The stinging nettle is a pest to many a gardener but the health advantages of this plant are truly amazing. Who would have thought a weed common to roadsides and wasteland could prove such a friend.
You see nettles are of such benefit because they contain high levels of minerals especially calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, silica, iodine and sodium. They are also a great source of vitamins A, C and E, B complex vitamins and beta-carotene. All of which are hugely important to good health and if that is not all it proves to be a great natural antioxidant.
The plants leaves, young shoots and roots are all used either dried, boiled, in soups, teas and tinctures. Its uses for health are wide ranging.
Because nettles naturally contain anti-histamine they may be used for hay fever and other allergic reactions such as rashes, while a tincture may be applied to soothe burns and scalds or insect bites. Often it is drunk as a tea to treat respiratory problems like catarrh, nuisance coughs and tuberculosis. It is also said to strengthen the immune system and fight off colds and flu symptoms.
The nettles diuretic properties increase urine flow which is huge benefit to sufferers of an enlarged prostate gland that would otherwise restrict that urine flow. Indeed there is evidence that the humble nettle may inhibit the growth of prostate cells and treat prostate enlargement and cancer.
Another use for nettle is its ability to aid the production of haemoglobin in red blood cells and assist blood coagulation, ideal if you are prone to heavy nosebleeds or menstrual periods. While finely ground dried root can stem blood loss when applied to minor cuts too. The plant has long been considered an aid to digestion and circulation.
A couple of thousand years ago Roman soldiers beat their limbs with stinging nettle to stimulate circulation when frozen by bitter cold. Nowadays we take that same plant to use in preparations for hair care and to cure baldness.
These are just a fraction of the multitude of beneficial uses this much maligned plant can offer. If not improving your health or curing your ailments the humble nettle comes into its own in many other ways too.
Harvest nettles and turn them into a powerful free liquid feed for your garden and plants, particularly tomato plants. Drink nettle tea as a refreshing and healthy pick-me-up or use nettles in your cooking for soups, stews and as greens.
Mother nature has provided a gift in the lowly nettle and we should take full advantage of it.
James Lamb is a freelance writer. For more on herbal teas,health and numerous other subjects, visit his ebooks website at http://www.rewards-ebooks.com
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