Full Answer
What kind of tea is Labrador tea?
Labrador Tea. Labrador Tea (Ledum groenlandicum and Ledum palustre), also called Hudson's Bay or Indian tea, shrubs of the heath family (Ericaceae).
Is Labrador tea circumpolar?
Labrador tea. Labrador tea, common name for two species of low-growing, perennial evergreen shrubs in the Rhododendron genus of the heath family (Ericaceae). R. tomentosum is circumpolar and also native to eastern North America. The name is also sometimes applied to a closely related shrub of the Rocky Mountains region.
How tall does a Labrador tea plant grow?
Height: This plant can grow up to 1 metre (3’) tall. Habitat: Labrador tea prefers moist to wet peaty soils, especially in bogs and wet coniferous forests; also in peaty barrens. Labrador tea is native to boreal North America. It is found in the tundra and also in drier, rocky places in the mountains.
What is bog Labrador tea used for?
Bog Labrador tea is a plant. The leaves and flowering shoots are used to make medicine. People use bog Labrador tea for sore throat, chest congestion, coughs, lung infections, diarrhea, joint and muscle pain (rheumatism), and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
What is bog labrador tea?
Bog Labrador tea ( R. groenlandicum) is found in cold boggy areas and grows to about 1 metre (3 feet) high. The fragrant leaves have long been used by native peoples for tea and are also used in traditional herbal medicines. The twigs are reddish. The leaves are smooth-edged and elliptical and have a rusty “wool” on the underside. The leaf margins are recurved. The white or creamy flowers, 2 cm (0.8 inch) wide, are borne in a terminal cluster. There are five sepals and five petals.
What is a perennial plant?
Perennial, any plant that persists for several years, usually with new herbaceous growth from a part that survives from season to season. Trees and shrubs are perennial, as are some herbaceous flowers and vegetative ground covers. Perennials have only a limited flowering period, but, with maintenance throughout the growing season,…
Where is Marsh Labrador tea from?
Marsh Labrador tea ( R. tomentosum) is circumpolar and also native to eastern North America. The name is also sometimes applied to a closely related shrub of the Rocky Mountain region, known as western Labrador tea ( R. columbianum ). Both plants are used to make tea and in traditional medicine but can be toxic.
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What is L. groenlandicum tea used for?
The leaves of L. groenlandicum have been used as an astringent. They were once used to treat dysentery and diarrhea. Stuart 1987 They are also said to be very useful in coughs and colds, as well as bronchial and pulmonary infections. The tea is prepared by adding 1 teaspoonful of dried leaves to 1 cup of boiling water.
What are some plants similar to Ledum?
There are 2 other plants that are similar to Ledum and can be toxic due to higher concentrations of similar compounds: Kalmia polifolia and Andromeda polifolia. These are distinguished by their glabrous leaves and pink flowers. Turner 1997
How to make tea from dried leaves?
The tea is prepared by adding 1 teaspoonful of dried leaves to 1 cup of boiling water. A stronger decoction has been recommended externally for itching and redness from skin ailments, such as poison ivy. The leaves as a tea have also been used as a heart medicine, and for indigestion, diarrhea, and ease of childbirth.
What are the uses of homeopathic medicine?
Homeopathic use also includes asthma, hand and foot pain, gout, rheumatism, ear inflammation, tinnitus, and tuberculosis. Hutchens 1991 Other research discusses use of the leaves in Korea to treat female disorders. Belleau 1993 It is rarely used today for its historical uses. Stuart 1987.
What are the constituents of L. latifolium?
Reported constituents of L. latifolium include tannic acid, arbutin, resin, and mineral salts. Stuart 1987 Leaves contain 0.3% to 2.5% volatile oil, including the sesquiterpenes ledol and palustrol (ledum camphor), with valeric and other volatile acids, ericolin, and ericinol. Duke 1985
What is Labrador tea used for?
