Jewelweed is not a food but is a great plant with which to become familiar for it’s medicinal properties. When applied on skin irritants such as poison ivy, bug bites, and bee stings, jewelweed will greatly reduce the itch and increase the rate of healing. The stems of this plant are hollow inside and store water. To use the plant one simply has to split open the stem and apply it directly to the affected area of skin. The irony of this plant is that one of it’s favorite companions is poison ivy; the remedy right next to the irritant. Jewelweed shows up in early spring and sticks around until early fall. It has bright orange flowers in the summer. The leaves shimmer as though they are jewels when submerged in water.
Thank you to Joanna CastroShaffer for gathering and sharing this information with us!