Category Archives: wild plant

Labrador tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum, Rhododendron tomentosum)

23 Tuesday Aug 2011

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A northern campfire is not complete without a piping-hot cup of Labrador tea. It not only warms you up but provides you with a burst of vitamin C. ~Beverly Gray

Labrador tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum, Rhododendron tomentosum; used to be known as Ledum groenlandicum) is also known as bog tea, Greenland tea, Greenland moss, Hudson Bay tea, marsh tea, muskeg tea, swamp tea, storytelling tea and Trapper’s tea.

I have fond memories of picking and drinking Labrador tea up near Cormorant, Manitoba (where I am from) with my favorite Auntie L, who was a trapper. On our way to her bush camp by snowmobile in winter, we would stop at a halfway point, make a small fire and brew up a pot of Labrador tea, freshly picked on the trail.

Labrador tea is described as a straggly and aromatic evergreen shrub that grows in the peaty soils of bogs, muskegs, swamps, and damp conifer forests. This shrub has thick leathery leaves that grow from 2-5 cm long. The leaf edges curl under and their wooly undersides are either white (when young) or rusty brown (when mature).  The undersides are an important identification feature:

Do not confuse this plant with Rhododendron tomentosum subsp. subarcticum (Northern Labrador tea), Kalmia microphylla (Bog Laurel) or Andromeda polifolia (Bog Rosemary), as all three contain toxic alkaloids known to be poisonous to livestock. All three lack the fuzz on the underside of mature leaves and the flowers of Kalmia and Andromeda are pink.

~Alberta Plant Watch

White flowers form on the shrub in clusters from May to July. Both the leaves and flowers can be used. The leaves are available for harvest all year round.

The tea has no caffeine and a mild narcotic effect.  I like Beverly Gray‘s description of the tea as having an “interesting forest-like flavor, a little bitter, a little astringent, a little spicy, a little camphor-like”.

Culinary Uses:

Infuse as a tea. Use as a spice (crushed or ground) and add to meat dishes and salad dressings. Use in soups as a substitute for bay leaves.

Labrador Tea

Crush (to release the essential oils)  ¼ cup dried or fresh Labrador tea. Add 4 cups of boiling water. Simmer for 5-7 minutes or longer for a stronger brew. You can also steep the dried flowers for a fragrant and delicate tea.

Medicinal Uses:

  • treating coughs and colds (high vitamin C)
  • as a relaxant before sleep
  • clearing the sinuses (inhale the steam)
  • According to Alberta Plant Watch: used to treat diarrhea, pneumonia, eye infections, difficulty urinating, tension and kidney ailments, and bad breath
  • liver regenerator and cleaser
  • analgesic properties, which help reduce pain when used as a poultice or infused in oil or water, i.e. added to a warm bath to treat arthritis
  • relief of migraines
  • anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties
  • twigs found to be active against colon carcinoma and lung carcinoma cells
  • has been used by Indigenous peoples for Type 2 diabetes
  • diaphoretic effect (helps the skin eliminate toxins and encourage perspiration, therefore helpful to treat a fever)

In a study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology in 1992, Dr. Allison McCutcheon and colleagues found the branches of Labrador tea act as an antibiotic against E. coli and Bacillus subtilis. Previous studies demonstrated the floweringheads in an extract were effective against both bacteria as well as the yeast Candida albicans. Other researchers also found extracts from the leaves active against Staphylococcus aureus bacterium.  ~Beverly Gray

Other Uses:

  • Hang leaves in closets to repel moths, insects and rodents
  • A brown dye can be made with the leaves
  • According the Alberta Plant Watch, “Labrador tea has the ability to concentrate zinc and copper, and thus has value in geo-botanical studies”

Caution: Only drink the tea occasionally or in moderation, especially if you are pregnant or have high blood pressure. In larger doses, Labrador tea can be considered cathartic and cause diarrhea.

Resources:

Gray, B. (2011). The boreal herbal: wild food and medicine plants of the north; a guide to harvesting, preserving, and preparing. Aroma Borealis Press: Whitehorse, Yukon.

Stewart, H. (1981). Drink in the wild. Douglas & McIntyre: Vancouver, BC.

