My Apothecary - Nettle
I have decided that Mondays I will be sharing My Apothecary.
I have been foraging for plants for many years, and I have decided to share what I have been collecting.
This is also helping me get everything catalogued and organized. Seems like a win win for everyone!
Please know that I do not sell my remedies, and I am not a doctor. My advice is to research everything. We should always be mindful in what we do to heal our vessels, our body. Many of these remedies are good for the spirit to. We are all spiritual beings, the plants are just and connected to mother earth as we are. Even more so.
It is very important to honour all beings, with respect and love. There have been times that I have gone to pick medicines, and I have heard NO. I offer the tobacco and give thanks for the wisdom.
Everyone has the knowledge to their own path of well being.
Benefits of Nettle:
Kidney/Gallbladder Stones
Hemorrhoids
Improves Circulation
Detoxifies the Body
Aids in Pregnancy/lactation
Promotes Feminine Health
Osteoporosis and Bone Health
Treats Respiratory Issues
Protects Heart Health
Prostate Health
I remember as a kid, being pushed into a huge patch of nettle in the apple orchard. OHHHHHH the sting. Now, I am lucky to pick nettle with very little irritation.
Wear gloves and long sleeves when harvesting!
The animals won't eat it fresh here. (I don't prefer fresh either...lol) I dry as much as I possibly can! I use it as a green (aka 'italian parsley') in a lot of my cooking for the winter. Pasta sauces, eggs, soups, stews...everything! It also gets added to the animal feed. It dries/dehydrates quickly. I prefer the younger plants, but I think that harvesting until mid summer doesn't hurt the plant. If I am using the fresh plant, I usually saute it and add it to my favourite dish.
There are many plants that we can add to our diets that grow readily everywhere. This weed is extremely beneficial for our bodies!
I love this plant. It is my go to for feminine health, and for my blood sugar elevations (diabetes).
It is a staple here. I drink it as a tea, when I need to be mindful with certain things.
Nettle is high in vitamin c, iron, and boron. I wash this plant very little. It is a good source of natural minerals for us.
Not sure why the picture is loading sideways. Having trouble with Steem and internet this morning. :)
I use it fresh(cooked), dried and as a tea.
Dried
I pick the plants around 10 am. After the dew and moisture are off the plants. I hang them upside down in small bunches to dry in a warm area out of the sun. You could also use a dehydrator.
Tea
Using fresh or dried flowers/stems/leaves, lightly crush and add to boiled water. Let steep for desired time. Teas are good for internally. I also use strong teas for baths, compresses, and washes.
Love your Monday Apothecary posts. Nettles have such a reputation is some circles as being a noxious weed. Little do they know what a wonderful plant it really is. I remember years ago, my grandmother made a shampoo from nettles. Made your head tingle. LOL
I will have to add that to my book! I wonder if that is what is in head and shoulders shampoo!!??
Thank you so much for sharing and the support!
You are welcome!
I love to forage, some days ago I posted about bear garlic properties. I will keeping an eye on your apothecary posts. I have drunk nettle tea but I have heard the peopke from Northern countries make a yummy nettle soup I wanna try. Yes they are urticant but so pretty.
Thank you for stopping by! I will go check out your posts on garlic. We add nettle to everything. Mother earth sure knows what she is doing!
Mother Earth sure does know, and as part of here we should learn from it. I really love hiking and bringing some treasures back home, always with respect
You know i should have started writing things down a long time ago... Wheres my brain????
pssst i know a lady that has a copy ...that you can borrow LOL xoxoxo
Oh I will have to get out my plant ID app.. not sure but I may have seen this along the tree line of the property. Looks VERY familiar!
If you stick your hand in there, and it itches... it's the right plant! Lolol i hope that it is there! You will love it!
Oh cool! I will take a walk after dinner... the dog needs her evening walk and this is perfect cause she loves over in that area by the pine trees
Does the itching last long?
Not generally, usually half an hour or so. Try not to itch it... i would just use a finger or 2 but the stem will be fuzzy. :)
Nettle is one of my favorite plants to pick. I love nettle. It is so beautiful. I was told years ago that June is nettle picking month so that is when I harvest it.
It makes the best tea. I often drink it with red raspberry tea. I never thought to use it like a spice in our food. What a great idea. I think I will pick a bit more this year and do that. Then we get those health benefits all winter.
You give it to your animals? Again I never thought about doing that. So much to learn and do. I need to live to be 150 to learn it all. Now that is something else I will research. We are going to have some rainy days over the next few days, this is the time to do that. As well as catch up on steemit.
June is the perfect time to pick, I would suspect! I have to transplant some onto this property. I would fill my whole pantry with it! I am really trying to learn to forage and incorporate it into our diets. So that a bad growing year, we will be just fine. :)
When the animals are grazing, i try to see what they are eating and I tie it up in the barn to dry. They love it come hard winter. It seems to perk them up. Might be harder now i have Lucy. She seems to like food...lol alot...lol
Love those rainy rest days! Enjoy!!
June seems to be really good. The nettle is not too big. Many years ago I picked at the end of the season and it was ok but I think it is better in June. The nettle is younger.
I think I will work on saving some for the goats. Even if it is just a treat in the middle of the winter. I think it would be too hard to save too much but it would be good to give them a boost.
Yes Lucy must be getting close. She is probably eating everything in sight.
I prefer the tender nettle... in the fall... after it seeds...i cut it down like straw... let the sun dry it. And then loose bale it and tie it to the rafters of my garage. This year if i have time...i want to mulch it up into a garbage pail...and just keep adding all the animal greens i dry. Its on the list...lol
Lucy has really settled in beautifully. She IS eating everything. She hangs out with the dogs all day. Lol her feet are slowly improving. They are taking alot of work.
I prefer the tender nettle... in the fall... after it seeds...i cut it down like straw... let the sun dry it. And then loose bale it and tie it to the rafters of my garage. This year if i have time...i want to mulch it up into a garbage pail...and just keep adding all the animal greens i dry. Its on the list...lol
Lucy has really settled in beautifully. She IS eating everything. She hangs out with the dogs all day. Lol
Oh you have such good ideas. Harvesting in the fall like that for the animals. I will have to put it on my list to do for the fall.
She looks great. Healthy and happy. Well at least she is sticking close by. We have to tie ours at times. They love to wander and see what they can eat at the neighbours.
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