I can remember very clearly the first time Urtica spoke to me. I was living on a gorgeous property in the bush with my partner, where we had established one hell of a kick-arse garden (if I must say so myself!). I had not long graduated as an Herbalist, but was still very naive and inexperienced in the ways of relating
to the herbs on a deep and personal level. We had relocated to the country after being in Brisbane throughout my studies, and were extremely motivated in ‘getting back to the land’ and living as self-sufficiently as possible. The garden was huge and required much work, but we loved being there and would spend as much time as we could in our little piece of jungle sanctuary.
I decided that it would be a great idea to start growing a lot of the herbs that I use in my practice, and promptly began ordering seed and acquiring cuttings and plants from friends. I’d seen nettles growing before, as a kid growing up on a farm in New Zealand, and quite liked the idea of putting some in the vege garden. If you’ve ever grown nettle before you’ll have some idea of its rapid and prolific growth patterns! Needless to say, she grew, and she grew, and she grew! So fast that we were unable to keep up with the harvests and she really starting to take over the garden. You literally couldn’t get through the gate without being stung on the legs or arms! She was trying to speak to me, but I was too annoyed at being constantly stung and too overwhelmed at how to ‘deal’ with her, that I wasn’t listening.
The next time she tried speaking to me was when I discovered her appearing through cracks in the brickwork near the house... three metres off the ground! How the heck...! And then she started randomly appearing in some of my pot plants. Clearly, she was trying very hard to get my attention, and finally did!
We began conversing and sometimes I would sing to her whilst I worked in the garden. I would ask her what she needed and she would tell me in odd little ways, like ‘making me’ trip over a bucket of water to tell me she needed a drink. We left that home some years ago now and I often wonder if she still grows there, taking swipes at some other unsuspecting gardener as they walk past her.
The ideal time to harvest Urtica dioica is around the 30cm height, taking the top four sets of leaves and leaving the rest of the plant to regenerate. Nettles are quite easy to identify. They like wet, rich & nitrogenous soil. Their leaves are a very rich and bright green colour, formed in opposite pairs along the stem. They are somewhere between a triangle and a heart shaped leaf with serrated edges and a pointed end. Hairs grow on the underside of the leaf and are laced with formic acid which when touched causes a histamine response, raising bumps of irritation on the surface of the skin.
In ancient times the practice of urtication was used; this involved whipping oneself on the lower back around the kidneys area with a bunch of nettles, to get the kidneys and adrenals activated and stimulated. Urtication was also applied directly on affected areas to treat arthritis, carpal tunnel, rheumatism and general stagnation of blood and energy flow.
Nettles are nutrient dense food; they contain lots of minerals and vitamins, and are especially rich in iron, vitamin C and chlorophyll. Medicinally, they can be taken as a tea or a tincture, but they are also very beneficial when eaten: lightly steamed or cooked into soups and casseroles. The whole plant can be used
as medicine. The roots, as a tea or tincture, are used to treat prostate problems and male pattern balding, increasing vigour and vitality in the body, especially to libido and sexual drive. The leaves are used to to treat kidney and bladder infections and are considered a nutritive and cleansing tonic for the kidneys.
Nettle leaves are anti-rheumatic, anti-allergenic, anti-histamine, depurative, astringent, and diuretic.
Dorothy Hall, Australia’s gift to Herbalism, recommends a nettle (leaf) remedy to be most beneficial to the lungs, as the iron stimulates haemoglobin production, which in turn stimulates oxygen uptake and lung capacity. The flowers and seeds are also used in medicine: as a tropho-restorative for the kidneys and adrenal glands, rendering it a very potent tonic for use in the treatment of adrenal fatigue.
So perhaps the next time you are ‘spoken to’ by a nettle plant, you might just consider stopping to hear what she has to say. Happy plant communing to you all.
Blessed Be!