I love the Labrador or Muskeg Tea for it is one of the few plants you can harvest all through the winter, even gathering it from under the snow.
It's a great tea for camping too and it's strong flavor makes it a good substitute for bay leaf in soups and stews.
It has a rather unforgettable camphor-like and narcotic smell but be forewarned - not to fall asleep in a patch of Labrador tea for it induces drowsiness and for lots of people will cause an intense headache.
This aggressive scent can be used to ward off bugs in your woolens and also rodents out of rice or grain bins. Even it can kill head lice if you make a strong enough decoction.
Both the leaves and the flowers are used.
Flowers
Infusions from the flowers are used for fevers, chest colds,insect stings and rheumatism. It can also quiet the nerves.
Leaves
Decoctions of the leaves are useful for itch and other skin disorders. The powdered leaves are used to lessen the irritation and pain of wet eczema.
It is a respiratory tonic and useful for lung problems too.
Boil the leaves and it can be used as an emetic (used to induce vomiting).
Labrador tea is a uterine stimulant (not to be used during pregnancy) unless it is used like many Native women use to use it by drinking it three times daily before giving birth.
Ledum leaves are also used to make stronger beer and ale.
Ledum Ale from Steven Buhner's book "Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers"
Mash malt with water at 150 F for 90 minutes. boil 5 gallons of water, 1 pound of demerara sugar and sparge mash. boil with 2 ounces of fresh flowering tops. Let cool to 70 F place in fermenter and add yeast. Place 2 more ounces of flowering tops in muslin bag with a rock and lower into container. Ferment til complete.Prime bottles with 1/2 tsp sugar, fill and cap. Ready in 2 weeks.
Recipes
INFUSIONS
Take 1 heaping tbsp. of leaves and flowers (dried or fresh) to one pint of boiling water and steep for twenty minutes.
COLD EXTRACT
Take one heaping tbsp of leaves and flowers in four ounces of cold water for 10 hours. Take 1/2 cup daily
DECOCTION
Same as above but simmered.
See the whole series of "Celebrating Healing Plants" -
Issue 1 - @porters/celebrating-healing-plants-issue-1-alfalfa-medicago-sativa
Issue 2 - @porters/celebrating-healing-plants-issue-2-giant-hyssop-agastache-foeniculum
Issue 3 - @porters/celebrating-healing-plants-issue-3-wood-lily-lilium-philadelphicum
Issue 4 - @porters/celebrating-healing-plants-issue-4-fireweed-epilobium-angustifolium
Issue 5 - @porters/celebrating-healing-plants-issue-5-goldenrod-solidago-canadensis
Issue 6 - @porters/recipes-celebrating-healing-plants-issue-6-wild-rose-rosa-woodsii
Issue 7 - @porters/celebrating-healing-plants-issue-7-northern-bedstraw-galium-boreale
All pictures were taken with my Canon PowerShot A495
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