Tag: stinging_nettle

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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.

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Nettle for your Nails

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, skin and nails. Nettle is a natural beautifier herb. 

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

Vitamin C is widely regarded as great for nails, so it’s great that nature provides us with nettle which contains a lot of it. Nettle also contains vitamin A, that enhances the production of keratin – the main building blocks of nails – and protects them from the destructive influence of toxins.

You can find nettle based dietary supplements in every health store to promote your nail growth and strength, but if you don’t want to spend too much money on them, you have an easy homemade option to increase nail health.

You can soak your nails in a strong nettle tea. Just brew the tea stronger than when made for drinking (add 3-4 teaspoons) and soak the nails for approximately 15 minutes once a week. You can also add oil and mix it with tea. Olive oil is an extremely moisturising and healing oil and is easily absorbed into the skin making it an excellent choice for nails. Another good choice for nails is grapeseed oil that is loaded with antioxidants, vitamin E, vitamin C, beta-carotene and vitamin D. 

After a few weeks of nettle tea and oil treatment, your nails will be beautiful, healthy, and strong.

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Beat allergies with Nettle

If you have seasonal allergies, you know they can be challenging, the symptoms can become difficult to tolerate.

Allergic rhinitis is increasingly common. Although this shares the same symptoms as hayfever, these can occur all year round rather than just through the pollen season. Allergic rhinitis can also be triggered by house dust mites, animal hair, traffic fumes, plant moulds, feathers in pillows, cleaning materials, air fresheners, perfumes, aftershaves and deodorants.

Allergies are an immune response to an otherwise harmless substance that comes into contact with cells in the mucus membranes of your nose, mouth, throat, lungs, stomach, and intestines. In a person with allergies, this ends up triggering the release of the chemical histamine. Histamine is a part of the immune system that causes all the symptoms you associate with allergies. Antihistamines block histamine activity, seeking to stop the allergic reaction.

Many allergy medications on the shelves of the drugstores work as antihistamines. But there are also certain foods and plant extracts that may similarly block the effects of histamine.

Did you know that stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is a natural antihistamine?

If allergic rhinitis brings out itchy skin, bumpy red rashes or inflamed skin you may benefit from nettle. Nettle tea and nettle tincture are widely available. But nettle soup made from freshly harvested nettle leaves is also a great help to ease allergy symptoms.

For a nettle tea, measure one teaspoon of dried nettle to one cup of boiling water. Allow it to steep for 10 minutes, then strain and drink. 

3 cups of nettle tea a day gonna blow your allergy away! 🙂

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Eco-Textile Made Of Nettle

“In some parts of the world you can sleep between nettle sheets, eat off a nettle tablecloth, dine in nettle-enriched steaks and eggs ordered from a nettle-paper menu, in an emergency fish with a nettle line, and in the springtime especially revel with delectable nettle dishes washed down with nettle beer. In fact, this is only a portion of this wild edible’s capabilities”. ~ Angier

Nettle is among those plants – beside bamboo, eucalyptus, cedar and Indian lotus – in the world that has several areas of use. It is not only a common herb that you can make tea of, but nettle kept generations alive and healthy by providing food, drink, paper, clothes and other equipment for surviving in the wild (e.g. fishing net).

Prehistoric textiles were made of nettle, started to spread in the Bronze Age and were popular again during the World Wars, mostly because it was the only available material for clothes. It was widely presumed that production of plant fiber textiles in ancient Europe, especially woven textiles for clothing, was closely linked to the development of agriculture. Researchers discovered that ancient people were conscious users of wild plants too, they not only used cultivated flax and hemp to make clothes. They even trade nettle textiles in the continent. The nettle cloth found in Denmark – tells a surprising story about long-distance Bronze Age trade connections around 800 BC – was made in Austria.

The royals favoured the finest nettle in their clothes and home textiles, the use of which was forbidden from the rest of the citizens! The nettle fibres were a highly respected fibres among the people.

