# Is Celandine Herb the same as jewelweed?



## ozarkscents (Apr 24, 2016)

Is Celandine Herb the same as jewelweed? 

On this site, http://www.starwest-botanicals.com/category/celandine-herb/ , they are calling it jewel weed.

Just wondering if I purchased the right stuff?


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## CTAnton (Apr 24, 2016)

jewelweed is an impatiens species...


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## DeeAnna (Apr 24, 2016)

No, they're not the same. Here's something I wrote awhile back:

North American jewelweed (sometimes called Wild Celandine among other names) is used as a folk remedy to treat poison ivy dermatitis. This would be Impatiens pallida (yellow jewelweed) or I. capensis (spotted jewelweed). I have yet to see this herb being sold on the market in dried or extract form. Dried jewelweed loses its efficacy -- it's the wet sap that works. Oil infusions don't work well either -- too much jewelweed sap in oil just makes a moldy mess. Most people make a tincture of jewelweed and water or witch hazel and refrigerate the tincture. Or they freeze chopped up bits of the plant into ice cubes and rub the ice cubes on affected skin.

The stuff in the MMS link is an extract of Impatiens balsamica, a plant native to Asia. It has a history of use in folk medicine, but not for poison ivy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impatiens_balsamina

Another herb mistaken for North American jewelweed is Greater Celandine, Chelidonium majus. It is sourced from Hungary and native to Europe. It is a member of the Papaveraceae (poppy) family. According to the references I found, it is poisonous if ingested, and it can be irritating to the eyes and skin, although it was used traditionally to remove warts. Last time I checked, this is what Starwest is selling. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelidonium


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## Arimara (Apr 24, 2016)

DeeAnna said:


> No, they're not the same. Here's something I wrote awhile back:
> 
> North American jewelweed (sometimes called Wild Celandine among other names) is used as a folk remedy to treat poison ivy dermatitis. This would be Impatiens pallida (yellow jewelweed) or I. capensis (spotted jewelweed). I have yet to see this herb being sold on the market in dried or extract form. Dried jewelweed loses its efficacy -- it's the wet sap that works. Oil infusions don't work well either -- too much jewelweed sap in oil just makes a moldy mess. Most people make a tincture of jewelweed and water or witch hazel and refrigerate the tincture. Or they freeze chopped up bits of the plant into ice cubes and rub the ice cubes on affected skin.
> 
> ...



Then wouldn't it be better to not buy from that site? If you're going to sell herbs to people, shouldn't they take more care to not lump to separate species together? There are quite a lot of people who don't do the necessary research for even the most basic of the safer herbal to stay safe and would take what that site would say as absolute truth.


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## DeeAnna (Apr 24, 2016)

Arimara said:


> Then wouldn't it be better to not buy from that site?....



No, I don't think I'd form that conclusion at all. From everything I've heard, this company is about as ethical as they come. Look at the website listing and you will see you're drawing some incorrect conclusions. The title for the listing is Celandine Herb with the correct botanical name right below it of Chelidonium majus and several alternate common names below that. They are not being deceiving -- people DO call Celandine herb by the common name of "jewelweed". It's just not the jewelweed from the impatiens family that's native to North America. It's important when dealing with herbs and essential oils to pay attention to the Latin names more than the common names -- that is the key to getting the right herb.


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## Arimara (Apr 24, 2016)

DeeAnna said:


> No, I don't think I'd form that conclusion at all. From everything I've heard, this company is about as ethical as they come. Look at the website listing and you will see you're drawing some incorrect conclusions. The title for the listing is Celandine Herb with the correct botanical name right below it of Chelidonium majus and several alternate common names below that. They are not being deceiving -- people DO call Celandine herb by the common name of "jewelweed". It's just not the jewelweed from the impatiens family that's native to North America. It's important when dealing with herbs and essential oils to pay attention to the Latin names more than the common names -- that is the key to getting the right herb.



Thanks. I will fully check out the site then. I'm not one to use herbs much because some of them have ill effects on me but having the knowledge of some of them would be a good idea.


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## ozarkscents (Apr 30, 2016)

DeeAnna said:


> No, I don't think I'd form that conclusion at all. From everything I've heard, this company is about as ethical as they come. Look at the website listing and you will see you're drawing some incorrect conclusions. The title for the listing is Celandine Herb with the correct botanical name right below it of Chelidonium majus and several alternate common names below that. They are not being deceiving -- people DO call Celandine herb by the common name of "jewelweed". It's just not the jewelweed from the impatiens family that's native to North America. It's important when dealing with herbs and essential oils to pay attention to the Latin names more than the common names -- that is the key to getting the right herb.



I had ordered the Celandine Herb from them, thinking it was the correct one. Lesson learned, learn more before purchasing the wrong stuff! If I had done more research, I would have known. Not their fault, MY fault!

Thanks everyone!


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