Labrador tea benefits: infusion, uses and cautions

Updated on 21 September 2026Published on 17 December 2018

Labrador tea is a low, woolly-leaved sub-shrub of the far north, from Greenland to Alaska, gathered for centuries as a fragrant hot drink. This page is for anyone who has a bag of dried leaves and wants to know what to do with it tonight: which part to use, how long to steep it, what it tastes like, and who should leave it alone.

Benefits of labrador tea plant — *The leaves are the only part used, fresh or dried*

Labrador tea at a glance

Labrador tea at a glance
Item	Detail
Botanical name	Rhododendron groenlandicum (formerly Ledum groenlandicum)
Other names	Eskimo tea, Greenland ledum, muskeg tea
Family	Ericaceae
Part used	Leaves (fresh or dried); young twigs occasionally
Forms of use	Hot infusion, cold lemonade, cooled compress, culinary seasoning, dried sachet
Harvest season	Leaves can be picked all year; mid-spring to late spring is preferred
Taste	Resinous and aromatic, pine and camphor notes, faintly sweet, no bitterness if kept short
Where it grows	Acid soil, bare rock, bogs, tundra, heath and coniferous forest of northern North America

What it is credited with

First Nations of northern and eastern North America drank the leaf infusion as an everyday warming beverage, and settlers of New France took up the habit.
Folk herbalism of the boreal forest credits the hot infusion with easing a scratchy throat and a tight chest during cold weather.
It has a long-standing reputation as a soothing after-dinner drink, taken for a heavy, cramped feeling in the stomach.
Traditional use includes sipping a small mug in the evening for restlessness and trouble settling down to sleep.
Northern folk herbalism credited the leaves with supporting the work of the liver and the kidneys — a reputation that is also the reason for the cautions further down this page.
A cooled, concentrated infusion was traditionally laid on the forehead and the back of the neck as a compress for a heavy head.
Applied externally, it has a traditional reputation against itchy skin complaints and head lice.
Dried and crushed leaves are a classic moth deterrent for wardrobes and linen drawers.
Some accounts report that the dried leaves were added to pipe mixtures and smoked.

Health benefits of labrador tea — *Two or three dried leaves per mug, and five minutes’ steeping*

How to use it

The hot infusion (the standard preparation)

Count 2 to 3 dried leaves per mug — no more. This is a strongly aromatic leaf and a little goes a long way.
Pour freshly boiled water over the leaves in the mug.
Cover and steep 5 minutes, then drink. Do not leave it longer: over-steeping draws out compounds that sit heavily on the stomach.
One mug a day is the traditional ceiling. Keep to it.
It takes honey well; a strip of lemon zest lifts the resinous note.

Cold Labrador tea lemonade (for about 1 quart / 1 litre)

Gather 12 Labrador tea leaves, 4 to 5 lemon slices and 2 teaspoons of honey.
Melt the honey gently in a little warm water.
Steep the leaves in ½ cup of boiling water for 5 minutes, then strain.
Mix the honey, the lemon slices and the strained infusion, leave a few minutes, then pour into a jug over ice.
Top up with cold water if the flavour is too strong. This is a sharing drink — spread over a day, not drunk by the jugful alone.

The cooled compress (external)

Steep 1 tablespoon of dried, crushed leaves in ½ cup of boiling water.
Leave until completely cool, then strain.
Soak a cloth compress, wring it out and lay it on the forehead and the nape of the neck for 10 to 15 minutes.
Test on the inner forearm first if your skin is reactive.

In the kitchen and around the house

The fresh leaves are chewed raw in some northern communities, and used crushed as a seasoning for meat and game.
Leaves and young twigs can be added to a marinade, or to the cooking liquid for a roast or a stew.
For moths: fill a small fabric pouch with dried crushed leaves and hang it among woollens; refresh it each year.

Forms of use compared
Form	Preparation	Traditionally used for
Hot infusion	2–3 dried leaves per mug, boiling water, 5 minutes, covered	The everyday warming drink; folk use for a scratchy throat or a heavy stomach
Cold lemonade	12 leaves steeped in ½ cup boiling water, mixed with lemon and honey, iced	A summer drink that keeps the dose light
Cooled compress	1 tablespoon crushed dried leaves in ½ cup boiling water, left until cool	Traditionally laid on forehead and neck for a heavy head
Culinary seasoning	Fresh or dried leaves crushed into marinades, rubs and cooking liquid	Flavouring meat and game, pine-resin aroma
Dried sachet	Crushed dried leaves in a fabric pouch	Deterring clothes moths in wardrobes and drawers

Cautions

Pregnancy: drinking Labrador tea is to be avoided completely. Some First Nations traditions describe women taking a little three times a day in the last few days before birth, when the baby was fully formed — that is a historical note, not a practice to copy, and there is nothing to show the plant is harmless to a developing child.
Breastfeeding and children: avoid, for the same reason — too little is known.
Keep the dose small: avoid drinking large quantities of the herbal tea. One mug a day is enough.
Do not over-steep: long steeping releases agents that are difficult to digest. Five minutes, then strain or drink.
Excessive amounts may bring on spasms, irritation of the digestive tract and nervous disturbance. Stop at once if you feel any of these.
Liver and kidneys: because this plant has a strong traditional reputation for acting on the liver and the urinary system, anyone with liver trouble, kidney trouble, prostate trouble, or a history of stones should not self-prescribe it and should ask a professional first.
On medication? Ask before starting, particularly with sedatives, blood pressure treatment, diuretics or anything processed by the liver.
Identify it properly: do not confuse it with other Ericaceae of the same bogs, especially marsh Labrador tea (Rhododendron tomentosum), which is far more strongly aromatic and not a drinking plant. If you are allergic to plants of the Ericaceae family, leave it alone.
Whatever the situation, always follow the guidelines and instructions for using and consuming Labrador tea, so as to avoid negative or undesirable results. You may also ask your consulting physician or a herbalist for advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

The one thing to remember: two or three dried leaves, five minutes in boiling water, one mug a day — and never during pregnancy.

How much Labrador tea can I drink in a day?

One mug a day is the traditional limit, and it is enough. Large quantities are best avoided, because excessive amounts have been linked with spasms, irritation of the digestive tract and nervous disturbance. If you want more volume, dilute it as a cold lemonade rather than brewing it stronger.

Why should I not let it steep for a long time?

Long steeping pulls out agents that are hard to digest, and the aromatic charm of the drink turns heavy. Five minutes covered is the right window. Strain or drink it at that point rather than leaving the leaves in the mug.

When is the best time to pick the leaves?

Leaves can be gathered all year round on an evergreen bush, but mid-spring to late spring is the favoured moment. They keep their scent well once dried flat in the shade and stored whole in an airtight tin.

Can I drink it while pregnant or give it to my children?

No. Drinking Labrador tea is to be avoided in pregnancy, and it is not for breastfeeding mothers or young children either, as there is nothing to show it is harmless to them. Older traditions of taking a little just before childbirth are historical accounts, not a model to follow.

What does it actually taste like?

Resinous and aromatic, with pine and camphor notes and a faint sweetness, closer to a conifer than to black tea. Kept to five minutes it stays clean and barely bitter; honey and a strip of lemon zest suit it well.

This information is provided for general interest and reflects the traditional use of plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice. If you are on medication, pregnant, or in any doubt, ask a healthcare professional.

Written by Gaspard Lorthiois | Loves helping out, especially when it comes to growing things. Worked in herbal medicine, runs a farm, and dabbles in tech. Master's degree and engineer.

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