Stinging Nettle- the miracle plant of the Himalaya

Stinging Nettles

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”  ~Hippocrates

Throughout history, Stinging Nettles have been utilised for various purposes such as food, medicine, and fiber. This plant can detoxify the body, making it beneficial to one’s health. Stinging Nettles are rich in Vitamin C and iron, effectively treating anemia, supporting healthy kidney function, and relieving coughs and arthritis. The leaves of the Stinging Nettle plant can be cooked and consumed as a nutritious and tasty vegetable, while the fibres are utilized to produce long-lasting ropes, cloths, and fishing lines.

Legend has it that consuming only Stinging Nettle turned the body of the renowned Tibetan Yogi Milarepa green. In the Himalayan Kumaon region, Stinging Nettle was commonly consumed as a vegetable alongside finger millet rotis and was also used to alleviate joint pain, minor inflammation, and swelling.

SOS Organics makes a line of  Stinging Nettle Infusions, Nettle Salve and Nettle soaps; the stinging nettle is wild-harvested from plants growing in the Kumaon Region.

Here is an interesting article from  www.naturalnews.com:  link to the writing on the web

Stinging Nettles: So Many Cures that You Will Lose Count

In ancient Greek times, the stinging nettle was used mainly as a diuretic and laxative. Now the plant is used for many cures; illnesses include cancer and diabetes.

By simply drinking one cup of stinging nettles tea a day, a mother of seven was relieved of her headaches and eczema. The stinging nettles are a blood purifier and thus clean eczema internally. It is the best blood purifier available and has an influence over the pancreas. Stinging nettles also assist in lowering blood sugar.

Stinging Nettles has anti-inflammatory properties and treats illness of the urinary track. The best way to take nettles is early in the morning before breakfast. Make a habit of purifying your blood at lease twice a year by drinking this tea every day for one month. You will feel revived with tons of energy and able to work like never before.

Benefits of the stinging nettle plant:

Did you know that stinging nettles possess numerous health benefits? They have the capacity to safeguard against various conditions, including hair loss, kidney stones, allergies, hay fever, osteoarthritis, internal bleeding, uterine bleeding, nosebleeds, and bowel bleeding. Stinging nettles also provide a shield against ailments such as an enlarged spleen, diabetes, endocrine disorders, stomach acid issues, diarrhea, dysentery, lung congestion, cancer, and the effects of aging. They frequently serve as a general tonic and blood purifier and can even contribute to the healing of wounds. Furthermore, stinging nettles can be employed topically to alleviate muscle aches and pains.

Benefits of the stinging nettle root:

1. Stinging Nettle root can help with urinary  problems related to the prostate problems, including frequent night urination, going to the bathroom too often, pain when urinating, not being able to urinate and bladder infections.
2. Joint problems
3. Diuretic and astringent

David Wolfe`s advice on making tea with stinging nettle:

During an interview with Kevin Gianni and David Wolfe, the values of stinging nettles were discussed. David said, “Stinging nettles have been eaten by the druids in the U.K. for thousands of years and it`s one of the most important foods to eat, if you know how to do it or if you juice it or you can just dry it and make a tea out of it, which is what I`m recommending; horse tail, nettle, oat straw. The oat seed of the oat grass has a little straw around it. It has a little coating. It`s the seed capsule. That oat straw is one of the richest sources of silicon. You can buy it in health food stores. You can get it as extracts in health food stores.”

David suggests a cocktail of herbs to make a tea with. They are horse tail, oat straw, alfalfa and of course stringing nettle. From the days you start drinking this tea, your bones will increase in density. He states that it is the silicon in stinging nettles that increase the bone density. Sounds like a good idea for sure. French researcher Louis Curvan, who was nominated for the Nobel Prize, wrote 5 books on the subject of calcium and silicon and how they are related to each other. Because Louis Curvan spoke French, the books and the research never reached the nations who spoke English.

How to make nettle tea:

To make herbal tea, start by boiling half a liter of water. Once boiled, remove from heat and add one tablespoon of each desired herb. Cover the tea pot and allow it to steep for 30 minutes. If all four herbs are not available, nettle tea alone provides significant health benefits. Remember to drink the tea without any sweeteners.

Hives and allergy remedy:

What exactly is nettle rash? It is a patch of red and itchy weals or swellings in the skin. It is similar to the same type of weals which may result from contact with the stinging nettle. Stinging nettles grows wild in fields and may cause allergic reactions when a person comes in contact with the bush.

Nettle Rash may be caused by:

1. Food, eggs, wheat, strawberries and seafood, just to name a few of the culprits.

2. Pollen and fungal spores.

3. Medicines, antibiotics and NSAID`s.

4. Bites by insects.

5. Virus, bacteria or infections.

6. Contact with the stinging nettle plant.

But amazingly the same plant which causes hives can also cure hives. Dr. Andrew Weil, Natural Doctor and Herbalist, suggests, “Using freeze-dried nettle leaf extract to treat hives and allergies. This might sound illogical, but the plant apparently doesn`t contain enough histamine to be a problem when it`s taken orally, and it does contain substances that help heal hives.”

Amazing, there is a difference in touching the plant and ingesting it. There is news also that the root is more potent than the leaves. If you can get some fresh nettles, handling it carefully, dry the roots and then make the dried roots into a tea.

Recipes:

Infusion: Place 1/2 liter of boiling water on the stove and add in 1 tablespoon of dried stinging nettles. Cover the pot and let set for 30 minutes. This is a glorified tea recipe.

Baths: This is good for sciatica. Place a large amount of the herbs including the roots in cold water over night. The next morning boil the concoction and place in the bathtub. Soak in the herbs for as long as you feel comfortable. This may also be used as a foot soak.

Shampoo rinse: Place one half cup of the dried herbs in a huge 5 liter pot. Bring the herbs to boil slowly. Remove from the stove and keep covered for an additional 10 minutes. Add in some shaved olive oil soap and bring to boil. Cool to a warm mixture and rinse your hair with this.

Stinging nettles is an important part of anyone’s kitchen to be included with Nigella Sativa, fresh cold pressed olive oil, olive leaf and grape seeds. If a person has these things in their homes, then no disease can harm them.

Link to our Himalayan Nettle Product Range

And an excellent article on nettle food preparations: click the link

Here is a link to a very instructive and detailed  video and more videos on our reference page. click the link here