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| Article: Stinging Nettles - Helpful, Healthy Herbs - by Victoria Kindle | ||
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The common nettle has a long history as a medicinal herb. Culpeper recommended the use of nettles to "...consume the phlegmatic superfluities in the body of man, that the coldness and moisture of winter has left behind". Native Americans used the fresh leaves to treat aches and pains. European herbalists used the leaves in a similar fashion to treat gout and arthritis. It has since been found to contain alkaloids that neutralize uric acid which helps to reduce the symptoms of rheumatism. Surprisingly, although the nettle sting is highly irritant, once dried to neutralize the acid, the leaves are a natural anti-histamine and also have anti-asthmatic properties. As an expectorant, it's recommended for asthma, mucus conditions of the lungs, and chronic coughs. Nettle tincture is also used for flu, colds, bronchitis and pneumonia. Drinking and eating Nettles can help reduce spring allergies, nourish and support your kidneys, reduce high blood pressure, improve digestion and elimination, and also help with menopause. The B vitamins in Nettles help with stress and depression and the trace minerals are known to help increase stamina and energy. It’s also recommended for weight loss, but you may shed more water than fat. Eating, drinking and lathering it on your head makes your hair brighter, thicker and shinier, and makes your skin clearer and healthier—good for eczema and other skin conditions. Nettles have cleansing and antiseptic properties, so the tea is also good in facial steams and rinses. The dried powdered leaves can also be used to staunch the flow of blood from small cuts. In recent times the nettle has also been found to be effective in the treatment of benign prostate hypertrophy. German researchers are using nettle root extracts for prostate cancer, and Russian scientists are experimenting with nettle leaf tincture for hepatitis and gall bladder inflammation. Nettles contain lots of iron, silicon, protein, and potassium, and vitamins A, B, C, E, D, F, K and P, calcium, sulphur, sodium, copper, manganese, chromium and zinc. Also high in Nitrogen, which makes a great plant fertilizer. Plant them around your garden to host beneficial insects. When dried and turned into a hay the nettle loses its sting and becomes palatable to livestock and fowl for nutritious eggs and increased milk production. Smart breast-feeding moms know and drink this nutrient rich weed tea. DID YOU KNOW: Cloth made from nettle fibres was used as a substitute for cotton to produce German Army uniforms during the First World War. And the English used the chlorophyll rich nettle as the green dye used in camouflage paint during WWII. Healthy Blessings! |
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Victoria Kindle is an herbalist and lover of all things natural,
living with the land in beautiful Red Boiling Springs, Tennessee. |
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