Jewel Weed Poultice

Have you ever been out in the woods and gotten yourself into a patch of poison ivy ? Or perhaps stumbled into a nest of yellow jackets ? That sucks, doesn’t it ? In the case of poison ivy, the rash can drive you nuts, scratching the weepy lesions on your skin. And bee stings ? They burn and itch badly. This poultice soothes mosquito bites and bug bites as well.

Jewel weed is a type of plant called impatiens. It contains some natural anti inflammatory compounds in the juice of the stem.

Jewelweed is usually found in shady areas with damp soil, or along drainage ditches. At the height of summer it’s easy to find, because of the pail green stems and bright orange flowers that “pop” and throws seeds when you touch them.

I often wander around the woods and I notice things that are growing out there. Fortunately for me I found a large bushy area covered in jewelweed growing behind my house here in Maine.

Last summer my neighbor was clearing out some brush around his rear property line and ended up getting into a yellow jackets nest, and subsequently got a number of stings. He was hurting. So I picked a bit of jewelweed, and put it in my blender.

I made a poultice of the raw stems and put it in an old crockery mug.

He was stung on the back, lower arm, and on his foot. I applied the jewelweed poultice with clean Q-tips directly on the stings. The swelling went down pretty fast and he said the pain went away quickly.

Jewelweed works great for taking the bite out of poison ivy and other rashes as well. Stinging nettle, mosquito bites….. anything that causes swelling and itching on your skin. Next time you’re out in the woods, give it a try. A poultice stores pretty well a freezer bag for later use. Just pour it in an old ice tray and place the frozen cubes in your freezer for later use. Keep in mind that some people are allergic to the impatiens plant and its properties. Use this at your own risk and check a small area on your body first to make sure you’re not allergic.