Stinging nettles are mineral rich, anti-inflammatory and exceptional at supporting the body’s own healing super powers. They can be found all over North America where the moisture levels are right. Nettles prefer dappled sun and are found on the edges of the woods, near moist, damp conditions, with ample fertility. Tap into these stinging nettle benefits for fast relief of seasonal allergies and inflammation.
I’ve been outside a lot this week getting the garden ready to plant for spring. Our last frost date isn’t usually till June 10th or so, but a lot of our vegetables and herbs can already be planted. In preparation for this we are adding new garden beds in an area that was once the sheep winter paddock. Can you say “weeds” er I mean medicinal herbs? That’s right. There’s lots of nettles, dandelions, mullein, and even mallow and burdock.
Yesterday Robin came in with a gift. A whole laundry basket full of stinging nettles. Yes, he picked them and even got a few stings, because he knew how thrilled I’d be with so many good nettles. These were a bit longer than the ideal spring greens but they still worked for “spinach” for dinner. It just meant wearing thick rubber gloves and removing the leaves from the stems before cooking them.
Once I put aside the dinner leaves, I washed them and put more leaves in the dehydrator on low, for winter use. I also set aside the stinging nettle roots for a manly tincture. Stinging nettle root extracts can prevent prostate enlargement and are prescribed in Europe in the European pharmacopoeia for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). They are also prescribed for PCOS.
Stinging Nettle Health Benefits
The stinging nettle plant (Urtica dioica) has many health benefits. The leaves are an important nutritive herb. It has vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K, as well as a complement of B vitamins. Nettles are rich in minerals, especially magnesium, calcium, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, copper. They are also rich in chlorophyll and beta-carotene, lutein, and other carotenoids. Tea made from nettle leaves is a useful diuretic, detoxifier, and anti-inflammatory. It is recommended for eczema to help detoxify the liver and help the skin heal.
Stinging Nettle Herbal actions:
Anti-inflammatory, anti-septic, mild hypoglycemic, diuretic, anti-hemorrhagic, hemostatic, detoxifier, vasodilator, circulatory stimulant, hypotensive, nutritive, galactagogue, astringent, expectorant, anti-allergic, reduces BPH, anti-rheumatic.
Stinging nettle can lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar levels, act as a diuretic, reduce pain and inflammation, halt the enlargement of the prostate, detoxify the liver, and help with allergy symptoms.
Use caution if you are taking prescription drugs or are pregnant
Speak to your primary care provider before you use stinging nettle extract if you are taking blood thinners, high blood pressure medication, diuretics (water pills), diabetes medication, or lithium. Stinging nettle could interact with these drugs, enhancing their effect, since stinging nettles has these actions as well.
Stinging nettle tea is sometimes recommended for pregnant women in the last trimester of pregnancy, because it is high in vitamins and minerals. But it may act on the uterus and may cause uterine contractions in some women or even miscarriage. Pregnant women should discuss stinging nettle use with their midwife before using stinging nettle preparations during pregnancy.
What makes stinging nettles sting?
A lot of people meet stinging nettle in the garden or in the woods by brushing against the tiny hairs or trichomes on the leaves and stem. This may cause a mild rash. When you lightly brush the hair it breaks off in your skin and the stiffened hair injects chemicals like histamine, formic acid, acetylcholine, and serotonin, causing allergic reactions like burning, itching, and a blistered rash.
Why would you want to use stinging nettle as an herbal remedy?
Fresh nettles have natural histamine that binds to the histamine receptors in your body and block their response. So by making an extract of the fresh leaves of stinging nettle these same chemicals can be harnessed to prevent other allergic reactions like hives, or hay fever, calming down the body’s histamine responses. Stinging nettle benefits are quite powerful. This remedy has been compared to over the counter allergy relief.
Stinging Nettle Tincture for Hay Fever
A tincture made with the FRESH leaves has anti-inflammatory and antihistamine benefits and is useful for spring allergies. This is also useful for inflammation and joint pain from over-doing it in the garden. If you don’t have stinging nettle handy, there are other herbs that can help too.
To make this natural stinging nettles allergy remedy:
Fill a quart jar with 4 cups of fresh nettle leaves, chopped. (wear gloves when you prepare them.)
Add 1/4 cup local bee pollen
Pour 3 cups of brandy or vodka over the top.
Cap tightly. Place in a dark cupboard. Shake the bottle as often as your think of it. Steep for 30 days. Strain.
Bottle in an amber glass bottles. Shelf life: 1 year.
