May’s Oil of the Month comes from a beautiful, low growing shrub called Ledum. It goes by many other names including Labrador Tea, Greenland Moss, Swamp Tea, and Marsh Tea. Despite its swampy monikers, this plant has a rich history in North America and has been a favorite for its many uses.
Let’s take a look at some of the amazing ways to use Ledum!
*Don’t have Ledum? Make sure to become an Oil of the Month member to get unique, monthly surprises to your door every month!
Background
For the Native Americans, the Ledum plant was considered a cure-all and beneficial for many ailments. The leaves were also used to make herbal tea for its therapeutic benefits. It was even used in Russian folk medicine to help with respiratory concerns and skin issues. Fun fact, when the British imposed higher taxes on tea during the American Revolution, they used Ledum to replace the tea.
How it’s made
Our Ledum essential oil is steam distilled from the leaves of the plant that is grown in Canada. The plant these leaves come from an evergreen shrub that grows about five feet in height and has white flowers. It’s also a quite hardy plant that can survive fires. It’s one of the first plants to grow back after a fire. Ledum prefers to grow in wet, marshy soil, but can also thrive in rocky, drier areas up in the mountains.
Benefits
Before you know it, this oil will be sure to be one of your favorites. It has a herbaceous, peppery, slightly sweet aroma. When you’re feeling emotionally turbulent, add a few drops to your diffuser to help provide feelings of calm and reduce nervousness. This is especially useful if you have a hard time winding down before bed.
Ledum is also well known for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, making it extremely useful for joint pain. You can also apply it topically diluted in a carrier oil to help with digestive concerns. And it’s a great oil to use during times of respiratory congestion and seasonal illnesses to help with breathing and support the immune system.
Some things you need to know about Ledum….
Is it KidSafe? Yes
Shelf Life: 1-2 years
Blending
Ledum has a herbaceous, peppery, slightly sweet aroma that is sure to please. Some oils to blend with Bergamot, Cedarwood, Lemon, Lavender, Petitgrain, Rose, and Sweet Fennel.
Make sure to head over to our Safe Essential Oil Recipes group on Facebook for more ideas and inspiration on how to use the new Oil of the Month.
If you have any questions or need more information, feel free to reach out to our aromatherapists at [email protected]!
If I buy a OOTM may i buy this oil ‘Ledum’ today or next week?
If you purchase the OOTM, you’ll receive November’s Oil of the Month selection, which hasn’t been revealed. But if you reach out to our Customer Satisfaction team at [email protected], they’ll let you know if Ledum is still available for purchase.
Ledum and Cistus are absolutely my favorite therapeutic OOTMs! I have found them extremely valuable in blending them into my natural balms and creams to eliminate my eczema! They are miracle oils! I wish they were available all the time but I stocked up when they were OOTM. But I’m nearly out. I love blending Ledum with Peppermint and Spearmint. Peppermint & Spearmint were helpful when my sinuses act up but the addition of Ledum clears up my sinuses! Did I mention that I love the therapeutic benefits of this oil? I also use it on cuts and scrapes, really helps heal quickly!
I think this oil smells like pencil shaving. Not my favorite smell. Anyway I read the paper that came with my oil and saw that it was good for pains and inflammation. I have the most intense pains from my left hip down to my left middle toes. I mixed a few drops into jojoba oil and rubbed directly on the pains in my leg. I couldn’t believe how much it helped. The pains weren’t gone but I was able to start moving some again.
Please consider bringing this oil into the fold.
Life has been crazy busy, so I’m just now getting around to reading/learning about May’s OOTM. I’m so glad I have this and can’t wait to use it in pain blends. From the article (and the reviews!) it sounds like it’s amazing for that. Thank you for another fantastic OOTM!
LOVE it in my pain blend!!!!
The ootm club is great. I continue to receive oils and blends that I probably wouldn’t know about or try without it coming as a surprise. Then I do my research on the oil to learn more which usually leads to more research and more learning about other oils and ways to use.
I finally just joined OOTM and am looking forward to my first month’s oil. I’m hoping it’s as good as everyone says it is!
Please make this an oil readily available on your website!
My 1st ever OOTM, love it! <3
I got this as the OOTM for May and am wishing I had ordered an extra one! It sounds like it’s going to work well in a pain blend for my hubby. Hopefully it comes back soon! (And doesn’t sell out immediately)
I don’t often purchase multiples of an OOTM, but this one I did. The price point was amazing compared to some other companies. And I made a pain blend that I like. Hope to see it in the regular line-up that PT offers.
