Nettles are said to be extremely effective in reducing itchiness
due to eczema and allergic dermatitis. Water or oil nettle infusions
can be used to make creams, lotions, salves, hair rinses and hair
conditioners. Combine nettles, amla, aritha, shikakai and aritha
for an effective hair wash tea for dandruff. Nettles are also high
in iron, calcium, potassium and silica. Use nettles in bath teas
and wash bags to soothe itchy, irritated skin.
INCI Nomenclature:
Urtica dioica (Stinging Nettles) Leaf
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Its fibre is very similar to that of Hemp or Flax, and it was
used for the same purposes, from making cloth of the finest texture
down to the coarsest, such as sailcloth,
In the sixteenth and seventeenth century Nettle fibres were still
used in Scotland for weaving the coarser household napery. In
Friesland it was used till a late period.' . The young and tender
nettle is an excellent potherb. The stalks of the old nettle are
as good as flax for making cloth.
After the Nettles had been cut, dried and steeped, the fibre was
separated with instruments similar to those used in dressing flax
or hemp, and then spun into yarn, used in manufacturing every
sort of cloth, cordage, etc., usually made from flax or hemp.
When Germany and Austria ran short of cotton during the War, the
value of the Nettle as a substitute was at once recognized and
a large and increasing use of Nettle fibre seemed assured. Mixed
with 10 per cent cotton, it was definitely shown that underclothing,
cloth, stockings, tarpaulins, etc., could be manufactured from
the new fibre.
Nettle is described as the only efficient cotton substitute. The
length of the Nettle fibre varies from 3/4 inch to 2 1/2 inches:
all above 1 3/8 inch is equal to the best Egyptian cotton. It
can be dyed and bleached in the same way as cotton, and when mercerized
is but slightly inferior to silk. It has been considered much
superior to cotton for velvet and plush.
Urtica dioica
5 ml, conv., CD., leaf, France
Primavera
From a culinary point of view the Nettle has an old reputation.
It is one of the few wild plants still gathered each spring by
country-folk as a pot-herb. It makes a healthy vegetable, easy
of digestion. In autumn, however, Nettles are hurtful, the leaves
being gritty from the abundance of crystals (cystoliths) they
contain.
New:
• Common Nettle
Common Nettle (Urtica dioica, Linn.) is distributed throughout
the temperate regions of Europe and Asia: it is not only to be
found in distant Japan, but also in South Africa and Australia
and in the Andes. Iits heart-shaped, finely toothed leaves tapering
to a point, and its green flowers in long, branched clusters springing
from the axils of the leaves are known to everyone. The Nettle
flowers from June to September. As a rule the stem attains a height
of 2 to 3 feet. The whole plant is downy, and also covered with
stinging hairs. Each sting is a very sharp, polished spine, which
is hollow and arises from a swollen base. In this base, which
is composed of small cells, is contained the venom, an acrid fluid,
the active principle of which is said to be bicarbonate of ammonia.
When, in consequence of pressure, the sting pierces the skin,
the venom is instantly expressed, causing the resultant irritation
and inflammation. The burning property of the juice is dissipated
by heat, enabling the young shoots of the Nettle, when boiled,
to be eaten as a pot-herb.
It is a strange fact that the juice of the Nettle proves an antidote
for its own sting, and being applied will afford instant relief:
the juice of the Dock, which is usually found in close proximity
to the The sting of a Nettle may also be cured by rubbing the
part with Rosemary, Mint or Sage leaves. |
