Stinging nettle: contraindications. Chemical composition and medicinal properties of stinging nettle

Nettle - Urtica dioica L. " style="border-style: solid; border-width: 6px; border-color: #ffcc66;" width="250" height="402">
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Other names: Zhalyuga, Zhguchka, Kostarka, Sporekusha, Strekanka.

Diseases and effects: hypo- and beriberi, atherosclerosis, bleeding (uterine, pulmonary, hemorrhoidal, nasal), anemia, liver disease, gallbladder, urolithiasis, dropsy, irregular menstruation, rheumatism, bronchitis, tuberculosis, neuroses, scrofula, furunculosis, lichen, stomach cramps , constipation, dyspepsia, skin diseases, radiculitis, joint diseases, hair loss.

Active substances: ascorbic acid, carotenoids, urticin glycoside, sitosterol, formic, silicic, gallusic acids, resins, chlorophyll, choline, acytylcholine, starch, mucus, gums, mineral salts, trace elements (manganese, copper, chromium, etc.), phytoncides,.

Plant collection and preparation time: June July.

Botanical description of stinging nettle

Perennial herbaceous plant of the nettle family, densely covered with burning and short hairs up to 170 cm high, with a long, creeping, branched rhizome.

Stems erect, not branched, tetrahedral. The leaves are opposite, ovate-lanceolate, long-petiolate, coarsely serrated, dark green with oblong membranous stipules. The flowers are greenish, small, unisexual, collected in bunches in branched, discontinuous axillary, spike-shaped inflorescences. The fruits are yellowish-gray, ovoid nuts enclosed in the remaining perianths. Blooms in June - July. The fruits ripen in August - September.

With early mowing, the plants grow back and bloom again in August - September.

Distribution of stinging nettle

Stinging nettle is found throughout Ukraine. In the south, the area of \u200b\u200bits growth captures the Nikolaev, Odessa, Kherson, Zaporozhye regions and the Crimea, but here the reserves of its raw materials are less significant than in middle lane republics. It grows like a weed in yards, on the outskirts of gardens, parks, forest clearings, roadsides, in floodplains.

Thanks to vegetative propagation small thickets often form from one plant. Billets can be produced in the southern regions of Ukraine for 3-4 tons annually.

Rules for harvesting stinging nettle

In medical practice, nettle leaves are used. Harvesting is carried out during flowering, mowing or cutting leafy stems with sickles and drying for several hours - after that the nettle will lose its pungency, then the leaves are cut off by hand and dried under sheds, in attics and in dryers. In the sun, the leaves lose their green color, and most importantly, some of the vitamins are destroyed. Humidity is not higher than 14%. In raw materials it is allowed: crushed parts passing through a sieve with a diameter of 3 mm - no more than 10%, other parts of nettle - 5%, organic impurities - 2%, mineral - 1%. The smell of raw materials is peculiar. The taste is bitter.

Dry leaves are packed in bags or bales. Store in dry, well-ventilated areas on racks, out of direct sunlight. Shelf life 2 years.

Impurities of other plants are possible - leaves of a white or deaf nettle. The latter are distinguished by the alternation of large and small teeth along the edge of the sheet, the absence of roughness to the touch, as well as the anatomical structure.

Medical value of stinging nettle

Nettle leaves are rich in vitamins. They contain ascorbic acid (0.6 mg /%), carotenoids (up to 50 mg /%), urticin glycoside, dyes, sitosterol, formic, silicic, gallusic acids, resins, chlorophyll, choline, acytylcholine, starch, mucus, gums , mineral salts, trace elements (manganese, copper, chromium, etc.), phytoncides. The ashes of nettle leaves contain up to 6.3% iron oxide. Stinging nettle accelerates the process of blood coagulation, stimulates erythropoiesis, increases the tone of the smooth muscles of the uterus, enhances basal metabolism, has anti-inflammatory and some hypoglycemic effects, and also increases granulation and epithelialization of damaged tissues. Nettle is used mainly due to its hemostatic effect, which is determined by the presence of a significant amount of vitamin K, silicic acid salts and tannins. Used as a prophylactic for the treatment of hypo- and beriberi, as well as atherosclerosis. Nettle treats various bleeding (uterine, pulmonary, hemorrhoidal, nasal) and anemia. It helps to increase the hemoglobin content and increase the number of red blood cells. Leaf decoctions lower blood sugar levels.

AT traditional medicine Nettle is used as a diuretic, carminative, anti-febrile, blood purifier and wound healing agent. It is used for diseases of the liver, gallbladder, urolithiasis, dropsy, irregular menstruation, rheumatism, bronchitis, tuberculosis, neurosis, scrofula, furunculosis, lichen, stomach cramps, habitual constipation, dyspepsia.

