Herb of the Day: Nettle

Ask a gardener how they feel about nettle. You’re likely to hear what a pesky weed it is. You’ll hear how its difficult to remove from the garden. They will tell you about getting stung while trying to pick them, finding nettle all over the yard, and how it seems to grow overnight. A gardener will have a defeated look in their eyes and show frustration with their body language.

Then ask an herbalist about nettle. You’ll get bright eyes, enthusiasm, and an entirely different response. Nettles are prized in the herbal community. Yes, their growth can be difficult to contain. However, their benefits are so worth it. Nettles are traditionally used to support nearly every system in the body. These weeds are highly nutritious and are used in culinary preparations as well as in herbal remedies.

Traditional Uses of Nettle:

• Inflammation
• Pain
• Urinary health
• Hay fever
• Allergies
• Anti-histamine
• Eczema
• Increasing the quality of breast-milk
• Anemia
• Blood builder
• Cleansing
• Eczema
• Alkalizing
• Uterine support
• Diuretic
• Edema
• More!

“When in doubt, choose nettles.”

This is often said by herbalists. Nettles have dozens of uses. Virtually every organ and system in the body benefits from this herb in one way or another. It also happens to be one of the richest sources of vitamins and minerals in the plant kingdom. You’ll find iron, calcium, Vitamin D, magnesium, Vitamin A, B Vitamins, and more. It’s one of the most synergistic herbs also, containing needed co-enzymes, co-factors, and co-vitamins. This helps the body to get the most out of nettle- no matter what form its consumed in.

The Plant

Nettles grow just about anywhere there’s soil and water. It is often found in fields, along mountain paths, and in the backyard. Harvest nettle generously, a good rule of thumb is to leave ¼ left for others and continued growth. As long as the roots are left in place, nettle will grow back time and time again. Delicious sauces, salads, soups, and more can be made with this plant. So long as it is harvested in an area that’s not sprayed, it can be a nourishing and free food too.

Nettle Sting

The main distinguishing characteristic of nettle is the stinging ends. These tiny little prickers hurt incredibly bad. Nettle should be harvested wearing gloves. When it is cooked or dried the stingers go away. Fortunately, herbs which treat nettle stings- such as jewelweed or plantain- are commonly found growing nearby. In fact, a nettle poultice can be made for nettle stings. This truly is a plant with never-ending uses.

TriLight Health and Nettle

We use Nettle in Tri-Iron. This is our iron-rich formula that can even be used in pregnancy. It doesn’t cause the digestive disturbances common with synthetic iron supplements and even tastes delicious. Nettle is combined with *Yellow Dock, *Red Raspberry, *Dandelion and *Anise in a base of Kosher Vegetable Glycerine and Reverse Osmosis Water.

*Ingredients are Certified Organic.

It’s one of the most absorbable forms of iron available and a little bit goes a long way. This formula is especially popular among those dealing with anemia during pregnancy.