sown & uprooted

Enjoyed as a tea or added as a cooking herb, enriching your salad or mixed into pancakes, utilised under the shower as a revitalising hair or skin care. Applied as an insecticide and fertiliser to support the growth of the plants in your home and garden. Potentially helpful as a food addition for some of your animals. No wonder that nettles were highly valued in the past, including natural healers and witches as well as the famous Middle Ages nun Hildegard von Bingen.

Nettle nowadays remains an often underestimated healing plant that is currently regaining its well deserved attention to detox and nurture humans, nature and animals alike.

What exactly influenced a certain shift in perspective to focus on the more annoying, irritating qualities of the “weed” and created words such as “nettlesome” (apparently first used in the late 18th century) to me is not entirely clear. It might be a continuous decrease in public knowledge regarding the healing abilities of plants and widespread focus on gardening as landscape architecture where the rapidly spreading stinging plant appears as a rather bothersome companion. Nevertheless, it certainly is no joy to “sit in the nettles”. (My free translation of the German saying: Sich in die Nesseln setzen.)

Nettle or Urtica Dioica is rich in minerals such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron, sulphur, zinc as well as silica and vitamins such as vitamin K. The plant is traditionally applied to ease muscles after sports, keep our bones healthy and most famously as a healing remedy to our urinal tract, cleansing out kidneys and bladder. Other applications include the healing of joint and rheumatic pains. The plant is furthermore used as a strengthening treatment to our hair, nails and skin.

Hippocrates said “Let food be your medicine and medicine your food.” Similarly so, much later in the 11th century, formulated it Hildegard von Bingen. Nettle is one of the herbs among those medicinal plants the nun mentioned for us to enjoy in our food or purposefully utilise in recipes during times of sickness. Plus, the plant makes a great rejuvenating and cleansing treatment with supposed anti-aging effects. A lovely way to head into springtime – rebalanced, refreshed and ready to grow.

Utilitising the plant as a rejuvenating, anti-aging tea treatment in spring is rooted in old but lasting traditions among folklore beliefs. It’s surely no coincidence that we find an increase of such fresh nettle treatments in the months of getting our garden ready for a new season. Simply enjoy a nettle tea three times a day for around three weeks to cleanse and rejuvenate. In my posts „A Tea to detox your body and mind“ you will find a more complex recipe with similar effects, equipping you with an alternative to this tea treatment.

Let’s hopefully enjoy these last weeks of winter and rejoice for spring‘s warm rays of sunshine to break through the grey clouds soon enough :).

Ps: In case you’ve missed it – we have crafted our first little recipe compendium for you. It’s entirely free! You can download it here and take some of our recipes with you wherever you go. In there you’ll find some recipes for different occasions (may it be a hangover, cold & flu, a boost to your immune system or remedies for anxious or depressive moods and enhanced self love) to truly get you flowing into a magical year.

– with love – Your Lina

Please note: As with all things in life, some things will have ripple effects and the amounts make the difference. So please don’t overdose herbal teas either. Especially if you are on medication, suffer a medical condition, are prone to allergic reactions and during pregnancy it’s recommended to seek medical advisory before starting any self medication.