JEWELWEED

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Jewelweed, or Touch-me-not, grows abundantly throughout Missouri as well as much of the United States. In some areas, where it is not native, like Washington state it is considered an invasive for its tendency to spread quickly and choke out other native plants.

It favors habitats where the soil is damp, such as along creeks, or streams, bottomland soils, bog edges and ditches. It tolerates part sun to full shade.

We have jewelweed all over our farm and I see it in many other locations around Northwest Missouri. It is difficult to mistake for any other plant with its branching, weak stems, succulent foliage and a small, cornucopia shaped flower that blooms brilliant orange with brownish-red spotting. Occasionally nearby you will see a relative called the yellow jewelweed, while related they are not known to hybridize. Jewelweed is considered an annual, however, they readily self-seed and do so in a unique way called ballistochory or explosive dehiscence. The seed pods are packed with seeds, and as they swell little valves within the seed pod coil back rapidly and eject the seeds! This is where the name “touch-me-not” comes from. When the seed pod reaches maturity, if you gently touch it, you can trigger the valves, and the seeds will eject.

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They begin blooming in late spring and through early fall and are pollinated by hummingbirds which are able to reach the curved nectar spurs located within the bloom. You will also see bumblebees and honeybees working their way into the bloom to access the nectar. This plant also self-pollinates through a process called cleistogamy, where tiny, inconspicuous flowers at the base of the plant remain closed and fertilize themselves before they open. Being able to self-pollinate as well as rely on traditional forms of pollination like insects, birds or bats benefits the productivity of the plant. When one source of pollination isn’t available or greatly reduced (i.e. fewer insects or hummingbirds), they can take the task upon themselves and spread their seeds.

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All parts of the plant are considered mildly toxic to humans, cats, and dogs, but wildlife such as quail, pheasants and other ground birds use them as food in the fall and winter. Should we decide to dabble with eating Jewelweed, we should do so in moderation. If we consume too much, we can expect some pretty severe gastric upset. Seeds are reported to taste somewhat nutty, and the leaves can be boiled (twice with clean water changes in between, then drained) as a potherb. All parts of the plant contain oxalic acid. These calcium oxalate crystals can lead to kidney stones, in fact of all reported cases of kidney stones as much as 76% are discovered to contain significant amounts of calcium oxalate crystals. What many may not realize is that many of the plants we eat regularly, such as rhubarb, cinnamon, kiwi fruit, tea leaves, taro, turmeric and others all contain oxalic acids and can also lead to kidney stones. In general, if we eat these oxalic rich foods in moderation, we should be fine, but like many things we love, overdoing it can lead to problems.

It is reported that Native Americans regularly used the juices within the stems and leaves of Jewelweed to create poultices to treat rashes such as poison ivy. This might explain why jewelweed often grows near poison ivy. Nature provides us with the cure right next to the culprit. There is evidence found in peer reviewed studies that there is validity in the effectiveness of jewelweed against poison ivy, provided you apply it after short term exposure. Keep this in mind the next time you are in the timber and brush against or accidentally touch poison ivy, reach for the jewelweed and apply the juices contained within, hopefully you will have no lasting consequences in the form of an unbearable itch. Native Americans also considered this plant useful in relieving the sting from stinging nettles and the itch from chiggers. I will be trying this the next time I fall into a patch of nettles or chiggers find my ankles.

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Nature often provides the very thing we need to counteract many ill effects of plant foliage either through ingestion or by touch. We just need to learn which ones are effective for what ails us.