A rock and a hard place.
I’m sitting here at my desk, headache, pressure, itchy watery eyes, sneezing, roll of toilet paper under heavy use. Welcome to spring in Houston. Tree pollen is off the charts, cars are covered with a dingy green powder and I am miserable. I have taken Claritin and Benadryl, but those meds don’t relieve all my symptoms. Plus, I can only take a small amount of antihistamines before I become dehydrated. For me, that means kidney stones. No!!!!! The proverbial rock and hard place.
Enter Nettles
As a budding herbalist, I decided to see what natural medicine offers. Results? I found nettles (Urtica dioica), the stinging kind. Growing up in Seattle I remember running through the woods and agonizing the sting of nettles until I found that bracken fern leaves alleviate the pain of the sting. That was the extent of my nettle knowledge base. Imagine my wonder to find out that the noxious little weed that tormented my recesses as a child was so handy to have around.
Benefits of Nettles
Okay, seriously, nettles are one of the most versatile plants out there. Not only do they cover the earth, they cover all the bases from nutritious food to building materials. Here are some of the best uses I’ve found for nettles.
- Allergies: Nettles improves the body’s ability to resist pollen, mold, pollutants and food born allergies.
- Nutritive: Nettles can be considered a “super-food.” It contains protein, beta-carotene, vitamins E-C-B-K, Iron, Calcium and many more. It makes a great pudding and beer (who doesn’t love beer?).
- Body Builder: Nettles help build blood, bones, joints, skin and lymph system. It helps the blood clot, speeds healing, improves varicose veins.
- Topically: Nettles can be used as a hair rinse for dandruff, hair loss and increase the shine; Astringent for skin problems and burns.
- Detoxifies and is an Antidote: Nettles improves the body’s natural detoxification and is used as an antidote to poisons and insect sting and bites.
- Pain reliever: Nettles are an anti-inflammatory. It provides pain relief when ingested and the sting of the plant has been used to relieve arthritis pain.
- Wearable: the fibers of the nettle plant are comparable to hemp and flax to make the finest cloth for clothing, table and bed linens. In fact, the Germans ran out of cotton in wartime turned to the humble nettle for a new resource for textiles. They found it to be a superior replacement. Why didn’t they continue to use it? Nettles resist cultivation and the wild plants can’t produce as quickly. I guess you could say they are rebels and that makes me like them even more.
I personally brew nettle tea, put them in smoothies, and add them to soups. I find they balance my body and relieve my allergy symptoms. But, don’t take my word for it….. add it to your diet today.
Warnings: Nettles are safe for use by everyone.
Parts Used: Seed, leaf, and root
References
Easley, Thomas, and Steven Horne. 2016. The Modern Herbal Dispensatory. North Atlantic Books.
Grieve, M. 1971. A Modern Herbal, Volumn II. Dover.
Hoffman, David. 2010. Medical Herbalism: The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine. Healing Arts Press.
Mars, Brigitte. 2016. The Desktop Guide to Herbal Medicine. Basic Health.