Use. Labrador tea has been used historically and in folk medicine for a variety of ailments, including skin complaints, colds, and malignancies. However, clinical trials to support uses of Labrador tea are lacking.
How many cm are the leaves of a sage?
It has bright green, 2.5 to 7.6 cm alternate oblong leaves with a leathery adaxial surface. The leaves are rolled and have a bluntly pointed tip. Younger leaves point upwards with a white, pubescent abaxial surface, while older reddish leaves point downwards and have a rust colored abaxial side.
What is Labrador tea?
Labrador Tea (Ledum groenlandicum and Ledum palustre), also called Hudson's Bay or Indian tea, shrubs of the heath family (Ericaceae). Labrador Tea (Ledum groenlandicum and Ledum palustre), also called Hudson's Bay or Indian tea, shrubs of the heath family (Ericaceae).
How long are Labrador tea leaves?
Labrador tea leaves are elliptical, up to 6 cm long, with revolute (backward-rolled) margins and dense, whitish to rust-coloured fuzz on the lower surfaces. The flowers are white and clustered.
How many species of ledum are there?
Some 4 species of genus Ledum exist worldwide, 3 in Canada. The third, L. glandulosum (trapper's tea), is sometimes used for tea. The genus is closely related to Rhododendron, and contains compounds that can be harmful in high concentrations.
What are the uses of fragrant leaves?
The fragrant leaves are used as a soothing tea and they have many medicinal uses. Add lemon to make an iced tea. Leaves were once used in beer making to make it heady. Flowers can also be used to make tea.
How many stamens are in Labrador tea?
There are 5 to 7 stamens and the filaments are longer than the petals. Flowers blooms in June to early July. Fields of Nutrition has medicinal benefits and vitamin/mineral content of Labrador Tea.
Where is Labrador tea found?
Labrador tea is native to boreal North America. It is found in the tundra and also in drier, rocky places in the mountains.
Can Labrador tea survive fire?
Interestingly, this shrub can generally survive fire as the rhizomes are found deep in the organic layer and it is often found in areas too wet to burn.
Is Labrador tea acidic?
To support our efforts please browse our store (books with medicinal info, etc.). Labrador tea is a member of the heath family. This plant is a useful ecological indicator because Labrador tea is characteristic of acidic soils with high moisture and poor nutrient regimes.
How does it work ?
Bog Labrador tea might make it easier to cough by thinning the mucus. There isn't enough information to know how bog Labrador tea might work for other medicinal uses.
What is bog tea?
Bog Labrador tea is a plant. The leaves and flowering shoots are used to make medicine. People use bog Labrador tea for sore throat, chest congestion, coughs, lung infections, diarrhea, joint and muscle pain (rheumatism), and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
Can bog tea cause diarrhea?
Bog Labrador tea can cause side effects such as vomiting, inflammation of the lining in the stomach and the intestines ( gastroenteritis ), diarrhea, delirium, spasms, paralysis, and death. Special Precautions and Warnings. Pregnancy and breast -feeding: It's UNSAFE to use bog Labrador tea if you are pregnant. It might cause an abortion.
What is the purpose of the CONDITIONS OF USE AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION?
CONDITIONS OF USE AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This information is meant to supplement, not replace advice from your doctor or healthcare provider and is not meant to cover all possible uses, precautions, interactions or adverse effects. This information may not fit your specific health circumstances.
Is bog labrador tea safe?
When taken by mouth: Bog Labrador tea is POSSIBLY SAFE for most people when used as a weak tea or in small amounts. Bog Labrador tea is LIKELY UNSAFE when used in concentrated solutions or in large amounts.
Is it safe to drink bog tea while pregnant?
Pregnancy and breast -feeding: It's UNSAFE to use bog Labrador tea if you are pregnant. It might cause an abortion. There isn' t enough information to know if bog Labrador tea is safe to use when breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.
Why do people drink Labrador tea?
