Tag: 2021_September

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Heart Protection with Nettle

29 September 2021 World Heart Day

Today, 29 September is World Heart Day, created by the World Heart Federation to raise awareness on heart health. World Heart Day informs people around the globe that cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart disease and stroke, is the world’s leading cause of death claiming 17.9 million lives each year, and highlights the actions that individuals can take to prevent and control CVD. It aims to drive action to educate people that by controlling risk factors such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity, at least 80% of premature deaths from heart disease and stroke could be avoided.

There are many synthetic medicines available on the market, though they might cause side effects that need to be treated by other drugs and this undesired cycle goes on and on. Fortunately, modern science is rediscovering the health benefits of traditionally used herbs. Nettle (Urtica dioica) is one of the most studied medicinal plants that have the ability to positively affect the heart. 

Research has revealed that frequent consumption of stinging nettle tea can help lower systolic blood pressure and relieve tension and stress on the cardiovascular system. Nettle offers a variety of active compounds many of which also act as antioxidants inside your body.

Nettle contains vitamins and minerals that are regarded as heart protectors. The plant is a source of vitamins A and C, beta carotene, and other carotenoids. Because of its high content of vitamin C and iron, which help the body boost red blood cell (RBC) production, it may help prevent anemia. Nettle also contains the flavonoids quercetin and kaempferol, which can help lower blood pressure and reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease. Nettle is a source of iron and potassium, tea made from this stinging plant may help to relax blood vessels and aid in healthy circulation.

It also helps to rebalance the body by acting as a tonic for the blood by balancing blood pH and safely flushing waste from the body. 

Enjoy a cup of tea made with fresh or dried nettle leaves. Or add a few drops of nettle tonic to your beverage to purify your blood!

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How to cure snoring naturally with nettle?

Snoring often goes unnoticed as a disease, but it is not taken seriously. Snoring is a risky habit! 75% of people who snore suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. It means their breathing gets disrupted for short periods when they sleep. This increases their risk of developing heart disease. Therefore, it is essential to treat this condition not only because of the person’s health but also because it poses risk to their marriages! In most of the cases, the spouse of a snoring partner sleeps in a separate bedroom! So, if you snore, take help of herbs.

Drinking tea – especially before falling asleep – can alleviate snoring. Nettle, lime blossom, sage and arnica should be particularly suitable. Sage is used for general respiratory problems. Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) tea is especially recommended if snoring is caused by pollen allergy. If the mucous membranes are swollen and you cannot breathe freely through your nose, nettle is a great help. Nettle leaves are a known antihistamine. When your sinus passage gets inflamed due to allergies of upper respiratory tract infections such as cold or sinusitis, you may snore a lot. Nettle leaf tea can be one of the best home remedies for snoring of such type.

Nettle leaf tea has bioflavonoids in it which opens up the sinuses and stabilizes white blood cells that make histamine. Just ensure to have dried nettle leaves for your tea.

To make nettle leaf tea for snoring, you‘ll need:

  • 1 tsp dried nettle leaf
  • 1 cup boiling water

Place the dried nettle leaves in a pot. Pour boiling water over it. Steep for 5 minutes. Strain and drink. Have 3 cups of nettle leaf tea daily.

Nettle is diuretic in nature. You may have to get up in the middle of the night to urinate.

Have a good snore-free sleep!

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Nettle for your Skin

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is a nutritional powerhouse. More than 100 chemical components have been identified in nettle, including minerals as well as vitamins. Nettle also contains phytonutrients: chlorophyll, beta-carotene, lutein, quercetin, all of which are incredible for hair, nails and skin. Nettle is a natural beautifier herb. 

Let’s have a closer look at how nettle can help your skin!

Nettle has antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal effects as well as powerful antioxidant abilities that decrease oxidative stress in the body. It has been shown that nettle clears acne and eczema. Nettle is known for its anti-inflammatory properties and can be exceptionally helpful in easing skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis. It is a wonderful remedy for easing itchy skin due to its action as a natural antihistamine.

Nettle tea has been used for women to treat hormone imbalances during and after pregnancy. It is pretty common among women that the biggest and most painful pimples tend to occur right before their period, at the same time that they are sobbing over subway delays, lack of candy, and world peace. Using nettle tea as a face tonic on those annoying pimples, makes them disappear before the end of the period.

