Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) is a snappy edible and medicinal herb, known for its exploding seedpods. It’s handy to have around if you like clumsily rooting through wild plants like me, and end up grazing yourself with stinging nettle or worse – poison ivy.
Jewelweed is so named because of the way the dew beads on it. Sometimes its called wild touch-me-not and snapweed, due to the ripe seedpods exploding when touched. Cow vetch is the only other local plant I can think of that also has exploding seedpods.
Edible Uses of Jewelweed
The young shoots are edible but should be double-boiled as with other bitter plants.
The seeds taste something like walnut or butternut.
Medicinal Uses of Jewelweed
Jewelweed is primarily said to support this body system:
- Integumentary
Medicinal tags include Antimicrobial, Diuretic, Emetic, and Laxative.
See Medicinal tag key for more information.
This is my black bear friend eating jewelweed after an apple binge. (Here’s a link to the video version!) His mother must have taught him about the laxative effect of the leaves. He’s not alone in the animal kingdom. Its other allies include the snowshoe hare, white-footed mouse, and ruffed grouse.
Common uses of jewelweed include the raw or boiled concentrated juice of the crushed stems and leaves being used to treat poison ivy and stinging nettle rashes.
The juice freezes well and is worth an ice tray full kept in the freezer if you’re active in the bush.
Containing one of the most active antifungal ingredients in the plant world (2-methoxy-1, 4-naphthoquinone) it’s also commonly used for fungal dermatitis.
Alternative Uses of “Snapweed”
The flowers make an orangey-yellow dye.
Growing Impatiens Capensis
Sow it indoors and plant in the summer. Or just snap all those seeds out in the autumn where you’d like it to grow.
Snapweed prefers moist, well-drained, and somewhat shady spots. Around here I find it mostly along damp partially shaded trails. I have a shady southern woodland edge that is brimming with jewelweed and it reseeds itself every year. (I suspect the seed arrived there via a ruffed grouse named Gerry). It’s nice to look out my window and see the hummingbirds feeding from them.
WARNINGS
Take heed that it often grows near its dreaded counterpart, poison ivy, and stinging nettle.
Some people have an allergy to jewelweed.
It’s high in oxalates, which can cause kidney stones. And that also makes for caution if you have rheumatism, arthritis, gout or hyperacidity.
And the Usual Cautions:
1) Most medicinal herbs, if edible, are meant to be eaten in moderation, even sparingly. Some require extra preparation. Tannins are toxic if consumed in excess. Before taking any new supplements, you should consult with a healthcare professional.
2) A vast amount of these herbs are diuretic. (See the Medicinal tags above to check if this featured herb is one of them!) Diuretics are generally safe, but they can be risky for people with other medical conditions or who take certain medications. Please consult your doctor if you have any health conditions.
3) People can be allergic or sensitive to nearly any plant; try new herbs one at a time at your own risk. For instance, saponins commonly cause stomach upset.
4) For serious medicinal use, I must recommend receiving a diagnosis and working with a reputed health care provider. I generally do not post specific treatments and dosages because I think that is best between you and your health care provider, and ideally monitored.
5) Anyone pregnant, nursing, or taking prescription drugs should talk to a health care professional before adding new food items to their diet.
6) Many plants have look-a-likes, and sometimes they are poisonous.
#ads in References
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Every book I reference that is available on Amazon is linked to with an associates link.
Disclaimer for Song of the Woods
If you require any more information or have any questions about our site’s disclaimer, please feel free to contact us by email at rachel@songofthewoods.com.
Disclaimers for Song of the Woods
All the information on this website – https://www.songofthewoods.com/ – is published in good faith and for general information purpose only. Song of the Woods does not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability, and accuracy of this information. Any action you take upon the information you find on this website (Song of the Woods), is strictly at your own risk. Song of the Woods will not be liable for any losses and/or damages in connection with the use of our website.
From our website, you can visit other websites by following hyperlinks to such external sites. While we strive to provide only quality links to useful and ethical websites, we have no control over the content and nature of these sites. These links to other websites do not imply a recommendation for all the content found on these sites. Site owners and content may change without notice and may occur before we have the opportunity to remove a link which may have gone ‘bad’.
Please be also aware that when you leave our website, other sites may have different privacy policies and terms which are beyond our control. Please be sure to check the Privacy Policies of these sites as well as their “Terms of Service” before engaging in any business or uploading any information.
Consent
By using our website, you hereby consent to our disclaimer and agree to its terms.
Update
Should we update, amend or make any changes to this document, those changes will be prominently posted here.
REFERENCES
My new favourite foraging book is Sam Thayer’s Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: of Eastern and Central North America (The Sam Thayer’s Field Guides) Paperback – June 1, 2023 and this plant IS featured as one of the edible wild plants in this area. I highly recommend this guide for your bookshelves!
Impatiens capensis Meerburgh – Database of Vascular Plants of Canada (VASCAN)
Stalking The Wild Asparagus (Field Guide Edition).
Stalking the Healthful Herbs (Field Guide Edition)
Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants (Out of Print)
Leave a Reply