Stinging Nettle Remedy
Stinging nettle remedy ideas abound as this common weed is a power packed source of natural goodness and healthy benefits. In this post I want to take a look at some of the benefits of making use of this humble plant that many gardeners go to great lengths to eradicate from their gardens.
Well, think again, because that pernicious weed that yo are trying to get rid of will do you, your family and your garden a whole lot more good if you leave it to flourish in its own spot.
The stinging nettle is a vitamin and mineral packed health food that should be placed on the superfoods list alongside broccoli, cranberries and garlic for its health boosting properties. Before we take a look at them, lets first look at how to harvest this example of natures food storehouse.
You should only pick the nettle tops, that’s the top three sets of leaves on the stalk as this is where the most beneficial stores of vitamins and minerals are found. It is also the most easily digested part of the plant. Pick the nettle tops in May before it flowers and certainly before July when its properties alter and the plant becomes more laxative. Wear gloves as all parts of the plant carry those nasty stingers which give an unpleasant sting.
Cooking (boiling in water) and drying renders the stingers inactive and safe to touch and eat. Nettles are best used in soups, stews and made into teas.
Now lets take a look at some of the health benefits of stinging nettles.
Its packed with vitamin A and C as well as iron and other essential vitamins and minerals and can be used both internally as a tea or infusion and externally as a poultice, a rinse or raw, using the stingers as a relief from rheumatism.
The plant is perfect as an internal tonic when drunk as a tea three times a day.
As an anti-dandruff rinse after washing your hair.
As an external skin tonic to help treat eczema, sciatica, neuralgia and haemorrhoids as well as dry, itchy, flaky skin.
As a treatment for arthritis and rheumatism, by flaying the skin in the area needed with raw sprigs of nettles. The stingers increase blood flow to the affected area as well as bringing relief from the pain.
For more information on this subject of nettles, check out this alternative cures website and the post all about the stinging nettle remedy and health benefits of stinging nettles.
So next time you see a patch of nettles growing in your garden, don’t rip them up, let them grow and toast your good fortune for the coming health benefits they will provide you with.
Discussion Area - Leave a Comment