I loved this oil! Please make it available regularly. I mixed it with bergamot and lavender for my nighttime routine.
This is such a popular oil I jumped and purchased 4 bottles before the month ran out! I really hope this becomes part of the regular lineup. It has become a staple in my pain blend for my headaches!!
I’ve really enjoyed using this for sleep in the diffuser… excited to try for pain in a roller. Really hope this becomes a regular!
Super excited about joining the oil of the month club. Bummed I missed out on some past oils like this but it’s ok because I’m subscribed now!
This was my very first OOTM oil! I am so glad y’all explain it’s benefits as I have never even heard of the oil! Thank you!
So sad I missed this! Will it become a regular?
Some of our OOTMs do eventually become part of our regular lineup. So it’s possible!
Thank you, PT for a great OOTM. I’m never disappointed.
Love, Love, Love this oil! It has been a major game changer for me. I get headaches a couple times a week and if I didn’t take something for them, they would turn into migraines. I got my first bottle of Ledum, early in May. I haven’t touched an aspirin bottle since then. I mixed ledum and a carrier oil at 2% dilution and put some on my temples when I start to get a headache. I really hope Plant Therapy brings this into their regular inventory.
I hope Plant Therapy adds this to the regular oil line because after trying it, this made my “must have on hand at all times list”. I have struggled with carpel tunnel and tennis elbow for a long time now and I could never find anything that helped with the pain the way this does. I added it to a pain blend I made and it made all the difference. I now never leave home without it. Thank you PT! Without you I never would have tried this amazing oil!!!!
I love this oil!! I didn’t realize it was possible to order extra on this or I would have. The scent is mild but pleasant and my experience so far is that it helped a lot with sore muscles when I added it to a blend of bergamot, ho wood and vetiver that I’ve been using to relax before bed.
This oil was such an amazing surprise and it arrived at just the right time to take care of seasonal allergy congestion and also helps with my husband’s lower back pain. If this becomes a regularly offered oil, we will definitely be purchasing again and again! I wish we would have bought more in May!
This oil sounds great for pain, which I really need. I may need to order myself a bottle.
This stuff is AMAZING! I woke up with a sore neck and used this in a carrier oil and a roller bottle. Put it all over what was hurting and within an hour it was SOOOO much better!!
Love love love this oil!!! I wish I could’ve afforded to purchase more than 2! It is amazing for pain! I have made a pain lotion for my parents and an aloe rub for my daughter!!!
I cannot even tell you how wonderful this has worked for joint pain relief, it is so amazing! Thank you so much for this!!!
I’ve started using this in a pain blend with fantastic franks and copaiba and really like it. I hope PT will keep this oil around.
*Typo correction of last submission*
I kind of wish I would have been able to afford to join the oil of the month club sooner, and I’m glad I found this blog. Now, I know I can order multiple Oil Of The Month bottles per month. I Just got my Ledum in the mail today. (Placed my order the VERY end of May) I’m one of those, insomniac, always hyper, has a lot of stress to deal with, with bouncing thyroid levels (in the past it’s gone from borderline hyper, to borderline hypo, and my mother actually had to have hers removed due to a tumor when she was younger. If plant therapy picks this up permantly, I would definitely make it a regular order, and see if she would like to try it, too.) I put some in my 380ml Plant Therapy diffuser, (not feeling well at all today, and could not sleep last night) and I was out like a light shortly after and slept a solid 4-5hrs with normal day movement from other people. I think I’m going to be conservative with this oil, until Plant Therapy decides to carry it on a regular basis.
I bought 10 bottles of this when it was the OOTM because I knew how expensive this was and I had to snap it up while it was a great deal. Ledum supposedly dissolves cellulite so I use it in my body butters and rub it on after my shower.
Wondering how it has worked on the cellulite?
I’m working on a blend, will add if it’s working well.
I got this at the end of the month and I love it so much. There are so many wonderful uses for it. I’m really hoping pt brings this one back permanently.
I LOVED this oil and wish I ordered it again. I am part of the OOTM club, and what a surprise this was. The benefits of this oil are amazing, I wish Plant therapy sold it regularly, I am almost afraid to use it so I don’t run out.
So glad I got this one, only wish I would have preferred more bottles of it. I’ve made a roller for pain and it really does work. Thy oil is so expensive everywhere I’ve looked. Hopefully the bottle will last me a role and eventually pt will make it an in stock oil!
