What Is Jewelweed Good For?

Making jewelweed and plantain salve in the crockpot (or slow cooker) not only vastly speeds up the process of making an all natural homemade salve, but simplifies it, as well.

By making jewelweed and broad leaf plantain salve using this low and slow heat method, you will no longer have to stand next to a hot stove stirring the ingredients for hours. There will also be no need to wait while a Mason jar filled with a carrier oil and the plant material “cures” in a sunny windowsill.

The only actively time consuming task involved with making a crockpot full of jewelweed and plantain involves the actual foraging for the plants… which is part of the fun, anyway.

In fact, making salve in this manner also allows you to let even young members of the family join in on the project. While the crock pot will get warm, and adult supervision is still required, it will not get hot and pose the same dangers as stirring a pot on the stove.

Teaching your children or grandchildren about the healing powers of plants or so-called weeds like plantain, and how to harness them can be used not just as a powerful life lesson but as part of a self-reliance homeschool curriculum.

Jewelweed has traditionally been used in herbal remedies designed to treat anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and anti-histamine issues.

For thousands of years this common wild plant has also been used to ease the pain, swelling, and itching often associated with poison ivy, as well as insectbites and stings.

This plant, which has been heralded as “nature’s hydrocortisone” may also be effective on poison sumac, eczema, ringworm, psoriasis, stinging nettles rash, and acne.

All of the above ground parts of a jewelweed plant can be used to make a salve, wound wash, tincture, or poultice “tea.” The plant should not be harvested for herbal remedy making until after it is in bloom.

This common backyard “weed” has been used for centuries to naturally treat insect bites, minor wounds and burns, mild coughs, inflamed skin, eczema, as well as bug bites and stings.

All above ground parts of the broad leaf plantain plant can be used to make salves, ointments, liniments, and tinctures.

Even though both jewelweed and plantain are generally considered safe to use topically or sometimes orally, that does not mean that an allergic reaction or serious health issue could not result from its use.

I am not a medical professional of any type and offer the information in this guide for research and entertainment purposes only. Always consult your physician before using any type of home or herbal remedy.

Make sure to check the bottom of each container to see if any brown colored natural matter made it into the salve – it will always settle to the bottom. Even the most diligent salve makers will have this happen from time to time.

You do not need to pitch the container of salve, just use it first because it will likely only remain good to use for a month or so.

The container of salve below shows you exactly how it should NOT look. There is far too much brown natural matter left in the strained mixture as well as a few undissolved beeswax pastilles:

Store the jewelweed and plantain salve in a cool, dry, place out of direct sunlight. Typically, a properly made and stored salve should remain shelf stable for a minimum of 12 months.

Tara lives on a 56 acres farm in the Appalachian Mountains, where she faces homesteading and farming challenges every single day. her homesteading skills are unmatched, she raises chickens, goats, horses, a wide variety of vegetables, not to mention she’s an expert is all sorts of homesteading skills such as hide tanning, doll making, tree tapping and many, many more.

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What Is Jewelweed Good For?