Eating seasonally and regionally
supports our health and well being. This has been a governing
“rule” in the diet of humankind since ancient times. Before the
advent of refrigerated trucking, preservatives, and the global
marketplace, if a particular food didn’t grow near the common
people, it wasn’t available. The wise choice to eat the foods and
use the herbs which grow around us supports us in the climate where we
live. The plants and animals of our region must, of course, do the
same. As we ingest them, they also impart the qualities we need in our
diet to best thrive in our environment.
Delightfully,
we needn’t look far to re-orient ourselves to these pre-historic
practices. Like the poor man who searches the world for treasure only
to return home and find it buried in his own backyard, we too can
bring our attention back to the very ground we call home. Off the back
step, we find that Mother Nature has provided all we really need.
With the
coming of Spring, new shoots poke up as the snow recedes, foretelling
the coming attraction of the greening of the land. Spring is a natural
time to transition from the heavier, fattier foods of our winter-time
diet to the lighter fare of summer. Falling between these two times of
the year we find herbs spontaneously spring-ing up, which do our
bodies good.
A prominent
star of the show is Stinging Nettles. Noxious weed, you say?
Nourishing food and powerful medicine, say countless generations past.
Herbal healing, in the most traditional sense, is inseparable from
basic, ongoing nourishment. We can stretch ourselves thin, subsisting
on unsupportive foods, find our health in a degenerative state, and
then reach for a cure, or
we can eat nutrient-dense, fresh, local, vital foods all year long and
stay well. To maintain vigor and strength is, like all treasures,
mostly invisible, but felt with the soul.
Here in
Alaska, one of the first plants to poke its head out as the
temperatures warm is Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica).You may already be familiar with this green beauty,
for if you have ever happened upon it unexpectedly chances are you
were introduced by a powerful sting! The Stinging Nettle doesn’t
have the best reputation—that is true, but have you ever noticed
that the most nutritious, medicinal and yummy foods come with a
defense system (example: blackberries)? They are merely doing their
best to avoid being devoured.
With respect
and permission, however—and perhaps a pair of gloves!—we can make
use of Nettles’ amazing offerings of calcium and other minerals, as
well as a broad range of medicinal uses. The most obvious way to use a
spring green such as this powerhouse of nutrition is to eat it! Yes,
throw it in the soup pot, boil it in a little water for a half an hour
or so and season with vinegar, salt, butter. Or use it as you would
spinach or other greens in any dish.
Now is also
the time to capture the nutrients of Stinging Nettle to be used all
year in the form of infused vinegars, tincture for medicine, and dried
stalks for tea. Nettle is a primary kidney and adrenal tonic. This means that it provides
these systems of the body with essential nutrients for optimal
functioning. Having strong, healthy kidneys and adrenal glands ensures
steady energy, an effective urinary system, relief from hay fever and
other allergies, and so much more.
Entire books
have been devoted to this single, simple, but amazing plant. One of
its best known features is its adaptogenic quality. Adaptogens help us to adjust to stress that
comes from environmental causes such as pollution, poor diet, or even
emotional causes. Stress exhausts the adrenal glands, especially
cumulatively. We can drink deeply of nourishing infusions of Nettles
year round to counter and/or prevent the toll that modern living takes
on us. Nourishing herbal infusion is a nutrient dense, yummy brew that
can be a staple beverage in your home. There are a number of plants to
choose from that can be used in the same way, each with its own
individual benefits.
Recipe
for Nettles Infusion:
If you can
boil water, you can make an infusion!
Begin by
packing 1 cup of dried Nettle leaves into a glass quart-sized canning
jar. Boil water and pour it over the herb, filling the jar all the way
to the top.
Cap with a
metal lid and let stand at room temperature for at least 4 hours, or
overnight. Strain with a fine-mesh metal strainer or cheesecloth,
squeezing out as much liquid as possible. Then, lovingly return the
spent plant material to the Earth with thanksgiving.
The resulting
liquid can be reheated on the stove top, put over ice, or drunk at
room temperature. A typical “dose” is 2 cups a day. Refrigerate
any that won’t immediately be used for 3 to 4 days. I use infusions
in place of synthetic vitamin and mineral supplements.
There is no
toxic upper limit to this infusion, though when you have had enough
your body will let you know by a satiated sensation of contentment.
Nettle is a gentle and self-limiting diuretic herb, which means that
it will be diuretic only to the degree that your individual body needs
it to be. The diuretic effect of Stinging Nettle may be stronger
initially. It is an excellent herb to employ when there is swelling or
bloating.
The effect of
Stinging Nettle may be stronger initially. It is an excellent herb to
employ when there is swelling or bloating. This is a very brief
introduction to an encyclopedic herb, one which you can learn the most
about by your own experimentation. Harvest as soon as it appears and
before flowering, to avoid kidney irritation.
Remember:
when considering advice, we are wise to consult our own inner guidance
and to look at a variety of informative sources. The thoughts shared
here are intended to nudge you towards your own intuition, and
encourage a deeper connection with the Earth. It is assumed that you
will apply good common sense with self-responsibility. Enjoy the
bounty!
Stella
Lyn
uses tried and true methods which have been working for people
throughout history. For a private consultation or information on
classes being offered, call 746-1353 or email artemis@mtaonline.net
