Family: Balsaminaceae (Balsam or Touch-Me-Not)
Other names: touch-me-not, snapweed, lady's earrings, silverweed, waterweed; the two varieties are sometimes refered to as orange and yellow
Name meaning: Jewelweed refers to the silvery appearance the leaves take on under water, and the jewel-like appearance of water droplets on the leaf surface. Touch-me-not refers to the seed pods, which explode when touched; impatiens means impatient, again referring to the seed pods; capensis means of the Cape (I'm not sure what this relates to in terms of jewelweed); and pallida means pale.
Origin: Both jewelweeds are native to North America.
Range: Both spotted and pale jewelweed grow everywhere east of the Rockies, north to Saskatchewan and south to Georgia, and spotted jewelweed also grows in the Pacific Northwest.
Habitat: Moist, shady areas
Life cycle: Annual
Description: Jewelweed is a fleshy, succulent plant. The stems are translucent and exude an orange juice when broken. The leaves are ovate with large rounded teeth, and appear silvery under water. The flowers are irregular, dangling from their stem beneath the leaves, with a conic shape and a spur on the back. Spotted jewelweed's flowers are orange with red spots, and pale jewelweed's flowers are yellow and spotless. The flowers are later replaced by pale green seed pods, which are sometimes striped, and which explode when touched, flinging tiny seeds in every direction. The plant can grow to a height of 5 feet.
Similar plants: There are many other plants in the Impatiens genus all over the world which have similar appearances and uses, such as the common garden flower known as "impatiens". In fact, if you look underneath an impatiens blossom, you'll find a spur like that on jewelweed flowers, and the seed pods also explode. I. capensis and I. pallida are the most common species found in North America.

Uses

Edible: The young shoots can be boiled in 2 changes of water and eaten as a cooked green.

Medicinal: Jewelweed is one of the most effective remedies for poison ivy. In fact, it's quite lucky that they are often found in the same areas, though poison ivy has a wider range of habitats. Most commonly jewelweed stems and leaves are crushed and rubbed onto an area immediately after touching poison ivy. It can also be used to make salves and soaps to rub on the area, and some people freeze the leaf tea and rub the ice cubes on the area. Some take the leaf tea as a preventative (see warning below), and some poultice the plant on the rash after it appears. Scientific studies have confirmed the effectiveness of jewelweed for preventing poison ivy rash; it seems to wash away the oil that causes the rash (urushiol) even more effectively than soap. The leaf and stem poultice is also used on nettles sting and other skin maladies, such as bruises, acne, burns, cuts, eczema, insect bites, sores, warts, and ring worm, and has also been used on sprains. Studies have shown that it is also an effective fungicide, used on problems such as athlete's foot. The Cherokee used jewelweed as a wash after childbirth and used the tea for the measles.

Utilitarian: The flowers of jewelweed were used by some Native American tribes to make a yellow dye. Interestingly, I've discovered that jewelweed leaves pressed between the pages of a field guide will leave a perfect orange stain; so presumably the leaves will work for making the dye as well.

Magical: None that I know of.

Warning: The fresh and undercooked shoots can be toxic due to the amount of minerals; if you eat jewelweed shoots make sure to boil it in at least 2 changes of water. Though the tea has been used internally for medicinal purposes, I wouldn't recommend it because of the toxicity.

Where to find jewelweed

Jewelweed is found in moist bottom lands and along stream beds, and pretty much anywhere there is water. Both jewelweeds are fairly common, so harvesting this plant is fine; just make sure not to overharvest, and check your local laws before harvesting from public lands. Jewelweed is hard to find in bulk, but Blessed Herbs carries it, and there are some companies that produce poison ivy soaps made from jewelweed, such as Burt's Bees and Poison Ivy Soap Company.

Links

Wikipedia: Jewelweed
Botanical.com: Jewelweed
Plants for a Future: Impatiens capensis
Plants for a Future: Impatiens pallida
Wildman Steve Brill's Wild Plants: Jewelweed
Wildflowers of the Southeastern United States: Jewelweed
Wildflowers of the Southeastern United States: Pale Touch-Me-Not
King's American Dispensatory: Impatiens
Nature's Herbal: Jewelweed
Jewelweed - Poison Ivy Treatment from Nature
Jewelweed - iotsiehrokwa
USDA Plant Profile: Impatiens capensis
USDA Plant Profile: Impatiens pallida