Is it a Weed, A Nutraceutical with Pharmological Benefits or Is It Another Nature’s Miracle Food?
Today for supper I will feast at the table of Nature’s Bounty with an amazing weed steamed and fried in butter, little salt and pepper, tasting like spinach but nuttier with a woodsy flavor. I will enjoy feeding my cells with vitamins, minerals, protein, iron, fats, amino acids, polyphenols and carotenoids pigments.
Have you heard of Stinging Nettles?
Earlier, I picked this powerhouse plant wearing thick gloves and scissors to avoid its stinging hair-like barbs that can cause rashes, swelling, numbness and itchiness because of chemicals found at the base of the fine hairs acting like small needles on the skin.
Indeed, many times in the picking I have accidently touched this nettle feeling its burning irritation for hours being sure not to scratch the area so as not to push the chemicals further into the skin, extending the numbness for days. I should have remembered to wear socks to protect my ankles.
What are Stinging Nettles?
Its scientific name, Urtica dioica, comes from the Latin word uro, which means “to burn,” because its leaves can cause this temporary burning sensation upon contact.
It is a perennial flowering plant that has been used medicinally for ages, dating back as far as Ancient Greece and even Ancient Egyptians used it to treat arthritis and lower back pain. Imagine Roman troops rubbing it on themselves to help stay warm.
The plant usually grows between two to four feet high with triangular leaves and yellow flowers growing best best in nitrogen-rich soil.
Nettles are packed full of nutrients. They are anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative inside your body. Anti-oxidants are molecules that help defend your cells against damage from free radicals that are linked to aging, as well as cancer and other harmful diseases.
6 Benefits of Stinging Nettle (Plus Side Effects) (Healthline.com)
— Many Nutrients: Vitamins A, C and K, as well as several B vitamins
— Minerals: Calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium
— All Essential Amino acids: as well as flavonoids and carotenoids
— May Reduce Inflammation with levels of multiple inflammatory markers by interfering with their production. May help Osteoarthritis and Joint Pain.
— May Treat Enlarged Prostate Symptoms with nettle extracts that help treat short and long-term urination problems — without side effects
— May Treat Hay Fever that can inhibit inflammation with seasonal allergies by blocking histamine receptors and stopping immune cells from releasing chemicals that trigger allergy symptoms
— May Lower Blood Pressure by helping lower blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels and reducing force of heart’s contractions.
Basically, it can be said that more human studies are needed to confirm these benefits as biosciences continue to confirm the powerhouse and synergy of Nature’s phytonutrients.
How to Use Stinging Nettles
It is safe to consume once it is processed into a supplement, dried, freeze-dried or cooked. Nettle can be added to other soups and stews, puréed and used in recipes like polenta and green smoothies.
Don’t eat the raw plant still covered with the stinging hairs until they are dried or cooked.
Stinging nettle products come in dried or freeze-dried leaf form, extract, capsules, tablets, creams as well as a root tincture, juice or tea. This tea is considered as a top healthy drink for natural allergy relief remedy with benefits to skin, bone and urinary health as well.
However, it is unlikely that the amount of stinging nettle in herbal supplements would provide the same significant amounts as fresh steamed leaves and stems.
The roots also have pharmacological qualities that can provide relief for urinary disorders and enlarged prostate as well.
Last word
Once again, I stand in awe at Nature’s proficiency and generous endowment to help our human body maintain its cellular integrity. Thankfully, scientists will only continue to confirm many of the nutraceutical benefits as anti-inflammatory and rich anti-oxidant resources from plants.
The good news is I picked enough for a few more gourmet nutraceutical meals and will pick more today.
Questions and comments are always important. Let’s talk about health benefits of plants you love to eat.
Mary (Annemarie) Berukoff
250 304 9710 PST
info@newbetterchoices.com
PS: Interesting history
Stinging nettles have been used to make textiles like cloth and paper since Neolithic times as an alternative fiber similar to hemp and flax. Because the fiber is hollow, it provides natural insulation. The German army used nettle for their uniforms in World War I and used its leaves to dye uniforms in World War II.
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