Today, the world population is on increase, but land doesn’t. The demand for sustainable textiles is increasing, which is great news. By converting nettle stalks into a linen-like fabric, some companies have started to create an eco-fabric out of natural rather than synthetic materials and employ thousands of artisans across the globe. Their project has benefits beyond the current generation. With the success in nettle eco-fiber production, they will reduce the need for conventional fiber and in turn the amount of greenhouse gases produced during conventional fiber production.

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Nettle Beer

6th August 2021 International Beer Day

International Beer Day is a global celebration of beer, taking place in pubs, breweries, and backyards all over the world. It’s a day for beer lovers everywhere to celebrate the craft of brewing and to show appreciation for those involved in the making of beer.

The majority of beers on the market today are either ales or lagers. Lagers tend to have a more smooth and mellow flavor, while ales are more full-bodied and slightly bitter, due to the yeast and fermentation process. Lagers are fermented for longer at lower temperatures, while ales are fermented at higher temperatures for a shorter period of time.

The hop (Humulus lupulus), which is now the quintessential aromatic and bittering herb of our contemporary beers, was often completely unknown in some brewing areas of Europe. In fact, hopped beer has only been popular in the UK for the last five hundred years. Instead, brewers relied on a healthy collection of herbs. This was the unhopped Gruit Ale. For example, yarrow ale was the traditional wedding beer in some cultures. 

Today, Gruit is making a comeback, as many breweries are riding a wave of interest in speciality beers. There are hundreds of ingredients they use to taste beers, like fruits and herbs.

The Celts have started to use nettle (Urtica dioica) for making beer as far back as the Bronze Age. The brewing of nettle beer is mostly unrecorded, probably because it was strictly a rural activity carried out by the poor and illiterate. Most recipes miss out both hops and malt. 

Modern enthusiastic foragers who become talented homebrewers, usually use fresh nettle tops, ginger, lemon or orange to make nettle beer. If you are planning to impress your friends and loved ones with your homemade nettle beer on International Beer Day, you can find several nettle beer recipes on the internet. Don’t hesitate to brew your own beer!

Happy International Beer Day!

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Picking and preserving nettle

We are fortunate to be gifted every spring with an abundance of stinging nettle (Urtica dioica). While it’s sting can be unpleasant, it teaches us to pay attention to our surroundings and that’s a good thing.  It also offers food, medicine and fiber if one knows how to properly harvest it.

Don’t kill all the nettles out of your garden, because you might benefit from this weed-like herb! Not to mention, it is the perfect habitat for a lot of pollinator and predatory insects that will keep your other plants healthy.

If you would like to use nettle for food or drink (tea, beer, wine, kombucha), then harvest them before they flower. Picking the tender tops (usually 4-6 leaves) is the best for food. For fiber, harvest the entire stem, clip it near the ground. If you want to use the seeds, harvest them when they are still green and use them fresh or dry them for later use.

When harvesting nettle, use scissors and wear long sleeves, long pants and work gloves. When looking at your nettle, you can see little hairs on the stem and leaves. These hairs are hollow and when they get under your skin, the tips break off and allow the acidic juice under your skin. Even the lightest touch will get you stung, so don’t forget your gloves.

If you would like to dry your nettle for tea, there are many options. The simplest way is to make a bouquet of nettles and hang it to a dry place with a string and let the blowing air do the job. Once it’s dry, it’s much safer to handle since it loses the ability to sting. However, the hairs are still there and can be irritating to the skin or give you a sliver if you’re not careful. You can tell they are ready to store in a glass jar when the stems snap. Make sure not to dry the nettle to the point where it loses its green colour and turn brown or black. It’s just fine to use fresh plant material to make tea, but a lot of people prefer the taste of dried nettle.

Freezing your nettle for use throughout the year is also possible. Just toss them into a food processor and process until finely chopped. Then, put them into freezer-safe containers and store until you need them. The mechanical action of the food processor will break the hollow hairs so they are unable to sting you. Some people recommend blanching the nettles (adding them to boiling water, plunging into ice water, then using). Many of the nutrients are lost to the water and thrown out when blanching. Experiment and you will find a way that works best for you and your family.

