Labrador Tea

Rhododendron groenlandicum, formerly Ledum groenlandicum, is known as bog Labrador tea, muskeg tea, swamp tea, Hudson's Bay tea, and in Greenlandic as Qajaasaq. It is a species of flowering shrub in the family Ericaceae, found in northern North America and Greenland, growing primarily in bogs and other wetlands in cold, acidic and nutrient-poor environments. It is a low shrub with evergreen leaves that are wrinkled on top, with a thick waxy cuticle and a leathery texture, and white hairs underneath that turn red-brown with age. The small white flowers have a sweet aroma. It has traditionally been used to make medicinal herbal teas among the Dene, Athabaskan, Inuit and other Indigenous peoples of North America. The leaves are regularly used to make a fragrant tea by many Native American tribes, such as the Quinault, Makah, Potawatomi, Anishinaabe and Iroquois. The plant contains toxic alkaloids that may be toxic to humans in concentrated doses. Its essential oil is popular in aromatherapy.