Thank you for writing this blog! Love that you guys so generously give us so much education so we are as educated as we can be on all our oils! Thank you
Ledum is such an amazing scent! I was pleasantly surprised that it could be sweet, peppery and almost like a hint of tea tree all in one. It also came at the perfect time, the most stressful week of the year at work, crunch time for a horse show that I’m secretary for, and I’m also halfway to buying a house! I’m gonna diffuse the whole bottle just getting me through my anxiety!
I love this oil. Had to get three. 1st bottle is already gone.
Ledum is an amazing oil. Please make it a regular item! I loved it so much I picked up 3 more and hope to grab a few more since it is such a great value. I recently made a pain blend that works so well. Love this oil!
I think Ledum is now my very favorite oil I have purchased so far. It works so well for pain and smells wonderful. I bought 3 bottles and still considered getting just one more. With everyone loving this one so much I am willing to bet PT will have it as a regular soon!
Ledum smells amazing! I have already enjoyed it in my office diffuser, alone and with a few drops of Bergamot Mint, which worked quite well together. Looking forward to exploring the other benefits of this EO.
I’m blending it with Frank. Serrata and Copaiba for pain! It’s fantastic.
AMAZING in a bottle! I LOVE this OOTM. I ordered 5 additional bottles with the cost savings and versatility of the oil. It is wonderful for pain and sleep.
My mom took a spill scraped up and bruised her arm and hurt her hip yesterday. At the time I was lucky to have handy my “better than kisses” synergy salve I made. helped a lot (my mother was surprised!) and today I made a new one with BTK synergy, ledum and copaiba at 3% dilution using organic coconut oil and jojoba oil.
I am hoping for some pain relief, help with inflammation and bruising! *fingers crossed*
Loving this for pain! Added copaiba and its a powerhouse…. thank you!
I love the OOTM! Can’t wait to try it with copaiba or turmeric in a tendonitis blend
I’ve used ledum in a passive diffusion to help me sleep (gotta make sure I have 8 hrs to devote to that sleep!) and plan to try it in my pain relief body butter in the future. I recognized the name from some of the historical fictions I’ve read. 🙂
That historical fiction sounds intriguing… Would love to know what you’ve read! 🙂
My wife joined OOTM club. We enjoyed Ledum so much that I decided to sign up as well to get another bottle. Very relaxing to diffuse with Bergamot right before bedtime.
Love this oil! Thank you PT!
I’m loving this oil for pain relief. I’ve mixed it in a lotion and it has done wonders on my back pain. I ordered an extra bottle.
Love the smell of this! I used it at night for congestion and slept like a rock and felt pretty good when I woke up. Added it to a pain blend and didn’t feel a big difference, but I had a crazy right neck so nothing was helping it.
Ledum is next on my ordering list, I want to blend it for an inflammation & pain oil with coconut oil as the carrier
I love this oil! I have found several uses for it already, and ordered a 2nd bottle.
I haven’t used this one much yet, but so far I enjoy it.
just ordered mine, in the nick of time!!!
If this oil were to stay as part of the regular lineup, how much would it cost? Just how good of a deal did we get with this OOTM?
The cost would vary, Chelsey! I would just encourage you to keep checking back. A few of our oil of the month additions have become a part of our regular line up over time.
Sounds super yummy!
I love blending this with other oils to help with arthritis pain. I put in 1 drop of ledum, 1 drop frank, 1 drop pink pepper, 1 drop copiaba and 1 drop turmeric. It’s a great oil and I love it. Thanks, Plant Therapy, for helping me learn of more ways I can use this blessing of an oil. Tonight I will diffuse it to help with allergies and anxiety to see if it helps the household sleep better! This is why I love PT.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE Ledum! I Pray it gets to stay!! It has helped so much with pain & anxiety for me I’d order it again this month but its just not in the funds
Because of Ledum I joined OOTM.. Couldn’t resist as this oil will be a great & unique addition to my collection.
Thank you PT for sharing info about Ledum, I have never heard of it but now I will have to add it my list!
I am in love with Ledum! Iy has a pleasant clean herbaceous smell. It really works for sore muscles. I had some inflammation going on from over using my muscles and it relieved the pain and soreness. I will continue to explore its other properties.
Is it too late to order? There is only 1 day left in May.
Loving this oil of the month! Thanks for sharing the background on this oil!
This was my first OOTM and I LOVE it! The smell is so unique and wonderful! I have one more day to decide if I should purchase another! I may have to I love it so much!
This is one of my favorite essential oils from OOTM so far!
I love this oil so much that I purchased 2 more bottles! I use it to for pain and for calming my mind!
Such an awesome oil of the month!
