Botanical atlas

Marsh Labrador Tea

Ledum palustre

For centuries, people living around the cold bogs of northern Europe and Siberia gathered this low, fragrant shrub for its powerful, resinous scent long before anyone understood what was in it. It was burned or hung in cupboards and grain stores to drive off moths and other insects, and it was once brewed into a bittering agent for beer in the days before hops became standard, prized for making the drink hit harder. Folk healers reached for it as a fumigant and insect repellent, and in some regions it found its way into liniments rubbed onto sore, aching joints. None of these traditional uses involved drinking it freely, and that caution has carried forward into how herbalists regard the plant today.

Safety.

Marsh Labrador tea contains a strongly aromatic essential oil, rich in ledol and palustrol, that is genuinely toxic when taken in quantity. Historical accounts describe it causing headaches, dizziness, narcotic intoxication, convulsions, and even paralysis in people who drank strong infusions or who slept near large piles of the freshly cut plant, and it was once added to beer in place of hops specifically to make the brew hit harder, a practice that fell out of favor because it made drinkers ill. Folk tradition in parts of Northern and Eastern Europe also used it to bring on menstruation and end early pregnancy, so it should never be used by anyone who is pregnant or trying to conceive. Livestock have been poisoned by grazing on it in bogs, and its strong resinous scent alone can bring on headaches in sensitive people. Because the line between a mild traditional dose and a harmful one was never well defined, this is not an herb to prepare or ingest at home. Please do not attempt self-treatment with this plant, and speak with a qualified herbalist, physician, or toxicologist before ever handling it for anything beyond appreciating it in the wild.