Nettle, aka Stinging Nettles, Urtica dioica, is probably one of the most nutritious herbs you can get your hands on…but you don’t want to actually touch it. Not barehanded, anyway. Per the name, Stinging Nettle, this plant does actually bite. But even the painful part of her can be medicinal.
Her name comes from the Latin word uro, which means “to burn.”
Like a bee sting, the sting of Nettles can help with arthritis.
She has been used since at least the times of ancient Egypt for both arthritis and back pain.
Roman Nettle (U. pilulifera) was the species most used by the Romans for “urtication” (beating with nettles to encourage blood to the surface), which they did to keep themselves warm.
-Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, 2nd Edition, pg. 146
Stinging Nettles are common in many gardens, parks, and ‘weedy’ areas. While considered a pesky, unwanted weed, Nettles can be used for various health benefits and as food and is found growing in temperate regions around the world. The shoots are harvested in the spring while still tender as medicine and food. Aerial parts are picked in the summer when the plant is in flower, and the roots are generally harvested in autumn.
Do not take Nettle during pregnancy.
Nettle Aerial Parts Include:
- Flavonoids (quertcitin)
- Amines (or amino acids, including histamine, choline, acetycholine, and serotonin)
- Glucoquinone
- Minerals (calcium, potassium, silicic acid, iron)
Nettle Root Includes:
- Plant sterols
- Phenols
Key Actions:
- Diuretic
- Tonic
- Astringent
- Prevents hemorrhaging
- Antiallergenic
- (Root) Reduces prostate enlargement
- Anti-inflammatory
…German medical herbalists recommend two to three teaspoons of extract a day to treat BPH [benign prostatic hyperplasia or hypertrophy].
-Duke, 1997
Stinging Nettles have anti-inflammatory properties that may help to reduce the symptoms of arthritis by reducing pain and inflammation of the affected areas. This action can also help with inflammatory bowel disease. Because of the histamine in this plant, she can also help with seasonal allergies, much like taking an OTC antihistamine medication. Nettles can also help reduce hay fever symptoms and have been used for centuries to treat urinary tract infections.
The anti-inflammatory properties of Stinging Nettles have long been used to help reduce muscle pain.
If you know anything about homeopathy, which I don’t talk about on this site but have studied, you may know that plants can cure what they cause in the ways of homeopathy. I mention this because, with Nettles in herbalism, they can help cure what they cause in a certain sense. Raw leaves usually cause inflammation of the skin, but they can also cure inflammation internally when used correctly. Also, salves made from nettles can help with dry, itchy, and inflamed skin.
Homeopathy is very interesting. If you are curious, you should go look into it. I’m more on the herbalist than the homeopath side, but I believe both have their place.
Since either cooking or infusing nullifies the sting of Stinging Nettles, you can cook and eat them without irritation and safely make topical remedies that will not irritate the skin. Even drying nettles can neutralize the sting and make them usable in teas.
Fresh Nettles will sting and cause irritation of skin and mucus membranes. Harvest with gloves.
Cook, dry, or infuse to make it safe to use.
Nettle is highly antioxidant, which can make her effective in inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, which can reduce the risk of cancer, especially cancer of the colon and prostate, according to studies.
Nettles help with:
- Arthritis
- Allergies
- Inflammation
- Urinary Tract Infection
- Muscle Pain
- Eczema
- Cancer Prevention
Subscribe to get full access to this post.
Read more of this post when you subscribe today.
If you like what I do here, please like, subscribe, and do all the things to stay updated when I post. I have started creating Writing Prompt Wednesday, Q&A Thursday, and Friday Writing Update posts. I am also doing Meme Monday and Book Promo Tuesday, which can be found on Facebook and Instagram, along with the first three mentioned.
You can sign up to receive email updates for free in the sidebar of this page, or if you haven’t already, click above to get a paid monthly subscription. It only costs $2.99 per month, and you can cancel anytime if it isn’t for you. With a subscription, you get full Blog access with premium content and full Wonders of the Pine Tree and Herbal Series Library access, where you can easily find herbal posts instead of sifting through the plethora of posts I have.
Many blessings,
Emma Lee Joy
Red Hawk Ridge 
Leave a reply to Self-Heal – Red Hawk Ridge Cancel reply