Serving size:
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon 3 times daily for adults;
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon 3 times daily for children 6 to 12.
- 5 drops to 10 drops, 3 times daily for children 2 to 5
Nettle Salve for Arthritis and Joint Pain
A salve made by infusing dried nettle leaves in a carrier oil like sweet almond oil or extra virgin olive oil, is scientifically demonstrated to relieve joint pain and arthritis inflammation. Use 7 parts infused oil to 1 part beeswax to make the salve.
Yield: 4 ounces
- 7 tablespoons Nettle Infused Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon beeswax
Directions:
Make a double boiler using a glass measuring cup. Place the ingredients inside the glass measuring cup.
Simmer over medium heat until the beeswax is melted. Stir to combine. Pour in salve tins. Allow to cool naturally. Complete lids. Label and date.
To use:
Apply to sore joints and inflammation, as needed.
A word of warning: Stinging nettle leaves have tiny hairs. When the plant is fresh those hairs act like hypodermic needles injecting your skin with formic acid. But once they are dry the pain of the sting is gone. Conventional wisdom says they can be safely handled with bare hands. However, the tiny hairs remain. Use gloves when stuffing dried nettles into jars. The irritating hair can trigger burning sensations even if the uticaria rash doesn’t happen.
Get to know your herbal allies by studying one herb at a time
Stinging Nettles is one of the herbs that we study in the DIY Herb of the Month Club. In the Herb of the Month Club our members take a 30 Day journey to get to know one herbal ally better each month. Every month members study one herb in detail, in a way that engages all their senses, building their herbal confidence, through hands on learning. Each month is a different herb, so you build your herbal knowledge quickly and with intention. If you are ready to dig deeper into your herbal allies and their benefits…
Join us in the DIY Herb of the Month Club and you will:
hi excellent information. I have been scouring the net for information on how long the nettle tincture stays in the system. I purchased the natures way nettle tincture alcohol free for my seven year old child. he takes about 0.5ml per day between 5-6pm. he takes quercitin capsule an hour earlier. as he has multiple allergies i.e. chemical dust cat dog food, can this nettle tincture be consumed again before bed … I have no idea how long it stays in the system for….I do notice he has alot of phlegm and mucus and wakes up with a stuffy nose. he also takes cod liver oil in the morning with iron and b12 supplement… is there anything else I can use for his all night allergies and is the nettle tincture stimulating before bed… I am looking for something which will help him sleep. better during the night without all the itching of roof of mouth, mucus and restlessness… many thanks in advance of your reply….xx also I have read nettles or tinctures in general are not suitable for kids under 12, is this correct and how would I calculate the dosage for a child of his age, I was interested in the alcohol free versions ..many thanks.. Shaz xx
Hi, Shaz. I generally recommend making a glycerite for children under 12, if the supplement will be used daily. Those are a lot of supplements for a seven year old. It might be helpful to remove as much of his allergens as possible before supplementing so that his body has a rest from the allergen triggers. It can be helpful to work with a clinical herbalist to best way to address some of these issues.
Will purple dead nettle be as effective, because that’s what we have around here.
No. It contains completely different plant constituents. Purple Dead Nettle is from the mint family. Stinging nettle is from the Urticaceae family. But Purple Dead Nettle is edible.
For the second recipes, nettle infused olive oil is called for, but there are no instructions on how to do that infusion…unless I’m just missing the link or something.
Would it just be fill a jar with the nettle, cover with olive oil and steep in cool, dark place for a few weeks, then strain?
Thanks!
That would work. Let the nettle wilt for a few hours before adding it to the olive oil or use dried nettle.
Just now seen your reply. Thank you!
thanks for all the information! Quick question, where do you find bee pollen? I don’t know of any bee keepers in my area to purchase from.
thanks!
If you are in the US Mountain Rose Herbs carries Bee Pollen and was my first source. Since I wrote this post I also found it from BeeKeeper’s Naturals. And that is where I am currently sourcing it. They sell both in Canada and the USA. And they are a co-op of bee keepers.
Hi Chris,
Thanks for your website and all the work put into it! You are a wealth of information which I appreciate. I do have a question in regards to the stinging nettle as well as some other herbs. You state in the recipe to use fresh nettle leaves. I do not have access to fresh leaves and have been using dried leaves for tea. I understand the dried herbs lose some of their potency, but how much do they lose? In nettles is all the histamine lost?
Thank you for your reply.
Thanks for the recipes! I might add that nettle is also great for hair. I get a bar shampoo from Herbs for Healthful Living.