Labrador Tea

Scientific Name(s): Groenlandicum Nutt. Ericaceae., Ledum groenlandicum Oeder Ericaceae., Ledum latifolium Jacq., Ledum palustre L. ssp.
Common Name(s): Haida tea, Hudson's Bay tea, Indian tea, James tea, Labrador tea, Marsh tea, Muskeg tea, Swamp tea

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Sep 9, 2021.

Clinical Overview

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.

Dosing

There is no clinical evidence to support specific dosage recommendations for Labrador tea. It can be made safely into a weak tea, but concentrations should not be too high. A tea for coughs, colds, bronchial infections, and pulmonary infections can be made by adding 1 teaspoonful of dried leaves to 1 cup of boiling water.

Contraindications

Contraindications have not been identified.

Pregnancy/Lactation

Information regarding safety and efficacy in pregnancy and lactation is lacking.

Interactions

None well documented.

Adverse Reactions

Research reveals little or no information regarding adverse reactions with the use of this product.

Toxicology

Labrador tea has narcotic properties. If taken in concentrations that are too high, it can cause symptoms of intoxication that can lead to paralysis and death. If Labrador tea should be consumed, take only in small doses with weak concentrations.

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, 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. The small (12 mm), white, bell-shaped, scented flowers grow from slender stalks in dense terminal clusters. The fruit is a many-seeded brown woody capsule.Turner 1997, Stuart 1987, Hutchens 1991 The species Ledum glanduosum Nutt. Ericaceae is not found on the coasts or mid-elevations compared with L. groenlandicum, which is more widespread.

History

"Labrador tea" is named after the swamps of Greenland and Labrador, where it grows in profusion. The name is probably derived from the Hudson Bay traders who sold the leaves for tea. Prior to that, the Haida people used it as a medicine.Turner 2005

During the American Revolution, it was one of several herbs used as a pleasant-tasting substitute for commercial tea. In Germany, leaves were added to beer to make it more intoxicating.

The Haida people picked the leaves before the shrubs would flower or in late summer, dry them, and boil the leaves for tea.Turner 2005

Although the plant is found as far south as Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, it is considered to be rare and could become an endangered species. Labrador tea has been used in folk medicine for coughs, chest and kidney ailments, headache, rheumatism, diarrhea, sore throat, and malignancies.Stuart 1987, Hutchens 1991, Duke 1985

Chemistry

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 valeri...