The main use of Jewelweed should be for its medicinal uses, but it can also be consumed. Read about that here!
Edible Jewelweed.
Jewelweed can be found in most of the continental US and Canada except for the US Southwest, Montana and Colorado.
Jewelweed leaves are 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches long, which are egg-shaped and toothed. Both the leaves and the stems are hairless and the stems are hollow. The leaves put out an orange liquid if broken.
Jewelweed has unique flowers with two petals each with two lobes and a third petal which is 1/4 of the length and runs parallel to the flower. The flower has stalks as long as the flowers themselves. The flowers bloom from June to October.
Jewelweed can be used to treat poison oak and ivy rashes. Jewelweed has skin soothing properties for irritated skin. The juice extracted from the leaves and the stems were used by Native Americans on all types of skin rashes including contact dermatitis. Just rubbing the crushed plant is just as good as the juice. If you ever find yourself having contacted Stinging Nettle, then jewelweed is just the antidote you need!
Here is a recipe for using Jewelweed to treat Poison Ivy.
Collect the purplish stalks of the plant and crush the stalks up until they form a paste. Heat the paste without bringing it to a boil. Remove or strain out the fibrous plant material. Allow the remainder to cool. Scrub the remainder wherever there is a rash or whereever you contacted poison ivy and fear a rash will appear. Scrub thoroughly and then rinse with cool water.