I have recently discovered the power of the common nettle! It is so abundant and familiar it is hard to believe we pass it by and miss out on its rich picking every spring. Now is the prime time to harvest the fresh nutrient dense leaves of vitality.
I tend to use scissors to snip off the top and knock it straight into a cloth bag. Each tip looks like a cross with opposite pairs of deeply toothed leaves, larger ones below, with its little cluster of central new growth. The stinging hairs can be seen with the naked eye and will only sting when firm so they can act as tiny syringes. Any process that makes them droopy will ensure they cannot give you that irritating injection of histamine.
I like to put one whole nettle top into a mug for a cuppa, just pouring hot water direct from the kettle. It’s becomes more vividly green, colours the water green and even smells green! It seems to me to be bursting with life and energy and is fresh and invigorating. It is so packed with nutrients that you can actually taste the minerals and I definitely recommend trying for yourself. It is even more nutritious when consumed whole as a vegetable and so my kitchen loving gardening husband makes a delicious soup that thankfully even the children love!
It is so revitalising it worked wonders for me after a strong bout of the ‘flu, with a recovery that seemed to drag on for at least 6 weeks. The nourishing soup seemed to restore my get-up-and-go, and gave me my thirst for life back. This is not surprising as it is highly nutritive and the perfect convalescent food. It contains minerals and vitamins that are very easily absorbed by the body, directly feeding worn-out cells in need of restoration.
The ‘flu seemed to heavily tax my body’s resources and I was left with a deficit which presented as low energy, low motivation and low mood. Even though I was well past the active infection stage, I was still not back to full strength. I even came down with a cold shortly after, and then swollen tonsils following that. I was taking a personalised tincture, supplements, and enjoying healthy meals of fresh vegetables grown and cooked by my husband that kept me going, but I hadn’t yet restored my sense of vitality. Not until nettle came on the scene!
As I felt so depleted and without energy I decided it was wise to be prepared for my period and so my husband made a huge batch of nettle soup to see me through. It is so iron-rich it was the obvious choice. Usually I experience tiredness over my bleed, however, this time something wonderful happened; the exact opposite! In fact, I felt so energised I was able to enjoy a 3hr country ramble without crawling to soak in a salt bath to recover afterwards.
I ate nettle soup for four days over that weekend and I can honestly say that I do believe my return to full health was down to the fresh living green energy of nettle. Nettle has a very deep root system that draws up nutrients from deep within the soil that other plants cannot access. These nutrients include iron, calcium, magnesium and silicon, plus vitamins A, C, D and B complex. For this reason, it improves energy, mood and mental clarity.
We call it a tonic because it tones, strengthening tissues by offering it the nutrients needed for optimum cellular functioning. Nettle is also a diuretic and for this reason supports the body in its detoxification processes. It stimulates the kidneys whose job it is to remove wastes. This helps take the burden off the skin which steps in as an excretory organ when the body is overloaded and can’t keep up with removal. Such as the removal of numbers of dead virus following a strong infection, or an increase in stress hormones that must be broken down by the liver. Add to that a surge of female hormones, alcohol and poor diet, skin issues will start to appear. As the wastes get pushed out through the skin they aggravate skin conditions; this is why it is helpful to reduce the toxic burden with diuretics, bitter liver herbs and gut aids. That way the skin is left in peace.
If fact, the skin not only benefits from the removal of wastes, but also in strengthening its integrity due to the presence of silicon which is required to produce collagen. It acts as the glue that provides flexibility, strength and resilience. Hair and nails benefit too from this mineral, as do joints. Silicon also improves the carriage of oxygen by red bloods cells by up to 20%, which is yet another reason why I felt unusually energised on my walk during my period.
Due to its histamine content and anti-inflammatory property it is commonly used to good effect as a hay fever tea, and not only treats the symptoms of arthritic disease, but also acts to strengthen bones and joint tissues with its nutrient cocktail of silicon, calcium and boron.
As a circulatory stimulant nettle benefits all tissues by increasing the rate of metabolic waste removal and the delivery of nutrients, and with magnesium in its repertoire, it eases muscular tension, similar to the way in which a magnesium salt bath provides the mineral essential to relaxation.
Being so highly nutritious and having had such a positive personal experience with nettle, I have now dried them in our dehydrator to crush up and use as a sprinkle to enrich our meals on a daily basis. If you try this at home, remember the hairs are still ridged and capable of causing a reaction, however, it is much milder and I only noticed a slight sensation when I ate a couple of whole dried nettle tops!
Nettles are native to England, and so we have developed a deep relationship through years of co-evolution. That which grows on our own soil, our ancestral land, will always be the most powerful potent medicine for us, and this has certainly been my experience. Give them a try!
If you would like to come along to my Spring Tonics workshop on Saturday in Long Ashton, you will be able to taste a nettle tonic I prepared last month, as well as lots of other preparations!
Follow the link to more info on the Facebook event: https://fb.me/e/4xQ8A2VFH
Or email me on dandelionherbs@protonmailcom
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