Whether drinking nettle tea, eating a nettle dish or applying straight on your skin, it is beneficial for your body anyway. If you’d like to spend a little “me-time” focusing on your face, here is an easy recipe to make your own nettle powder face mask.

Ingredients:

  • 30 g French green clay powder 
  • 10 g Nettle leaf powder 
  • 3 drops of your favourite essential oil (rosemary, lavender, sage, yarrow or tea tree oil)
  • A jar for storing

Preparation:

Combine all the ingredients together into a jar. Mix well and store it away from sunlight. Be careful with the essential oil as it can be too strong and irritating for your skin. Use only 3 drops!

Use:

Combine 1 tbsp of face powder mix with approx 1 tsp of honey, milk or water or until you get a smooth paste that spreads well on your skin. Leave on for about 5 minutes or until almost dry. Remove by applying a warm, wet flannel over the area and then pressing off gently. 

Nettle tea is a must-have in your herbal apothecary! It is a simple plant with the amazing gift of the whole person’s wellbeing.

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Nettle for your Kids

Well, the new school year has started already. Kids are forced to sit for several hours a day in school, concentrating and learning a lot of new things that hopefully they will benefit from later on in their lives. Studying can be really tiring for a young, still-developing brain, that’s why sleeping and proper nutrition are necessary.

Giving your not too small little babies – they go to school already! – an extra mineral boost with a herbal infusion works great. Nettle is filled with nutrients that a kid needs, so it’s a great choice to prepare nettle for your kids. Nettle contains so much calcium that it is an excellent remedy for growing pains in children. And everyone needs a big refuel at lunchtime, so pack this nettle infusion to their lunch. This kid-friendly hydrating and mineral-rich herbal infusion recipe is for your family: 

Ingredients:

  • 3 tsp nettle
  • 2 tsp hibiscus
  • 1 litre of water
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 2 tsp honey 

Preparation:

Put the nettle and hibiscus at a mason jar, French Press, or teapot. Pour the cold water over the herbs and let them steep overnight. You can steep up to 24 hours if you wish. After the infusion has steeped, strain off the herbs and enjoy. You can add a squeeze of lemon and for the kids new to herbal tea you can drizzle in the raw honey. Just shake up the infusion and honey in a jar and it will dissolve.

Good herbal power for school!

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Prostate Cancer Awareness with Nettle Root

Nettle root (Urticae radix) has specific medicinal properties that are unique from those of the other parts of the plant. It contains sterols (β-sitosterol), lignans, secoisolariciresinol and polysaccharide-proteins.

The perennial roots are creeping, so nettle multiplies quickly. It is quite difficult to kill unnecessary nettles out of your garden. Nettle grows and spreads by stolons, which form a network of yellow, lateral, creeping rhizomes. These rhizomes are double-layered, consisting of an upper layer of young runners and a deeper layer of thicker, more fibrous roots.

These robust roots are easy to harvest and store, and they offer a number of medicinal uses. Nettle roots are usually harvested in autumn, before the soil hardens by winter frost. Nettle is anti-asthmatic: the juice of the roots (or leaves) mixed with honey, will relieve bronchial and asthmatic troubles. 

Nettle root was first used in urinary tract disorders in the 1950s. Stinging nettle root extract is often used in over-the-counter supplements and herbal remedies, particularly those labelled for “men’s health”.

The root extract contains β-sitosterol, a plant phenol that has been shown to reduce urinary tract complications associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) – the enlargement of the prostate.

Studies in people suggest that stinging nettle, in combination with other herbs (especially saw palmetto), may be effective at relieving symptoms such as reduced urinary flow, incomplete emptying of the bladder, post urination dripping, and the constant urge to urinate. These symptoms are caused by the enlarged prostate gland pressing on the urethra (the tube that empties urine from the bladder). Scientists aren’t sure why nettle root reduces symptoms. It may be because it contains chemicals that affect hormones (including testosterone and estrogen), or because it acts directly on prostate cells. 

It is important to work with a doctor to treat BPH, and to make sure you have a proper diagnosis to rule out prostate cancer.