* Please Note: This information is based partly on Traditional Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
Description
Stinging Nettle Urtica dioica L. (Devil's Plaything; Roman Nettle: Urtica pilulifera)
Medicinal Usage
Pliny said "What can be more hateful than the nettle? Yet this plant simply abounds in remedies." Indeed, the Romans ate it in the "devout belief that it will keep diseases away throughout the whole year." They also believed that nettle stings would cure rheumatism. In medieval England, nettles were prescribed for all manner of ailments including gout, arthritis, anaemia, haemorrhages and skin diseases, such as eczema. Externally, they were used to treat wounds and ulcers, and staunch bleeding. Nettle tea was drunk to stimulate the circulation, and increase the flow of milk in nursing mothers, The plant was also said to prevent hair loss.
Culinary Usage
Young nettle leaves, rich in vitamins and minerals, were cooked as a vegetable, and added to soups and stews. They were also used to produce nettle dumplings, nettle pudding, nettle porridge, nettle beer and nettle wine.
Miscellaneous
Culpeper said that "nettles are so well known that they need no description; they may be found, by feeling, in the darkest night." Native to Britain, nettles have been praised and cursed by mankind since prehistoric times. Their botanical name Urtica is derived from the Latin for 'to burn' or 'to smart'. Tradition says that the Romans brought the Roman nettle into England so that they could keep themselves warm by rubbing it on their bodies. Although now considered a weed, the nettle was one of the nine sacred herbs of the Anglo-Saxons. In various parts of Europe, it was believed that the plant was a protection against witches, demons, and being struck by lightning. Listed by Aelfric, its name is thought to come from the Old English for, needle, referring either to its sting, or to the use of the stems in making fibre or thread. The stems were also woven into a coarse cloth, spun into rope, and used to flagellate the bare backs of medieval monks. The seeds were considered an aphrodisiac. Indeed, an old country method of getting hens to lay was to feed them with nettle seeds. The dye extracted from the leaves is green, and from the roots yellow.
User Group Forum
Share your questions and information with the ZooScape community!
Be the first to post!
Directions
Hot tea brewing method: Bring freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 teaspoon for each cup into the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the teapot. Cover and let steep for 3-7 minutes according to taste (the longer the steeping time the stronger the tea).
Iced tea brewing method (to make 1 liter/quart): Place 6 teaspoons into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Pour 1 1/4 cups of freshly boiled water over the tea. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the leaves. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste. [A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to double the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water].
Additional Information
ZooScape is proud to be the exclusive distributor of TerraVita teas, herbs and supplements in the United States, Canada and around the world. Please direct all wholesale and bulk inquiries to Simona Heather at 905-494-1785.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
