It is this time of year again, and spring is not only in the air. It seems to have arrived in my garden as well and my nettles are peeping out of the ground again, ready to be picked and put into my salad. Or into the freezer because now they are young and tender. They will also lose their sting in the freezer.
The nettle is my absolute favorite plant. I know, I was talking about nettles before but they are such wonderful plants. It is not only that you can eat them hot in soups or as boiled vegetables or cold in salads or sandwiches, they were used to feed whole nations during and after the war. They are full of vitamins and minerals, too many to list here.
They are also suitable for many beauty treatments. You can wash your hair with very good results with a nettle tea made out of five whole plants, washed, cut into small pieces and steeped in 2 liters of boiling water for 20 minutes. Let it cool to your liking and wash your hair just with that. You do not need to wet your hair and no need to rinse it either, just rub it in and let it dry. Your hair will be wonderfully soft and manageable. And of course there are also health benefits in drinking nettle tea. It is very good for draining excess fluid from your body and cleansing the blood. It also help to produce milk in breast-feeding mothers.
The humble nettle can be even more: As a homoeopathic remedy it can help with allergies and nettle rash where indicated. You would need some advice on when to use the homoeopathic remedy of the stinging nettle, called Urtica urens, so please no self medication. Call me on 07813 195468.
I once saw a wonderful dinner plate in Windsor Castle with a stinging nettle on it and I would really like one but I have never managed to find one with any nettles on it. Well, I just carry on having them on my sandwich on my ordinary plate.
No comments:
Post a Comment