Dried Nettle Leaf
Nettle has been used worldwide for centuries in a variety of countries and cultures.
It has been eaten as a wild food plant, applied topically to the skin,
and drunk as a mineral rich tea for its diuretic and soothing effects on the urinary tract.
It was used extensively for its fibers, similar to flax and hemp, and was woven into cloth.
Nettle fibers were considered to be high quality and comparable to flax or hemp in Northern Europe.
Nettle is
- astringent
- antiseptic
- diuretic
- trophorestorive (bringing balance to a system, in this case nettle seed is a trophorestorative to the kidney and adrenal glands)
History Lesson
Nettles has been employed as a spiritual talisman in which it was sprinkled
around the house to ward off evil or carried in a sachet in order to remove a curse and send it back.
Nettles have been consumed by a variety of cultures.
The spring shoots (leaf tips) were boiled as an edible vegetable like spinach.
Rosemary Gladstar suggests adding lemon, olive oil, and feta cheese to steamed young nettle tops.
Further, various native American cultures used an assortment of nettle preparations
for numerous illnesses and in pregnancy and childbirth.
Various sources suggest using the plant to stimulate hair growth.
According to the late herbalist Michael Moore, the seed contains trace amounts of formic acid that can be
used topically on the scalp to stimulate hair growth.
Uses And Preparations
Commonly the dried leaf and/or dried root is used as a tea, tincture or powdered and encapsulated.
A fresh plant tincture may be made as well (just be careful!!).
Additionally, the young tender shoots of the fresh plant may be eaten or made into juice.
Constituents
The leaves contain a multitude of vitamins and minerals including: A, B complex, C, E, K1, folic acid,
histamine, acetylcholine, formic acid, acetic acid, and butyric acid.
The hairs are made of silica and inject neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine,
histamine, 5HTP (serotonin), moroidin, leukotrienes into the skin.
Precautions
Specific: No known precautions.
General: We recommend that you consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using herbal products,
particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications.
Recent Comments