Stinging nettle

“Since I got to know the medicinal properties of the nettle, it has become my habit to undergo four-week courses of drinking treatment; I drink tea from the nettle shoots in spring and autumn when they appear after the second mowing of grass. I drink one glass on an empty stomach 30 minutes before breakfast and then sip 1-2 glasses a day. In the morning the nettle tea should also be sipped rather than drink to enhance its properties. I feel inexpressibly good after such treatment and every time I drink it I feel I am able to do three times more than usually. “

My dears, May is a good time for herbs, and for the nettle as well! We should not waste such a good occasion, because it can be found everywhere. Remember only to collect it in places far away from roads and pollution.

Nettle leaves contain organic acid (glycolic acid, glycerol acid, etc.), vitamins (C, K up to 0.64%, B2, pantothenic acid), flavonoids, tannin, carotenoids, phytosterols (β-sytosterol), trace of essential oil, chlorophyll up to 0.7%, amine compounds (histamine, acetylcholine, serotonin). In the roots traces of organic acids, phytosterols, waxy and mucous substances, lecithin, minerals and soluble silica have been found.

Properties of the nettle

• facilitates excreting bigger amounts of chlorides, urea and harmful products of metabolism
• stopping bleeding, prevents gastrointestinal micro-bleeding thanks to vitamin K (found abundantly in the leaves) and also tannin and flavonoids
• stimulates gastric juices, makes digestion and absorbing easier, mitigates inflammation processes in the digestive tract
• slightly reduces blood sugar
• increases the level of hemoglobin and erythrocytes in plasma the same as products containing iron
• reportedly increases hair growth

The simplest tea to make is to pour boiling water over 2 tablespoons of shredded leaves of the nettle. Drain the leaves after 10 minutes and drink 2-3 times a day between meals. Some herbalists claim that the nettle should be boiled in a covered dish for 5 minutes over low heat, which guarantees better use of active compounds

I also recommend recipes by Stefania Korżawska:

Decoction od the nettle root

Pour a glass of boiling water over a tablespoon of shredded leaves. Boil it up and leave it for 15 minutes. Drain it off. Drink 2-3 times a day. It detoxifies, improves metabolism, prevents anaemia.

Nettle juice

½ a litre of juice from washed and dried nettles squeeze in a juicer. Pour it into a bottle. Store in the fridge. Drink one tablespoon of the juice diluted in ¼ glass of water 2-3 times a day for 14 days. It cleanses and detoxifies an organism in spring. Applied externally, it strengthens hair.

Nettle oil

A few handfuls of freshly cut stems or 10 tablespoons of dried nettle herb put in a jar and pour linseed oil. It has to cover the herb completely. Put the jar aside in a dark place. Shake it from time to time. After 3-4 weeks strain it through a sieve or linen cloth (you can heat the jar in hot water and leave it to cool). Then pour it into a bottle. Store in the fridge. The oil helps to treat sick skin and take care of the healthy one. It is worth applying in case of eczema, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis. It helps to treat dandruff, excessive hair loss and to strengthen damaged hair. The oil should be massaged into your scalp. Put on a plastic head cap and leave it overnight. Wash it off in the morning. Repeat until you see the effects.

May walk – collecting the stinging nettle! 🙂