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The stinging nettle is a pest to many a gardener but the health advantages of this plant are truly amazing. Who would have thought a weed common to roadsides and wasteland could prove such a friend.
You see nettles are of such benefit because they contain high levels of minerals especially calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, silica, iodine and sodium. They are also a great source of vitamins A, C and E, B complex vitamins and beta-carotene. All of which are hugely important to good health and if that’s not all it proves to be a great natural antioxident.
The plant’s leaves, young shoots and roots are all used in varying preparations. They can be either dried, boiled or put in soups, teas and tinctures. Its uses for health are wide ranging.
Because nettles naturally contain anti-histamine they may be used for hay fever and other allergic reactions such as rashes, while a tincture may be applied to soothe burns and scalds or insect bites. Often it is drunk as a tea to treat respiratory problems like catarrh, nuisance coughs and tuberculosis. It’s also said to strengthen the immune system and fight off colds and flu symptoms.
The nettles diuretic properties increase urine flow which is huge benefit to sufferers of an enlarged prostate gland that would otherwise restrict that urine flow. In most men over the age of fifty the prostate naturally enlarges. Nettle tea drunk in conjunction with the taking of Saw palmetto is said to shrink an enlarged prostate. Indeed there is evidence that the humble nettle may inhibit the growth of prostate cells and treat prostate cancer.
Another use for nettle is its ability to aid the production of haemoglobin in red blood cells and assist blood coagulation, ideal if you are prone to heavy nosebleeds or menstrual periods. While finely ground dried root can stem blood loss when applied to minor cuts too. The plant has long been considered an aid to digestion and circulation.
A couple of thousand years ago Roman soldiers are said to have lashed their limbs and muscles with stinging nettle to stimulate circulation when frozen by bitter cold . Nowadays we take that same plant to use in preparations to cure baldness as its ability to stimulate circulation to the scalp may aid restoration of hair follicles. Many modern hair care products actually contain nettle as it can leave the hair shiny, glossy and feeling full bodied after washing.
These are just a fraction of the multitude of beneficial uses this much maligned plant can offer. If not improving your health or curing your ailments the humble nettle comes into
its own in many other ways too.
Harvest nettles and turn them into a powerful free liquid feed for your garden and plants, particularly tomato plants. Drink nettle tea as a refreshing and healthy pick-me-up or use
nettles in your cooking for soups, stews and as greens.
Mother nature has provided a gift in the lowly nettle and we should take full advantage of it.
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