Jewel Weed Salve

This is the first of September and the Jewel Weed is in full bloom. I just love this plant. I love the beautiful flowers, I love the healing value of this plant and I love playing with the seed pods. When you touch fully ripe ones they burst open and send the seeds flying. Great fun.

Summer often brings poison ivy rashes while haying and it will soon be fall here and that means it’s time to cut back the brush, rake up leaves and another round of poison ivy. Sad but true, no matter how hard we try someone always catches it.

Fresh Jewel Weed leaves and stems picked fresh from the plant are the best choice when using this to cure poison ivy. But when it’s not in season what do you do? Well around here I make salve, soap, and freeze the stems and leaves in ice cube trays.

Freezing fresh leaves and stems is easy. Simply pick the leaves, flowers and stems, cut them into small pieces and place into a container with a pouring spout on it, a glass measuring cup works great for this. Place the cut plant in the measuring cup and add enough distilled water (tap water will work too.) to just cover the plant material. Let this sit overnight on the counter, the next day pour it, plant material and all into ice cube trays and freeze. When frozen place the cubes into a storage container in the freezer until you need it. When you do need it, simply rub the frozen cube on the rash and it should help a great deal.

Salve has been popular around here too. My sister has used I bet 6 containers of it herself this summer. She always catches it from the hay, or from the dogs who run through the stuff then love up to her…. Not much she can do about it, around here house she has removed all the plants but the fields and woods around her house are full of it. She doesn’t want to keep the dogs tied so it’s a given she will catch it before the season is out.

She also uses this salve before going out into the yard to work as a barrier on her skin, works well for her and she swears by it. When she is done into the shower to use the Jewel Weed soap to help break down the poison ivy oils.

Ingredients: Jewel Weed, Yarrow, infused Olive Oil, beeswax, Lavender Oil and vitamin E

Salve 1 oz. tins....$ 6.oo

Soap 2 oz. bars.....$4.00

Dried Jewel Weed 1/2 oz. ....$3.00

plus shipping