When I started getting into herbal and natural remedies, one of my first attempts at anything was using Jewelweed. My father is/was extremely allergic to poison ivy, so he grew massive amount of it in our back yard.
Jewelweed is an easy to cultivate skin's best friend. It has a few naturally occurring chemicals used in many topical skin ointments such as Preparation-H [Anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal]. In my experience, it will grow almost anywhere- including a small pot on your porch.
Uses:
Bug bites : Break a fresh stem and apply the juice to the bite. Works especially well for mosquitoes and helps ease bee or wasp stings. It will reduce the swelling and help stop the itching or pain.
Poison Ivy : Great to use before and after contact, rub jewelweed juice onto areas that have been touched before a rash appears.
Bruises, scrapes, and other irritating skin conditions: Either in natural form [fresh juice] or a balm/salve, jewelweed can help many different ailments. Good for fungal infections and burns as well.
Making a salve or balm:
"You can also make jewelweed ointment by simmering a small amount of jewelweed in light vegetable oil (any vegetable oil except olive oil, which burns) 10-15 minutes. Use only a small handful of jewelweed stems per quart of oil, or bubbles of jewelweed juice will form in the ointment and go moldy. Strain out the herb, add a handful of beeswax to thicken it, and heat until melted. Take out a spoonful and let it cool to test the thickness, and add more oil or beeswax as needed. Add the contents of one oil-soluble vitamin E capsule, a natural preservative, and let it cool. Refrigerated, it lasts for months."
To scent the balm, essential oils or scented beeswax can be added.
Lotions:
You can add jewelweed to a lotion by either creating your own lotion base and adding jewelweed to the infusion OR by adding an infusion to a premade lotion. Rather than boiling the jewelweed in oil, boil it in water. Use at least 1/2 cup crushed jewelweed per cup of water. After 10-15 minutes, strain the plant away and utilize as much of the infusion as necessary for your lotion. Unless witch hazel extract[or other chemical preservative] is added, lotions usually don't last more than a few weeks, but can be infinitely usually during that time.
As a note: Although the seeds of jewelweed plants are edible, the plant itself is not unless properly prepared! Jewelweed has a very high concentration of selenium in it and can be harmful if ingested raw. Because of the risks that can be involved, I do not suggest eating the jewelweed plant [stem, leaves, or root].
Balm Recipe: "Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places" Steve Brill. I used this book to create my first balm.
