Impatiens capensis Jewel weed

This plant was recently IDd in the PI forum. It was found by a friend and after reading about it, it sounds as though it is the "snake oil" magic of the plant world.

Various posts indicate it can be used to treat poison ivy, bug bites ~ even act as a fungicide for fungus type skin disorders like athletes foot and ringworm.

My question is ~ do any of you have any experience with using this plant for any of these conditions? Do you grow it and what special care does it require?

TIA ~ pod

This message was edited Oct 12, 2007 9:27 PM

It grows wild around here in very moist shady areas.
Yes I have used it for poison ivy but it has been a long time ago.
As a kid my Mom would have us crush a hand full and rub it on our legs or places if we walked thru an ivy patch. I t is very wet (moisture filled). Of course we also took a hot bath and used casteel soap when we got back to the house soo... ??

hmmm... I wonder. I do think many older things were used for medicinal and preventive purposes. I am just having trouble validating this use.

It's native here, tends to grow near poison ivy in the woods. Always heard it was a native american treatment for poison ivy. But as I'm really sensitive to the ivy I always washed too. I had it at my old house and somehow it traveled with me when I moved. Found it in a new bed with some of the plants I'd brought with me. Am hoping it will return next year. I'd like to get it started in the woods here. It also grows up north by my parents cabin in zone 4. Have never known it to need any special care. It reseeds everywhere. While my woods were wet in the spring they were very dry in the summer and it still grew abundantly. Soil at my old house was clay and alkaline while the soil up north is sandy and acidic. So it doesn't seem to be very fussy.

I'd love to trade some (?) herb seed for fresh jewel weed seed, or pods. None of the seed I've ordered from this plant has ever sprouted, and I've tried to grow it many, many times. Maybe it has to be fresh seed, to sprout?
Anyone want to trade seed of (?), please let me know....or I'll cheerfully pay postage on it.

I don't know that jewelweed necessarily neutralizes the urishiol in poison ivy or prevents a rash, but I find it is soothing to poison ivy or itchy bug bites in much the same way that aloe is.

For anyone who comes across plants to collect seeds... the seed pods "explode" open when you touch them, so it's a bit startling. :-)

Yes, I've heard about the pods, from a friend on another site, the exploding pods were one of her childhood joys...:)
I believe she mentioned popping them; so I don't know if you can squeeze them til they pop, or how it's done..

One poster in the Plant Files suggested to put a ziplock bag over it to catch the seeds. OTOH, they say if the seeds don't pop, they aren't ripened.

Anyone know if these bloom all summer?

This was a good link I was refered to on the Tx gardening forum. http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=IMCA

I've used jewelweed for years to take the itch out of poison ivy, eczema, etc. I find it doesn't work so well on something like a bug bite itch. For that, I use plantain and chickweed. We make Soothe That Itch from jewelweed and I remember a lady coming to me who was on prednisone for the itch and rash from coming into contact with poison ivy. Nothing was giving her relief. She sprayed on our stuff and had instant relief. It lasts for a couple hours before it needs to be sprayed again. Here, in NY state, jewelweed likes a moist, edge of the woods placement. It blooms all the way to frost. It is in the impatiens family.

Another folk name for jewelweed is "Touch Me Not" referring to the fact that the seed capsules do "explode" when they are ripe. For a kid, touch me not was an invitation to go ahead and touch!

Herbalbetty ~ should I snag some of these seeds (and I have a suitable location to plant) do you have any planting recommendations?

Pod, as long as you have a nice, moist (but not soggy) location, just sprinkle the seed on the prepared ground. I don't cover. I find the orange variety the best for taking the itch out. Good luck!!

www.horizonherbs.com had the seed& maybe still do.

Here is one of my old threads about Jewel Weed "Touch me Nots" and you might read through here to fine a source for free or trade seeds.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/576429/

A nice DGer from the thread sent me loads of seed and I planted it around our shady areas and had lots of the pretty woodland flower one year. Wonderful for filling in the bare spots along the woods. I don't seem to have any this year, though, because of our drought--I don't think it successfully reseeded.

I wanted to plant it because the Hummingbirds here in the Ohio River Valley love it for nectaring its late autumn bloom.

Tabasco ~ thanks for the link. I will peruse it. I heard the seeds need to remain moist to germinate. How did they ship you seeds and keep them moist?

Cyra, I will remember that link should the seeds not pan out here. Thank you.

Herbalbetty ~ thanks for the planting info. We have a pond with woods nearby. This will be a good location I think. Pinkroot ~ Spigelea grows wild there already. Also Eupatorium ~ blue mist and lizards tail. It should fit right in...

They weren't moist--just in plastic packets like usual--but I had a zillion plants. (Some say they are invasive in their area...)

I just direct sowed them along the border of the property in the fall...

Worked out quite well for me as I am usually a failure at seedsowing (except wintersowing).

Well good ~ glad to know they didn't need to be kept moist till planted. I do hope they invade! I'd love that... Wonder if these will wintersow. Did you try?

Didn't need to 'wintersow' them, I just sprinkled the seeds out on the (unprepared) soil...

I imagine they will winter sow quite well though. If I recall correctly they need a bit of cold treatment to germinate....

As they grow in this area, I suppose our winter chill will be enough. And right now, nature will be sowing them here.

Planted my jewelweed seed from Horizon Herbs, today, I topseeded a whiskey barrel with it, it's pkg. stated to fall -sow it. Will grow the first batch for seed, rather than for salves, if it makes it, here.
Also planted some roselle, as a houseplant, and a jiu-ju-lan vine, to twine up around my kitchen window, and for tea.
Thanks for the link, Tabasco!