Health Benefits of Nettle

Scientific name:  Urtica dioica
Other names: Common Nettle, Stinging Nettle, Nettle Leaf, Stinger, Burn Nettle

Origins & Properties

Originally native to Europe, much of temperate Asia, and western North Africa, Nettle is now found worldwide, including New Zealand and North America.

Nettle is a dioecious, herbaceous, perennial plant, 1 to 2 meters tall in the summer and dying down to the ground in winter. The soft, green leaves are 3 to 15 centimeters long and are born oppositely on an erect, wiry, green stem. The leaves and stems are very hairy with non-stinging hairs, and in most subspecies, also bear many stinging hairs (trichomes or spicules), whose tips come off when touched, transforming the hair into a needle that can inject several chemicals causing a painful sting.

Common Uses

The plant has a long history of use as a source for traditional medicine, food, tea, and textile raw material in ancient societies such as the Saxons.

Benefits

• Hair: Helps slow down hair loss and promote new hair growth
• Anti-inflammatory: Helps reduce inflammation
• Cardiovascular: Helps lower blood pressure
• Natural diuretic: Helps your body shed excess salt and water

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