On this blog we are going to talk about stinging nettles and its health uses.
Nettles are super good for this time of year for allergies, for all kinds of inflammation and it makes a really good tea. The tricky bit about it though is that they are stinging.
If you touch them without gloves on you can see little hairs all over them. Those hairs are little hollow spikes of silica and it stings like a bee sting or a burn. It goes away pretty quick but it definitely hurts.
Planting stinging nettles as a boost for other plants
We plant these around our fruit trees to help with the nutrition of the trees. Just like a person, the trees need a good immune system and stinging nettles provide that.
We just try and plant all the herbs along the base of the trees to help the trees get the medicinal properties. Then we have nice little herb patches for when we need them too.
Our stinging nettles are in one of our guilds. A guild is where you plant a tree and then under that you plant other plants that are beneficial for the tree but that you can also eat and use and that kind of thing.
Stinging nettle is a really good one to put underneath a tree. Like a fruit tree.
However, it stings so you have to be a little careful if you’re going to use it. But it does have a lot of medicinal properties. It also has a mint in it, which you will smell overwhelmingly.
Preparing Stinging Nettles as Tea
When picking them you just want to cut the good green leafy parts. After that, you boil them and the stingers go away. You can use the tea as a good kind of tonic for allergies.
I think the one tip is don’t let it steep too long, because just like any tea, it’ll get more bitter the longer it stays in there. And keep the temperature low so that it doesn’t get too bitter.
Simple Recipe:
Boil the stinging nettle for upto 170 degrees. Don’t go higher than 180 because you will lose the medicinal benefits of the herb. Leave it on for about 15 minutes, don’t forget to cover the pot that you are boiling it in to keep the essential oil in the air. Basically, you are making essential oils in that process of boiling and steaming.
After boiling it for 15 minutes, you can add some honey. Voila, you have a tea!
The rest you can keep in half gallon jars for later use.
Uses of Stinging Nettle
Stinging Nettles as an anti-allergy
The stinging nettle is really good for allergies and stuff. So you can make a tea out of it, you can dry it and crush it up.
Stinging Nettle as a food
You could also dry it and then put it in a blender and make smoothies. You can even eat it on a salad. You can eat it like spinach, cooked spinach. You can’t go wrong with some butter and salt. Cook it in a pan with butter and salt to make the stingers go away.
Stinging nettles are generally considered a weed but it’s got so many great benefits that if you just know what to do with it then your weed becomes your garden. This is so simple.
Other uses of Stinging Nettles
You can read about stinging nettles and its history on Illustrated Guide to Herbs by Anne Kruger. But the thing is when my dad was here last time, he told me things about stinging nettles.
The fibers in the nettle can be used for a lot of different things. It can be used to make strings for bows. It can be made into a fabric too. Because it is actually a little like hemp, you can weave nets or make table cloth out of it. So versatile.
It is also very high in Vitamin C and Iron. It is probably the reason why it is very good for allergies.
And it also has a lot of silica in it, which is one of the reasons we plant it next to the plants!
It draws out a lot of silica, which is really good for the health of the plants. But silica is really good for us too! For our nails and our joints and for our hair.
Also, it actually says that it keeps your hair from falling out. If you have an issue with your hair falling out, it could be a good option. But also has been long known as an antidote for arthritis and I think probably for a similar reason. Gout was on the list too.
And last but not least, it also said people would make their own home-brewed beer! A home-brewed nettle beer to ease rheumatic pain.
Stinging Nettles Rock!
We’ve got a few projects coming up with nettles. A weaving project and a beer project is. Who knows?! So stay tuned, we’ll see what we can make.
[activecampaign form=25]
Add Comment