Forager’s Jewelweed Spray
This cooling jewelweed spray helps soothe the itch of poison ivy, poison oak, bug bites, and bee stings.
If you enjoy foraging or exploring the outdoors during late summer, you’ve likely stumbled upon a patch of jewelweed before.
Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) especially loves to grow on creek banks, or in areas where the soil is moist and rich.
If you haven’t found it out in the wild before, we have an entire article that will help you identify and use this premier itch-relief herb!
Easy Jewelweed Spray Recipe
Today I want to share a simple but effective way to use jewelweed – blended with witch hazel to make an extremely cooling spray that quickly relieves itching.
I find it especially helpful for chigger bites this time of year (late summer), but definitely try it out on any itchy or inflamed skin condition – mosquito bites, poison ivy, minor sunburn, bee stings, and those sorts of itchy scratchy things.
Jewelweed anti-itch spray is incredibly easy to make too!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- a generous handful of fresh jewelweed
- witch hazel (the standard 14% alcohol kind from your local pharmacy or big box store is perfect)
Foraging Jewelweed Slideshow
Here’s a slideshow summarizing details of jewelweed. (Sometimes an ad plays first, but the video will start right after! The video player won’t show up if you have an adblocker.)
To make it:
You’ll need to chop up your jewelweed, making sure you get the juice-filled nodes on the stem (that’s where the good stuff is concentrated).
Then blend it together with twice as much witch hazel. (So if you have 1 cup chopped jewelweed, then blend it together with 2 cups witch hazel.)
Strain the jewelweed mixture through a fine mesh sieve.
Bottle the jewelweed spray up, then store in your refrigerator.
Shelf life is at least 2 to 3 weeks, if stored in your fridge.
(The online shop, Specialty Bottle, is an excellent source for spray bottles.)
To use it:
Spritz it on wherever you have an itch. Apply frequently and generously and allow it to air dry on your skin for best results.
Make sure you use fresh jewelweed. Unfortunately, once it’s dried, it’s just not the same potency.
Easy Jewelweed Anti-Itch Spray
Ingredients
- 1 part chopped, fresh jewelweed
- 2 parts witch hazel
Instructions
- Place the jewelweed and witch hazel in a blender or food processor.
- Blend thoroughly until a green juice is formed.
- Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
- Store the resulting liquid in your refrigerator. Shelf life is at least 3 to 4 weeks.
- Spritz or rub on your skin generously and as often as needed. Allow to air dry.
