Jewelweed’s medicinal uses are well-known by many traditional cultures. You, too, can take advantage of this healing plant with this poison ivy soap recipe. And luckily, jewelweed identification is easy, so try foraging for it yourself!
Jewelweed has helped me out for a long time. I can remember one particular visit from friends during which jewelweed’s medicinal uses came to their rescue. Upon arrival, one of their sons was obviously itchy and uncomfortable. He’d apparently handled poison ivy while hiking earlier in the day, and redness and blisters were on his arms, hands, and face.
Fortunately, a large stand of fresh jewelweed grew at the edge of my property line alongside a stream, and shaded by mature pines. (Happily, jewelweed identification isn’t difficult.) We easily pulled up several of the plentiful, shallow-rooted plants; stripped the leaves; and chopped the watery, fibrous stems into small pieces. While I stuffed my blender with fresh jewelweed and distilled water, the patient washed with the previous year’s jewelweed soap to gently remove as much of the poison ivy’s urushiol irritant compound from his skin as possible.
After blending the chopped jewelweed with water, I strained the mixture, soaked cotton gauze in the juice, and wrapped the gauze around the boy’s hands and arms. We left the gauze in place for half an hour — agonizing for a small child to endure so long without the use of his hands. But he tolerated it, and the results were amazing. By the next morning, all signs of redness and irritation were gone, along with the itching. The blisters were flattened and healing. No further application was necessary. Once again, jewelweed saved the day.
Jewelweed Identification
Impatiens capensis, commonly known as jewelweed, spotted jewelweed, or spotted touch-me-not, often grows in damp woodland borders and along riverbanks, streams, and other shaded bodies of fresh water. These same locations are preferred by poison ivy, making the presence of jewelweed even more welcome when needed.
If you plunge the slightly waxy leaves under water, the clinging beads of water sparkle like jewels in the sunlight, hence the common name. This annual plant is a self-seeder and usually grows 2 to 5 feet high. It has tender, watery stems and alternating, oval-shaped leaves with toothy margins. One characteristic that makes jewelweed identification so simple is that the elongated, capsule-like fruit bursts open at the slightest touch, earning the plant the nickname spotted touch-me-not. The plant blooms from June through September in most climates, sporting orange flowers with a bell-shaped corolla and a long spur. Jewelweed can be an aggressive grower and is known as one of the few plants that can compete with invasive garlic mustard for space. It grows plentifully enough that there’s seldom a concern with pulling up a plant or two for personal use.
Jewelweed’s medicinal uses by some Native American tribes included as a treatment for rashes and hives caused by other plants, such as poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, and stinging nettles. Jewelweed was also used in advance of handling those plants to prevent irritation and protect the skin. The sap has shown promise against fungal infections and has been used to treat athlete’s foot.
Some studies have associated freshness with the effectiveness of jewelweed’s medicinal uses; that is, with the fresh plant sap. The saponins in jewelweed sap may play a significant part in its success. Soap is also effective at reducing poison ivy irritation, so it stands to reason that a soap containing fresh jewelweed sap would be extra-effective at warding off plant-related rashes. To that end, I’ve included a recipe for jewelweed soap. I make this soap every early summer, using last year’s batch as needed in spring while I wait for the young plants to grow. I prefer this all-vegetable-oil cold-process recipe, because it uses more and fresher plant material than is possible with a melt-and-pour soap base.
The first step in making jewelweed soap is to harvest fresh plants. Identifying mature jewelweed is easy — just look for plants with slightly waxy leaves and the unique orange flowers. Search along running water, a favorite location for this plant. You can easily pull up the entire plant from the soil, or simply cut the stem at ground level. All parts of jewelweed can be used for making slurry, but the leaves contain more of the natural saponins than the stem. Be sure to cut the stem into small pieces, as it’s quite fibrous and can harm the motor of your blender.
Jewelweed Slurry Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 cups jewelweed leaves, fresh or frozen
- 1 to 2 cups distilled water, as needed
Instructions
- Make the most of jewelweed’s medicinal uses by preparing and freezing this slurry. If you’re using jewelweed stems as well as leaves, separate them from the leaves and chop the stems into 1-inch pieces.
- In a blender, or in a bowl with a stick blender, mix the leaves with 1 cup water and purée. If the mixture is too thick to blend, add more water ¼ cup at a time. Strain through a mesh strainer to remove excess plant material. Store the slurry in a refrigerator for up to 24 hours, or freeze it in ice-cube trays for emergencies.
Cold-Process Soap Specifics
If you’ve never made cold-process soap before, read the following safety procedures carefully.
Only use 100% sodium hydroxide, commonly known as “lye” or “caustic soda.” Lye is extremely caustic and can cause severe burns. Make sure lye doesn’t come into contact with your skin, and avoid breathing the fumes. Your soap-making environment should be free of distractions. Always mix together the lye and water in a well-ventilated area away from other humans and pets. Wear goggles, gloves, and an apron over old clothing. If lye comes into contact with your clothes, remove them quickly. If it comes into contact with your skin, rinse with running water for at least 15 minutes, and seek medical attention if your burns are serious.
