Anyone who knows me well will know that I am severely allergic to poison ivy. One of my earliest memories is of me wearing only my underpants and covered in calamine lotion twirling around in front of a large box fan with my arms straight out trying to dry the pink goop that’s been applied all over my body. Another time, a neighbor was burning some yard refuse, and I got those itchy, oozy blisters in my mouth and around my eyes. Not fun times ☹️.
When I moved to Tennessee, I learned that poison ivy looks a little different than what I was used to. Here, it’s more of a vine than a ground cover, and I’ve gotten into it more than a few times. And I am sick of it!
A few years ago, while doing some herbal research, I came across a listing for jewelweed as a remedy for poison ivy, oak, sumac, and other forms of dermatitis. It’s a beautiful little plant with gorgeous orange flowers that make it pretty easy to identify. I wanted to grow some myself, but I couldn’t find seeds in any of the seed catalogs. Even though the common lore is that jewelweed grows near poison ivy, I couldn’t find it anywhere on our property that abounds with poison ivy.
Loren and I were recently out on a Sunday drive when I spied some pretty flowers on the side of the road near a creek, and I asked him to pull over. Google Lens identified the plant as jewelweed. I was so excited! The next weekend, we went back, and this time I was armed with my scissors and a big bag!
I chopped it up and put it in the good old salad spinner to wash off any debris or bugs.
Once it was cleaned, I put it into the Vitamix and added enough distilled water to almost cover it.
Looks like one of my daily green smoothies! 😂
Next, I strained the jewelweed “smoothie” into a mason jar.
I filled up a 1/2 gallon mason jar and was left with this pulp. I couldn’t figure out anything to do with the pulp, so it got composted.
I froze the fresh juice in ice cube trays to be used later in soap and cream.
I will definitely remember where I found this jewelweed treasure! Although I’m not wishing a poison ivy reaction on anyone, I am looking forward to testing its efficacy as a remedy for the burning itch.