Botanical atlas

Labrador Tea

Ledum groenlandicum

Long before it had a Latin name, Labrador tea was a daily beverage and household remedy across the boreal north, steeped by the Cree, Innu, Inuit, and other northern peoples for generations. Fur traders and early settlers took to it too, calling it Hudson's Bay tea and drinking it in place of imported black tea from Europe. It has traditionally been used for colds, coughs, and sore throats, and as a gentle tea to settle an unsettled stomach. The leaves were also traditionally simmered into a wash for skin irritation and insect bites, and tucked among stored furs and clothing to keep moths away.

Safety.

Labrador tea contains compounds that turn irritating and mildly toxic if brewed too strong, steeped too long, or drunk often, causing headache, dizziness, or stomach upset. It has a poisonous lookalike, bog rosemary, so correct identification is essential, and it should be avoided during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and by young children.