People take Labrador tea for sore throat, chest congestion, coughs, lung infections, and other chest ailments. They also take it for diarrhea, kidney problems, joint and muscle pain (rheumatism), headache, and cancer. Women use it to cause an abortion or treat “female disorders.”.
How to report a drug problem to the FDA?
Report Problems to the Food and Drug Administration. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit the FDA MedWatch website or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Can you drink Labrador tea while pregnant?
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: It’s UNSAFE to use Labrador tea if you are pregnant. It might cause an abortion. It’s also best to avoid Labrador tea if you are breast-feeding. The effects on a nursing infant are unknown.
Is Labrador tea safe?
Labrador tea is POSSIBLY SAFE for most people when used as a weak tea or in small amount s.
Can you put Labrador tea in water?
Some people add Labrador tea to bath water or apply it directly to the skin to treat skin problems. In foods, Labrador tea is used as a beverage or to make beer more intoxicating.
Can Labrador tea cause diarrhea?
Labrador tea can cause side effects such as vomiting, inflammation of the lining in the stomach and the intestines (gastroenteritis), diarrhea, delirium, spasms, paralysis, and death.
Who wrote the Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses?
Bown, D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses . 1995.
What is Labrador Tea?
Labrador tea is a flowering shrub also known as St. James tea, Indian tea and Hudson Bay tea. Its botanical name is Ledum latifolium. Labrador tea is native to Greenland and Canada, specifically Nova Scotia and the Hudson Bay and Labrador regions. As an evergreen plant, Labrador tea grows between 4 and 5 feet tall. It has irregular, woody branches that produce long, oblong-shaped leaves. The leaves are distinguishable by their rolled edges that have a smooth upper side and textured underside. During the summer, the Labrador tea shrub produces large, white flower clusters. 1 First Nations and aboriginal tribes used Labrador tea leaves for medicinal purposes. The leaves were used both fresh and dried and were boiled to create a tea that was consumed hot. The Labrador tea leaf drink produces a tonic with a spicy taste and aromatic scent. 1 2
Is Labrador tea good for you?
Labrador tea health benefits come from the plant tops and leaves. Labrador tea leaves contain tannins, an organic plant compound. Tannins have polyphenolic health benefits, which means they act as a natural astringent and antioxidant. 1 Other Labrador tea health benefits include: 1
Does labrador tea help with scalp itchiness?
Dandruff - The natural astringent health benefits of labrador tea can help to kill dandruff fungal infections and stop scalp itchiness.
Does Labrador tea help with asthma?
Asthma - Labrador tea can help to alleviate feelings of congestion and ease respiratory symptoms caused by asthma.
Does Labrador tea help with the common cold?
Common Cold - Labrador tea uses have traditionally included treatment for the common cold and congestion-relief.
What is the Russian ointment?
Russian Homoeopaths boil the flowers in fresh butter making an ointment for skin diseases, bruises, wounds, bleeding and rheumatism.
What is the name of the marshland in Russia?
The common Russian name is Bogulnik but literature gives it another, Herba Ledu, which is very close to Canadian Ledum palustra, or Ledum marshland. Bogulnik sometimes covers miles of marshland in European Russia, Siberia and the Far East, making it impossible for other plants to invade this strong shrub abode.
What is Labrador tea used for?
Labrador tea is used for treating kidney disorders and detoxifies body as it has mild diuretic properties and flush system when overloaded with toxins. It helps to slow down growth of kidney stones and lowers inflammation in that organ.
What is bog tea?
Bog Labrador Tea is helpful for treating respiratory conditions such as coughs, bronchitis, flu cold and congestion. Sore throats are common symptoms of types infections and anti-inflammatory properties found in Bog Labrador Tea neutralize or eliminate that discomfort.
How many seeds are in a flower capsule?
Fertilized flowers form a longer than wide seed capsule which is elongated on both ends and contains 50 small seeds. Capsule is on recurved stalk and when the capsule is dry it splits upward from the bottom and releases seeds to the wind. Flowers self-fertilize.