You’ll need some basic tools and equipment for cold-process soap-making. Use a nonreactive bowl for mixing the lye and water — either thick, flexible plastic or stainless-steel (never any other metal, and not glass). You’ll need another large mixing bowl for combining the oil and lye-water mixture, and a nonreactive mixing spoon or stainless-steel whisk. Use an accurate digital scale to get the precise measurements needed for homemade soap. Lastly, an immersion blender (also called a “stick blender”) is great for mixing the soap batter and getting the chemical reaction (“saponification”) going.
Basic Jewelweed Poison Ivy Soap Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 ounces distilled water
- 9 ounces lye (100% sodium hydroxide)
- 16 ounces coconut oil
- 16 ounces olive oil
- 6 ounces jewelweed slurry
Instructions
- Assemble supplies and ingredients. Read through the following instructions before you begin making soap.
Gather all materials and ingredients before you begin. In addition to cold-process soap equipment, you’ll need a soap mold with a capacity of 2 to 3 pounds. Set out the supplies on a clean, cleared countertop; this will help prevent your forgetting any steps or ingredients. A large puppy training pad will help protect the work surface from spills. Make sure you won’t be interrupted by family, friends, children, pets, or the phone for about half an hour. Don personal safety equipment — chemical splash goggles and gloves — and consider wearing long sleeves to protect your arms, plus an apron or old clothing. When you’ve assembled all equipment and ingredients and you’re properly outfitted in protective gear, you can activate the lye. - Mix the lye and water. Place a thick but flexible plastic container or stainless-steel bowl on a digital scale and turn it on. Hit the tare button to set the scale at zero. Never include the weight of the container when weighing ingredients for soap-making. Add 6 ounces of distilled water to the container.
Place a second thick plastic or stainless-steel container on the scale, and in it, weigh 4.9 ounces of sodium hydroxide. Slowly and gently pour the lye into the container with the water, and begin stirring immediately and constantly. Make sure to avoid the caustic fumes by standing at arm’s length from the container as you mix. An open window, fan, or stove exhaust will come in handy while mixing the lye solution. Continue stirring gently until the lye has completely dissolved and the mixture is clear.
Note: This recipe uses what’s known in soap-making as a “water discount,” meaning the original amount of water added to the recipe is reduced to account for the liquid in the jewelweed slurry that’ll be added later. Extra fluids will add to the cure time of soap. Ordinarily, a soap-making calculator would call for 12 ounces of water for the same amount of lye. - Add the base oils. Measure the coconut and olive oils individually before adding them to the large mixing bowl containing the lye solution.
First, weigh the coconut oil. Because this oil is solid at room temperature, you’ll need to melt it. This recipe uses what’s called the “heat transfer method” by transferring the correct amount of solid coconut oil to the hot lye water. Do this gently, with a spoon, and avoid splashing. The coconut oil should be completely dissolved within a few minutes of intermittent stirring. The heat transfer method has the added benefit of cooling the lye water to a workable temperature without the need to wait.
Next, measure and add the olive oil. This will help cool down the mixture even more. - Emulsify with an immersion blender. Place the stick blender vertically in the center of the container. Tap the head of the blender on the bottom of the bowl a few times to release any air bubbles.
With the head of the blender planted firmly on the bottom of the bowl, pulse in quick 2-second bursts until the mixture becomes lighter in color and reaches a medium trace, almost a pudding-like consistency. (“Trace” means a rope of batter streamed from the spoon or whisk into the pot will leave a trace on the surface of the batter before sinking in.) The combination of warmth and agitation from the blender will cause the fatty acid chains in the mixture to begin linking up, forming a thick batter that’ll eventually turn solid.
You’ll notice that the blender forms a suction with the bottom of the bowl while in use. Don’t fight this; keep the head fully submerged and on the bottom of the bowl while you’re mixing. - Add jewelweed slurry. Once the soap is well-mixed and has reached a medium trace thickness, add the 6 ounces of jewelweed slurry. Stir quickly but thoroughly to incorporate. This will loosen up the soap batter slightly and make pouring easier.
- Pour into mold. Pour the soap mixture evenly into the lined mold of your choice, then gently tap the mold on the countertop to release any air pockets.
That’s it — you’ve made jewelweed soap for medicinal uses! Allow the soap to cure in the mold for 24 to 48 hours before unmolding. Your soap is safe to use as soon as 1 week after making, but for best results, allow at least 3 to 4 weeks of curing time. Use a long, sharp, non-serrated knife to cut the soap into slices approximately 1 inch thick. Cured soap should have a consistency between cheese and wax. The lather and mildness will continue to improve the longer you wait to use the soap.
Melanie Teegarden has operated Althaea Soaps & Herbals since 2006. She sells bath and body products and teaches soap-making classes in her home community of Johnson City, Tennessee.
Originally published as “Jewelweed: A Gem of a Plant” in the June/July 2023 issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS and regularly vetted for accuracy.
