How many of you feel most at home in nature and being with plants? I too have a deep connection with land, animals and plants, they fill my soul and ground me. This deep relationship with the plants and what the plants can teach us, is what I would love to share with you throughout the coming years.
Stinging Nettle is a herb that I can never be without, I use it daily and even give it to my horses. I saw some yesterday ready for picking, it can be found in low areas, such as bogs and river banks.
It is a strange fact that the juice of the Nettle proves an antidote for its own sting, and being applied will afford instant relief: the juice of the Dock, which is usually found in close proximity to the Nettle, has the same beneficial action. ‘Nettle in, dock out. Dock rub nettle out!’ is an old rhyme. At one time people used to thrash themselves with nettles or roll in a bed of nettles. This stimulated the entire system, cleansing the blood eliminating waste through the skin.
In mythology, Nettles were sacred to the god Thor and were put on the fire during thunderstorms to keeps homes safe from being destroyed by Thor’s lightning. One of the nine sacred herbs of the Anglo Saxons for protection against demons and evil spells.
When the nettle is young, its leaf forms an excellent vegetable, which is highly nutritious. Nettle also stimulates hair growth, helps with nose bleeds and asthma. When it matures, it has filaments and fibers like hemp and flax. Nettle fabric is as good as canvas. The poet, Campbell, complaining of the little attention paid to the Nettle in England, tells us: ‘In Scotland, I have eaten nettles, I have slept in nettle sheets, and I have dined off a nettle tablecloth.
Be well,
Love your post! We have made juice from thistle and you can really feel the plant energy, so it doesn’t surprise me that nettles can be medicine..
Thank you!
Evelyn