https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/241043792
Today was a really nice day out and I wanted to get outside so I decided to harvest this beautiful plant. I have only ever known it by its Inupiaq name which is ayuu but it also has a Lingit name which is s’ikshaldeen. I have also heard it be called Hudson Bay tea or Labrador tea. I found it on the path behind housing here in Juneau.
This plant has dark green colored leathery, narrow leaves that tuck under at the edges. It also has dense orangish- brown hairs on the underside of the leaves. During the late spring and early summer, it has clusters of white flowers at the very top of the plant. It also has a very distinct, pleasant scent to it. Ayuu can be found in tundras, muskegs, bogs, peatlands and is an indicator of wet and very acidic soil. It is distributed all across the northern parts of North America and in Greenland.
Ayuu is most popularly known to be used for tea but it also has been used for medicinal purposes. It is packed with Vitamin C so it has been used for anti-inflammatory purposes. As a tea, it can be used to help with healing the inner lining of your gut and it also relaxes your muscles. If used as a tea, it should be taken in small amounts as taking it in large amounts can be harmful. It has also been used to treat colds, pneumonia, diarrhea, arthritis, migraines, and the list goes on and on.
Sites used:
https://plantwatch.naturealberta.ca/choose-your-plants/labrador-tea/index.html
https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/cs_legr.pdf
https://floem.ca/en/blogs/blogue/quels-sont-les-bienfaits-du-the-du-labrador#:~:text=Through%20Time%3A%20The%20Benefits%20of%20Labrador%20Tea&text=Indeed%2C%20he%20was%20attributed%20many,Owen%20%26%20Johns%2C%201999).
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-539/bog-labrador-tea