Herb Notes: Going Beyond the Sting of Nettles

Welcome to Herb Notes, I'm Tara Ruth from Learning Herbs. With a name like stinging nettle, you might think you want to avoid a nettle patch at all costs. Sure, the fresh leaves and stems of stinging nettle, Urtica dioica, can irritate the skin upon contact, but here's the thing, stinging nettles are also full of many healing gifts. It may seem counterintuitive, but once you learn more about the magic of nettles, I have a feeling you'll be reaching for nettles a whole lot more, even if you are wearing a glove while you do it. So let's dive into three benefits of stinging nettle. 1. Nettle can help address seasonal allergies. As a strong anti-inflammatory herb, nettle excels at supporting the body through seasonal allergies. Every year, I start working with nettle leaf in the late fall to prepare myself for the seasonal allergies I often get in the springtime. I've noticed that taking nettles helps dramatically reduce my spring allergy symptoms, including my runny nose, itchy eyes, and sneezing, and I'm not alone. Nettle is well known as an ally for addressing hay fever. 2. Nettle can address general inflammation. Just as nettle leaves can support the body with inflammatory seasonal allergies, nettle can also help address general inflammation in the body. As an underlying cause of many common diseases, chronic inflammation is an important issue to address holistically, and anti-inflammatory herbs like nettle can be one key part of a holistic approach. I love incorporating nettle into my food whether it's in a nettle soup, smoothie, or lasagna. 3. Nettle is a nutrient-dense food and tea. In addition to being anti-inflammatory, nettle leaves are also very nutritious and mineral rich. With their rich mineral content, there are many benefits of nettle leaves. They can help strengthen bones, hair, and teeth, and they can also help address muscle cramping caused by mineral deficiencies. To extract nettle's nutrients, I like to create a nourishing infusion, or long-steep tea, combined with oat straw, another mineral-rich plant that can help balance the astringency of nettle. So to recap, here are three ways I like to work with nettle leaves. 1. I work with nettle to help support my seasonal allergies. 2. I add nettle to my food to help address general inflammation. 3. I enjoy drinking a long-steeped, mineral-rich nettle and oat straw tea. Want to learn more about nettle's benefits? Visit HerbNotes.Cards to grab a free deck of our top 12 herb notes. You'll learn all about common herbs like catnip, yarrow, echinacea, cinnamon, and more. This has been Herb Notes with me, Tara Ruth. Catch you next time.