Have y’all ever heard of touch-me-nots?
They grow all over Western North Carolina.
Some folks call them jewelweed because after a rain, water beads up on the leaves like tiny little jewels.
But Mamaw called them touch-me-nots.
And once you touch the seed pods, you’ll know why. They explode, scattering seeds everywhere.
Hillbillies have been using touch-me-nots for generations for poison ivy, stinging nettle, bug bites, and just about anything else that made your skin itch. It’s a little trick picked up from the Cherokee.
Some folks crush the stems and rub the sap right on the itchy area. Others make soap from them.
And before you discount it as folk medicine, know this: modern testing shows that a leaf mash actually does reduce the severity of a poison ivy rash.
Sometimes the old ways work. 😉