You can blame the Romans for the patches of nettles in your garden, as it was they who introduced the herb to the UK in the first place! The Romans, who had a vast wealth of herbal knowledge, used the stinging mechanism of nettles – or urtica meaning to burn – to treat rheumatic conditions by flaying their joints with fresh nettles.

The Romans got it right. While the hairs of the stinging nettle are normally very painful to the touch, when an area of the body that is already in pain makes contact with the plant, these chemicals can actually help to decrease the pain level. This is why stinging nettle is called a counter-irritant. Applying juice from the stinging nettle to the skin can actually relieve painful nettle stings or insect bites. The irritant effect of the sting is lost on drying or heating the herb in water, but if preserved in cold alcoholic tincture, the irritant action is preserved. You can even apply a tincture of the fresh herb to the surface of an inflamed joint and this will induce counter-irritation and produce reddening over the joint. This flushes blood through the area and relieves pain.

 

When used internally, nettles are a good source of nutrients and are traditionally taken as a spring tonic to help recovery from the depths of winter and boost energy for the summer ahead. In spring the young fresh green leaves can be cooked and as a green vegetable or made into a soup. Nettle is rich in iron and vitamin C, making it a useful remedy for anaemia and fatigue. The presence of vitamin C also helps to ensure that the iron is properly absorbed.

 

On top of all these benefits, the wonderful nettle also has an important effect on the kidneys and on fluid levels throughout the body, where it can act as an herbal diuretic.   Nettle tea is also helpful for problems likes osteoporosis because it increases the absorption of minerals including calcium.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 1st, 2008 at 2:20 am and is filed under Alternative therapies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.