Stinging nettle can substitute for spinach in any cooked recipe (they lose their sting when cooked). You can add them to lasagna, make pasta with them, throw them in soups or stews, etc. Online recipes abound.

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Nettle in a Cheese?

In order to preserve milk, it needs to be transformed  into cheese. This process involves coagulating milk and draining off excess liquid. Humans realised the usefulness of this technique very early on and began to produce curd cheese in the 5th millennium B.C. Hard, cooked-curd cheeses appeared in the late Middle Ages. There are thousands of types of cheese in the world today.

Did you know that nettle leaves serve as a preservative in cheese making?

In the United Kingdom, cheesemakers use stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) as a natural preservative. Cornish Yarg cheese is a semi-hard cheese made in Cornwall with a distinctive rind made by wrapping the cheese in nettle leaves. The earliest recipe dates back to the 13th century. “Yarg” is simply “Gray” spelt backwards. It is named after Alan and Jenny Gray, enterprising farmers who found a 1615 recipe for a nettle-wrapped semi-hard cheese in their attic. Today, the cheese is produced at Lynher Dairies Cheese Company on Pengreep Farm, by Catherine Mead.

Cornish Yarg wins international awards every year. Leaf-wrapped Yarg takes about 4-5 weeks to mature, by which time a beautiful white bloom appears on the nettles.

Made from grass rich Cornish milk, Cornish Yarg is tangy under its natural rind and slightly crumbly in the core. The nettle leaves, which attract naturally occurring moulds, are brushed onto the cheese in concentric circles. As the cheese matures, the edible wrap imparts a delicate, mushroomy taste and develops its unique bloomy white appearance.

And finally an English cheese joke:

“What would be a Cornish pirate’s favourite cheese?”/”Yarrrrg.”

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Here Comes The Spring Sun

In 2021, the Spring Equinox occurs on Saturday, March 20. Astronomically speaking, this is the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and it announces fall’s arrival in the Southern Hemisphere. The word “equinox” comes from the Latin words for “equal night” – “aequus” and “nox”. On the equinox, the length of day and night is nearly equal in all parts of the world.

As spring booms in, the dormant nature of our winter lifestyle wakes our body up to meet the business of a new season. The increased demand of energy of longer spring days, however, can exceed our body’s capacity to handle this change.

Spring has sprung, but not everyone feels energetic. For some, it is a season of heavy limbs and constant yawning. While the world is waking up, they want to go to sleep. How do you feel today?

The average recommendation is that a person get eight hours of sleep per night. The sleep that happens between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. is the most restorative, as the hormone melatonin is at its peak. Melatonin has been found to stimulate the immune system, prevent tumor growth, and prevent changes that lead to hypertension and heart attack. It is also discovered that darkness is a key factor in the production of melatonin. So, tonight try to turn off the lights at 10:00 p.m. for a deep healing sleep that will provide abundant energy for tomorrow.

Frequent yoga/tai chi and breathing breaks at work can help combat the midday slump. Many established companies, such as IBM, Microsoft, HBO, Nike, Apple, Google, etc., use yoga at work to help employees combat poor posture, neck tension, back pain, eye strain, and headaches. All these ailments can lead to fatigue.

Nature literally bathes us in life-force energy. Only a 30-minute walk in the woods, a park, or by a river has the ability to uplift our energy. It’s spring! Go outside and enjoy nature! That’s what weekends meant to use for.

Green foods, green herbs and vegetables give us the most energy. Try nourishing greens like peas, kale, spinach and nettle for abundant energy this spring. 

Throughout Europe, nettle tea is used as a spring tonic and as a general detoxifying remedy. To make an infusion of nettles, pour a cup of boiling water onto two teaspoons of the dried herb and leave covered to infuse for 10–15 minutes. Strain and drink. One to three cups of nettle tea taken daily for four to six weeks can nourish even the most depleted nervous and immune systems due to its high content of calcium, magnesium, iron, and vitamin C.

Enjoy the increasing sunlight hours, with earlier dawns and later sunsets!