How many petals does a corolla have?
Flowers are five parted. Corolla has five white or creamy white petals, slightly broader, ovate, joined together only near their bases. Corolla is dense with uni-cellular hairs. Usually there are 8 stamens with white filaments and very pale yellow anthers and single style with a blunt tip. Calyx is small with five short lobes and all densely hairy. Flowers are considered fragrant and open after new leaves form.
How tall is a sage plant?
It is an erect and aromatic shrub which grows to the height of 1 meter with twigs densely covered with long and soft hairs. Leaves are narrow, leathery, about 2-5 cm long, evergreen and alternate. Leaves are dark green above with edges which curl under along the margins. White flowers in tight clusters bloom from May to July. Each flower has small five toothed sepal tube with five separate petals and 5-7 stamens. Fruit is a small and fuzzy capsule tipped with persistent style.
Clinical Overview
- Use
Labrador tea has been used historically and in folk medicine for a variety of conditions. However, clinical trial data are lacking to recommend use for any indication. - Dosing
Clinical data are lacking to support dosing recommendations for Labrador tea.
Botany
- L. groenlandicum is a short (50 to 200 cm), aromatic, evergreen shrub primarily found in patches in Alaska, Greenland, and Canada, where it thrives in wet, peaty soils. It has bright-green, alternate oblong leaves 2.5 to 7.6 cm in length and with a leathery adaxial surface. The leaves are rolled and have a bluntly pointed tip. Younger leaves point upwards with a white, pubescent aba…
History
- The common name "Labrador tea" derives from its profuse growth in the swamps of Greenland and Labrador. "Hudson’s bay tea" probably derives from the Hudson Bay traders, who sold the leaves for tea.(Turner 2005) The Haida people used Labrador tea for medicinal purposes, and also picked the leaves (before the shrubs would flower or in late summer), then would dry and b…
Chemistry
- Reported constituents of L. latifolium include tannic acid, arbutin, resin, and mineral salts.(Stuart 1987) Leaves contain volatile oil 0.3% to 2.5%, including the sesquiterpenes ledol and palustrol (ledum camphor), with valeric and other volatile acids, ericolin, and ericinol.(Duke 1985)
Uses and Pharmacology
- Antidiabetic activity
Weak partial agonistic (compared to rosiglitazone) as well as antagonistic effects on adipogenesis have been demonstrated with R. groenlandicum ethanolic leaf extract in some in vitro studies(Ouchfoun 2016), while strong adipogenic effects have been noted by others. Adipogeni…
Dosing
- Clinical data are lacking to support dosing recommendations for Labrador tea. The leaves are the most commonly used part for medicinal teas and decoctions, and are prepared by brewing in hot or boiling water.(Tam 2014) Labrador tea is commonly made by adding 1 teaspoonful (5 mL) of dried leaves to 1 cup (250 mL) of boiling water, brewed for 3 to 10 minutes; the leaves should b…
Interactions
- None well documented. In vitro studies have demonstrated inhibitory action on CYP3A4 and 2C isoforms.(Tam 2009, Tam 2014)
Toxicology
- Labrador tea is considered mildly toxic and should be consumed in small quantities only. Reported acceptable amounts include 1 teaspoonful (5 mL) of dried leaves for 1 cup (250 mL) of boiling water; brewing times range from 3 to 10 minutes, according to tisane strength preference, but should not exceed 15 minutes.(Dampc 2015) Labrador tea has narcotic properties. Evidenc…
Index Terms
- Andromeda polifolia
- Kalmia polifolia
- Ledum glanduosum Nutt. Ericaceae
Disclaimer
- This information relates to an herbal, vitamin, mineral or other dietary supplement. This product has not been reviewed by the FDA to determine whether it is safe or effective and is not subject to the quality standards and safety information collection standards that are applicable to most prescription drugs. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to take this pro…