Benefits of Nettle

Also called Stinging Nettle, Nettle is a nutrient dense, powerful ally that supports a variety of health ailments.

This plant grows all over the world so it’s likely you have come across it especially in more temperate climates. It gets this name from the tiny spikes that release formic acid when touched. 

While formic acid is fairly harmless, it is still a skin irritant. Nettle is used in some South American cultures as a plant for limpia, which is a cleansing practice. In this case, the fresh plant is smacked around the skin creating welts and blood flow for things like arthritis, soft tissue injuries, neuropathy and managing chronic pain.

It’s likely you have come across nettle accidentally and felt its tiny pricks. The use of nettle topically for pain and inflammatory issues is actually called urtication.

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NETTLE AT A GLANCE

 Latin Name: Urtica Dioica
Plant Family: Urticacea
Parts Used: dried leaves, fresh/youngAerial leaves, seeds, + roots
Taste: Salty, high mineral content, main salty herb
Notes: tonic, astringent, + diuretic, and according to David Winston, a kidney trophorestorative.
Energetics: cooling, slightly drying 

All About Nettle

I most often use nettle as a nutritive and restorative tonic. It is highly regarded as a liver activator and blood purifier. It is often associated with gentle detoxification, perhaps because of the effect it has on the phases of liver detoxification as well as because of how it supports and nourishes some of the main organs of detoxification like the lungs and liver and kidneys.

Rosalee de la Foret, in her book Alchemy of Herbs says its good for promoting healthy detoxification processes, to treat signs of poor elimination like eczema and constipation, to strengthen the lungs and for issues like asthma and shortness of breath, and to strengthen the urinary system making it a good tonic for people with chronic bladder ailments infections, and UTI’s.

It is said to nourishes the kidneys and the adrenal glands and herbalist David Winston says that nettle is a kidney trophorestorative. 
A trophorestroative is a nourishing herb or food that usually has an affinity to a particular organ or system of the body, it acts on the particular system to bring it into balance and can also restore function.

And in her book Energetic Herbalism, Kat Maier says that she uses nettle starting a few months after kidney transplant to prevent organ rejection, or to ease the transition of inviting a new kidney into the body.

In general nettle builds energy so its valuable for rebuilding energy reserves after exhaustion and burnout. 

It is also considered a valuable reproductive system tonic, largely because of it’s high iron content which is also what gives nettle the SALTY taste. It also has a high magnesium content so it’s good for ailments like low iron during pregnancy. 

Because of it’s high mineral content, I usually recommend this to people who do a lot of sweating and athletes who train very hard, especially in the summer months. I see nettle as natures gatorade. In fact, I really can’t think of a better high mineral herbal infusion powerhouse than nettle.

What might seem counter-intuitive since it can be drying to part of the body like the mucous membranes is that it is also very hydrating because of it’s high mineral content.

If find it actually to be quite lubricating for the joints + the connective tissue of the body

It is highlighted by many herbalists for issues relating to the soft tissue of the body, so it might be a valuable addition to your regiment in the case of soft tissue injury or fascia restructuring.

The benefits to soft tissue might have to do with it’s ability to help the kidneys filter out excess uric acid, which if you are familiar with gout, is a contributor to inflamed joints. This might explain how it relieves joints and connective tissue of pain and inflammation.

So if you are dealing with joint pain, nettle will be a good infusion for you to drink everyday

Nettle is an astringent herb, but it is not overly drying, especially in it’s tea form.

Nettle makes a great ally because it is really good for seasonal, pet allergies, hay fever (alcohol tincture).

Methods of Preparation + Safety Notes 

When working with NETTLE, I suggest a nourishing infusion for general ailments. Its a great tonic and I suggest making it on the stronger side, using 1-2 teaspoons per cup of water. You can brew this, letting it steep for 20-40 minutes or even over night, up to 8-10 hours.

For allergy concerns, for excess phlegm and mucous, I suggest using an alcohol tincture. 

Nettle is a very safe tonic herb. It may not be the best for those prone to dryness, but it doesn’t exacerbate too much dryness. If you find that it is leaning towards the dry side, try adding a teaspoon of marshmallow root or slippery elm bark to your tea brewing process. 

GROWING NETTLE

Herbalism is all about relationships and how systems interact with systems and beings interact with beings.

As another layer of nettle medicine, try GROWING nettle in your garden! It is a very ubiquitous herb that like’s to grow near water, or in ditches where water might collect but it is a very hardy herb so feel free to experiment with its placement. 

Nettle  has the benefit of being super nutritious, it will act like a cut and come again plant that you can harvest multiple times in the year AND it makes a great treat for your garden and can put nutrients into the soil. 

When it grows real big and you need to cut it back, take a bunch of nettle, put it in a bucket and cover it with water, weigh the nettle down with some rocks or branches and let it sit in the garden for a few weeks and then you can spray that really concentrated nettle sun infusion all over your garden for added nourishment for the soil.

A SPIRITUAL READING OF NETTLE

Finally, exploring some of the spiritual medicine of nettle can add one last layer of connection.

In loving Nettle, what sticks out to me right away is that it has it’s quality of stinging to the touch. Remember that is the formic acid that it releases when touched and how it’s pretty harmless, but nonetheless a little comfortable. 

When we harvest or interact with the live plant, we have to take great care and wear gloves and long sleeves to avoid that

This quality calls to mind the ways that to get the medicine out of certain relationships, we have to take care, we have to set boundaries around how we interact, and furthermore, those abrasive qualities that we might normally protect against, can function as medicine itself like in the case of using nettle and smacking it around joints to decrease joint inflammation and swelling and pain, for arthritis and other joint issues. 

As a way to integrate this idea into life, I invite you to  explore the ways that you might need to set boundaries around something to extract its medicine.

Good Herbalist Reminder:

If you are going to introduce this plant into your life and body, its always a good idea to do a quick google search to see if there are any adverse reactions with any of your issues or medications. Nettle is a safe tonic herb but it’s always important to check. 

I hope that this herb can become a new friend and ally for you. 

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Kristen Prosen