It’s on its way! Can’t wait to try it!
Is Ledum safe while breastfeeding?
This oil is Kidafe but not Pregnancy & Nursing Safe.
This made me finally spring for OOTM! I’m only familiar with it for homeopathy, but excited to see it in an oil version.
I already own 7 bottles of ledum and this just made me want more!!!! I also love using this for issues with my adrenals and thyroid fatigue! Such a unique lovely oil!
Hmmm…you may have convinced me to join the oil of the month club and get it!
I just got my bottle in the mail yesterday. I can’t wait to try it out in a roller for pain and digestive issues.
I just got my bottle yesterday! Can’t wait to try it for pain and digestive issues!
You don’t have to post my previous comment bc I found the answer ty
Love this to help me wind down before bed. Ordered 2 more bottles.
I am absolutely in love with this smell, I ordered a second bottle. I am debating on a third just because I dont know if it can/will become a regular product.
I think you just persuaded me to renew my OOTM subscription for this month… I was on the fence but it sounds like a great oil to add to my collection with its many uses! Thanks!
I ordered it and hoping to use it for my back pain. Waiting patiently for it to arrive.
Smells herby from the bottle and a little like ho wood when diffused. I’m excited to try different things with this oil
I’ve been waiting for this info – thanks so much and for bringing us this EO! I’m so glad I got in on this awesome and useful oil – glad I bought more than one!
Is Ledum 3rd trimester pregnancy safe?
I’m sorry Jennifer, but no it’s not!
After hearing all about the OOTM club, I finally decided to join this month. My ledum oil is on its way and this blog was my first stop in figuring out how I’m going to use it. Next stop, the Facebook group. So much information!
This was my second OOTM, and I loved it! I made a ledum/copaiba pain roller that’s been really helpful so far.
Was the recipe here or of your own? Would you mind sharing? Sounds like something worth trying!
Thank you for offering this unique oil in the OOTM selection to try. I found the scent is hard to describe but not in a bad way. I am going to continue to try this oil in different blends for different purposes and see how it work for me.
Hope this one becomes available on your regular offerings. Had never heard of this oil and would like it on my wish list. Thanks!
Look forward to trying this one, sounds great.
I love ledum!
I joined OOTM just for this oil! So excited to start using it!
Never heard of this oil before. Definitely unique! Does the Oil of the Month ever get added to the main website for purchase at the end of the month?
Some Oil of the Month selections eventually become part of our permanent collection. But there’s no guarantee of if or when it will happen, so it’s best not to wait!
Do you sell them separately??
This oil is only available as part of the Oil of the Month subscription.
Love this oil for sleep, and am going to buy another one in case this doesn’t become a PT staple! And the price! Holy cow…this is one excellent deal! Thank you, PT!
Sounds like a great oil to add to my collection.
Fascinating. I love that this is an oil of the month. I would love to try this for my pain blends.
This was such an awesome oil for my first ootm!!!
This oil seems like it can do SO MUCH! I love that it is kid safe as well!
This is really neat. I love being part of the OOTM club and it’s how I found PT in the first place. I am about to make a pain blend and will include this one in it for sure. Here’s a little tidbit of info: Farley Mowat is a Canadian author and if you go through the Canadian public school system, chances are you will end up reading one of his books. Lost in the Barrens is a pretty famous one where two boys get lost up north and have to survive the coming winter together. The Labrador tea they make is the only other thing besides water that they have to drink.
I look forward to trying this one in the near future! Sounds like another wonderful oil to have in my collection!
Thank you Plant Therapy for offering this unique oil !!!! Plus soooooo much less $$$ then other EO companies !!! I ordered 3 bottles as I am always looking for oils that can be rotated in my pain blends .
I was excited to receive Ledum as the May OOTM. It has a pleasant scent that I find difficult to describe. It is just unique. I haven’t had the need (opportunity) to use it yet for pain purposes, but the information that I have read sounds fantastic.
I was thrilled to receive Ledum as my new OOTM. it is a valuable addition to my oils and a great one for my joint pain!
Love the multiple benefits of this oil. I diffused it with bergamot and cedarwood last night. Very relaxing and lovely blend.
This oil looks so versatile and matches my needs so perfectly that I ordered 2. I hope you guys make this part of your regular lineup!
Looking forward to trying this one! I’ve heard great things about ledum!
Thanks to OOTM I now know about Ledum. So far I have only used it in my diffuser but will be making a pain blend with it as well!
Yes, where do we sign the “Please add this to your lineup” petition? 🙂