Alberta Plant Watch (http://plantwatch.fanweb.ca/plant-information/labrador-tea)

wild strawberry leaf tea (fragaria vesca, fragaria virginiana)

14 Sunday Aug 2011

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Over the past two weeks, I have been picking wild berries every morning on our hikes. I have made a few batches of jams and jellies and have frozen many ziplock bags full for winter baking and smoothies. Last week, I also harvested and dried some wild strawberry leaves for tea.

There are several species of wild strawberries that grow across Canada and the United States. Also known as ‘mountain strawberry’ and ‘wood strawberry’, these wild plants prefer well-drained soils in sunny locations. The small fruits are delicious and nutritious, and the leaves and rootstock are also edible and beneficial, mainly as an astringent and diuretic.

The best time to harvest the leaves is actually in spring or early summer before the berries start to form. Be careful to harvest only clean and healthy leaves that have not been sprayed or otherwise contaminated. For this reason, avoid picking from plants that are growing along the roadside.

Once back home, wash the leaves in a large bowl of cold, salted water. Allow them to drain thoroughly (I put mine in a salad spinner to remove the excess moisture) and then put the leaves in your dehydrator, or on a tray in full sun, or in a large, open paper bag that you shake three times per day until they are completely dried.

Beverly Gray, in her book The Boreal Herbal, cautions us not to use strawberry leaves when they are wilted (neither completely fresh or dried) due to an important chemical process they go thorugh while drying.

Wild strawberry leaves are rich in iron and vitamin C.  Interestingly, Lust (1972) writes that cultivated strawberries have much less medicinal value than wild strawberries.

Wild strawberry leaf tea is mild and can even be given to babies and children. It can be made from either fresh or dried leaves. You can drink the tea on its own or mix the leaves with other tea leaves for a blended tea.

For one pot of tea, use ½ cup of fresh leaves or ¼ cup dried leaves in 2 cups of boiling water.

Wild strawberry leaf tea has many uses:

  • Drink it to treat diarrhea, dysentery, and hematuria, as well as for gravel and problems involving the urinary tract (Lust, 1972).
  • Use both internally and externally at the same time to treat eczema and acne (Lust, 1972).
  • Wild strawberry leaf tea seems to be particularly good for babies, children, nursing mothers and convalescents. According to Kavasch and Baar (1999): massage the tea into your baby’s gums to ease teething pains; if you’re a nursing mother, drink as a digestive aide; if your baby is colicky or has diarrhea, drink some yourself and give the baby some lukewarm tea, a small spoonful at a time. Strawberry leaf tea also makes a pleasant and mild skin wash for infants. Treat scalp irritations, such as cradle cap, by adding a small amount of honey to the tea and lightly sprinkling it on your baby’s head and gently rubbing it in. Leave it on for ten minutes to half an hour, then rinse with plain water or unsweetened strawberry leaf tea to lubricate the skin and wash away any stickiness.
  • Gray (2011) adds that dried wild strawberry leaves help “regulate menstruation, calm morning sickness, promote abundant breast milk production, and can act as a mild nerve tonic” (p. 230). She adds that using the tea as a mouthwash can help alleviate toothache and heal ulcers of the gums, and that a poultice made from fresh wild strawberry leaves can be used to treat open wounds, eczema, and psoriasis to accelerate healing. Also, the tra from the iron-rich leaves helps treat anemia.
  • The astringent quality of the leaves of this versatile plant make it the perfect ingredient in a facial steam, helping to reduce excess sebum which causes oily skin. The leaves can also be used to make a facial toner.

I am looking forward to incorporating wild strawberry leaf tea into my diet, both for pleasure as well as all of the health benefits it brings. Cheers, everyone!

Resources:

Gray, B. (2011). The boreal herbal: wild food and medicine plants of the north; a guide to harvesting, preserving, and preparing. Aroma Borealis Press: Whitehorse, Yukon.

Kavasch, E.B., & Baar, K. (1999). American Indian healing arts: Herbs, rituals, and remedies for every season of life. Bantam Books: New York.

Lust, J. (1972). The herb book. Bantam Books: New York.

Stewart, H. (1981). Drinking in the wild: Teas, cordials, jams and more. Douglas and     McIntyre: Toronto, ON.