Stinging Nettle

Let me tell you about a most maligned friend of mine called the Stinging Nettle.

Here we have a 3 to 6 foot plant with nothing about it to show its value. It has no big pretty flowers; instead the flowers are tiny and green. In has no unusual leaves to give it a "must save" value. So to defend itself, it has stiff, stinging hairs on the outside of the leaves and on the stems.

I had an herbalist call me to her house once because she told me that her Stinging Nettle wasn't stinging. And I found that they were very gentle plants. I had to work to get it to sting me. (Talking to plants is a subject for another article.) What most people don't know is that it also has an antidote to its stings and herein lies the treasure.

The spine of the leaf contains this antidote. While on an herbal walk in Utah, our instructor showed us how to eat fresh Nettle leaves. You pick the leaf by touching the spine on the back of the leaf. The leaf is then folded into itself, exposing the back of the leaf and breaking the leaf's spine. The secret is the very last part, breaking the spine. The juice of this spine counteracts the Nettle's poison or stings. In fact, this juice will counteract the poison of other plants as well.

It will act on Poison Ivy and Poison Oak. A friend of mine had large blisters all over one foot and up his leg. He told me it was Poison Ivy. I suggested that he try Stinging Nettle Tea on it. He called later in the day and was very happy as the blisters started to go down as he applied the tea and within hours his leg was back to normal.

I have known of other people who have tried this and it took a couple of days. According to my teacher, Dr. Christopher, "Herbs work best on clean bodies." If the toxins get stopped on the way out of the body by a clogged-up lymph system or a malfunctioning liver or constipated bowel, they tend to be recycled in the body. Most of the time toxins try to get out though the skin and one gets a "new rash" in another place.

An old rhyme tells of another way to handle the sting of Nettle. "Nettle in, Dock out, Dock rubs Nettle out." They are talking about Burdock and Yellow Dock. There are other herbs that handle the sting of Nettle too such as Rosemary and Sage leaves.

According to Ritchason, "The Indians used Nettle as a counter-irritant when in pain, by striking the affected part with the branches." This would bring the blood to that area and allow the healing to begin.

An interesting thing about Nettle is that once you dry it or cook it, it no longer stings on contact, but the other properties that make this a wonderful medicinal plant will still be there. Some of the chemical constituents are: Formic acid (in fresh plants), mucilage, iron phosphate, potassium phosphate, magnesium phosphate and potassium chloride." The Potassium phosphate is the basic food for our brain and nervous system. The potassium chloride is nature's masterpiece solvent of fibrin. On reading about this last talent, I think of how many people complain of Fibromyalgia, which basically is that old muscle and skin fibers have not dissolved and been flushed away like they are designed to be. Perhaps Nettle could be used for this too?

I have read where decomposing wounds and ulcers have healed after using Nettle as a daily wash.

With all of these wonderful organic minerals, according to Ritchason, it has the ability to alleviate allergic symptoms such as teary eyes and running nose, as it is antiasmatic. Ritchason also mentioned that it improves functions in most body organs.

In the past Nettle tea was used to cure dandruff and bring back one's natural color.

One of the things I learned about Nettle was that its leaves are rich in iron which helps the formation of hemoglobin in the blood. It has been used to purify and rebuild the blood.

Ritchason mentioned that it was very beneficial for pregnant women due to being rich in Vitamin K. Vitamin K guards against excessive bleeding. He also mentioned that Nettle improves kidney function and prevents hemorrhoids.

On the fun side, Nettle beer has been made by combining it with other herbs. This was used for gout and rheumatic pains but it mostly was enjoyed as a refreshing drink.

The name Nettle means "textile plant". Nettle has been harvested like flax to be made into cloth. During the war many European countries grew and harvested it. It was thought (according to Ritchason) to be, "inferior to silk but much superior to cotton for velvet and plush."

I like a cup of Nettle tea a couple times a week. I like to add a little licorice root to my tea to sweeten it but as you can see, Nettle needs to be given a place of honor in your herbal medicine chest.

Reference - Ritchason, Jack, The Little Herb Encyclopedia, Woodland Health Books, Pleasant Grove, UT, 1995, 402 pgs.