jewelweed is in the same family as impatiens and touch-me-nots. The stems, flowers, and leaves of these plants are similar. Jewelweed, however, contains chemicals that are very useful in treating poison ivy and poison oak. It can also be used on bee stings and insect bites, stinging nettles, okra spines, and it provides relief for other skin rashes, too. It is a popular folk remedy for many kinds of dermatitis. The yellow/orange flowers are quite distinctive, and the plant is easy to recognize. See pictures above.

There are several ways you can use jewelweed. If you are camping or hiking, and you know that you've been in contact with poison ivy, you can simply break off a branch of jewelweed and crush the stem and leaves in your hands. The stems are very fibrous and filled with a great deal of liquid. Rub the liquid on your skin wherever the poison ivy contact was made. It will neutralize the Urushiol oil, which is the toxic oil from poison ivy. The sooner you do this, the better. Urushiol binds with the proteins in your skin in only a few minutes, and once that happens, it will not wash off.

You can keep a supply of jewelweed ready to use by making a tea from the chopped stems and leaves. Boil them gently until the liquid is orange. Strain the liquid, and freeze it in ice cube trays. These ice cubes are potent for about a year. Just rub the ice cube on the affected area as needed. Besides the medicinal properties of the tea, the cold ice feels really good on inflamed skin. I've also heard of preserving the liquid in a pressure canner.

If you're adventurous in the home remedy department, you might want to try making a jewelweed ointment. To make this, simmer on very low heat, 2 cups of chopped jewelweed with about 1/3 cup of almond oil. Allow it to simmer very gently for several minutes. Strain the liquid to remove as much of the plant matter as possible; cheesecloth lining a very fine strainer is good. Plant matter that remains in the liquid increases the chance of mold forming. Add about 1 1/2 teaspoons of grated beeswax to the warm strained oil, and stir until it is melted. You can use tocopherol as a preservative. An easy way to do this is to poke a vitamin E gel cap with a large pin and squeeze the liquid in with the oil mixture. Mix this together well. Pour it into a sterile jar and screw on the lid. It will solidify somewhat as it cools. Keep this salve in the refrigerator and it remains potent for several months. The active ingredient in jewelweed is two methoxy-1, four napthoquinine, which has been in formulations of Preparation H. (Preparation H differs from country to country and there are different formulations available.)

Jewelweed does not dry well. The oil and moisture content in the plant is too high. You can keep it in a sealed container or plastic bag for up to a week in the refrigerator. You can also squeeze out the plant juices and use them in soap-making . A glycerin base makes an excellent medicinal soap with jewelweed added.