With frequent diarrhea, eat dry, powdered nettles or drink an infusion of nettle leaves and blackberries. Crushed raw leaves are recommended to be applied to fresh wounds. Nettle juice is used to treat chronic wounds, ulcers and fistulas.

When applied externally, nettle preparations have a bactericidal effect, stimulate the processes of granulation and epithelialization. Lotions and baths from the infusion of dry crushed leaves are also used for furunculosis, for the treatment of wounds, skin diseases. It is recommended to take an infusion of nettle leaves orally as a blood purifier.

People use it as an irritating and distracting remedy for radiculitis, joint diseases: they “sting” sore spots 1 time for 2-3 days in a row with fresh grass. Externally, nettle preparations are used in the form of lotions, used in the treatment of chronic varicose ulcers, burns, etc.

In case of hair loss and dandruff, it is recommended to wash your hair with a decoction of nettle leaves. To do this, prepare a decoction at the rate of 100 g of crushed leaves per 0.9 l of water and 0.1 l of vinegar. The broth is boiled for 30 minutes, filtered and in the evening before going to bed they wash their hair (without soap). For this purpose, an infusion of dry leaves is also used: take 1 tablespoon of chopped nettle, pour 1 cup of boiling water and insist like tea. The cooled infusion is filtered and once every one to two weeks, after washing the head, rubbed into the skin.

In homeopathy, along with stinging nettle, they use stinging nettle.

Apply nettle and Food Industry to obtain a harmless natural dye - chlorophyll.

Young shoots, rich in vitamins, are eaten, used to feed domestic animals, especially chickens. This valuable, vitamin supplement is necessary for young animals: turkey poults, goslings, ducklings. Nettle increases the fat content of milk and its milk yield. It is one of the earliest multivitamin foods.

Already in April, young shoots of nettles can be used for cooking cabbage soup, salads and seasonings. Salted for future use, young shoots with leaves are not inferior in palatability salted cabbage, and nutritionally - surpass it.

Nettle is also used for cosmetic purposes in the preparation of masks that contribute to the disappearance of wrinkles, making the skin soft and velvety. For this purpose, a tablespoon of honey is added to 50 grams of leaves chopped in a meat grinder, mixed and thin layer impose on the face, neck, covering with a napkin or towel for 25-30 minutes. After that, the mask is washed off with boiled water and the skin is lightly lubricated with a nourishing cream. This procedure must be repeated 10-12 times in spring and autumn. In perfumery, a nourishing lotion is obtained by adding the chlorophyll contained in the leaves.

Infusions, liquid extract, briquettes are prepared from nettle.

Nettle is a part of vitamin teas and fees, as well as anti-asthma drugs: asthmatin and asthmatol. Nettle extract is part of the drug allahol. Radiation therapy uses chlorophyll obtained from nettle leaves.

At home, the infusion is prepared as follows: crushed raw materials (15 g) are poured into 200 ml of water, heated in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Cool for 45 minutes, filter and add boiled water to the original volume. Take a tablespoon 3-4 times a day. Also used for baths on the anal area (for hemorrhoids) and lotions on the affected areas for wounds, burns, trophic ulcers.

Two tablespoons of crushed leaves are poured into 400 ml of boiling water, insisted for 2 hours and filtered. Take 1/2 cup 4 times a day for acne vulgaris.

A tablespoon of crushed raw materials is poured with a glass of boiling water, insisted for 20-25 minutes. Used for rinsing with periodontal disease.

When growing, you should use waste, even weeds, slightly shaded wet areas. Nettle propagates by seeds and vegetatively: by dividing the bush, segments of rhizomes and branches. When sown in the ground, the seeds require pre-sowing treatment - stratification for one month at a temperature of 0-5 ° C (in the refrigerator). Seeds are sown early in spring. Seedlings begin to bloom and bear fruit in the second year.

The best results are obtained when propagating vegetatively. Nettle in culture is unpretentious and gives good harvests leaves, increasing them every year. Already in the third year they can be collected at 25 g ( wet weight) from each plant.

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Stinging nettle in collections of medicinal plants

Collection number 24
Used for cirrhosis of the liver

Collection number 25
The collection has a choleretic effect. According to the method of preparation and use - infusion.

Collection number 40
Used for hair loss. According to the method of preparation and use - decoction.

Collection number 47
Used for uterine bleeding. According to the method of preparation and use - infusion.

Urtica dioica L.

Not fire, but burning. Not linen, but spinning.

Everyone knows this burning grass. As soon as it warms up spring sun, she is the first to raise her dark green leaves above the ground. You should know that we have three types of nettle: stinging, hemp and dioecious. The latter is prepared as a medicine.

is a perennial herbaceous plant of the nettle family (Urticaceae). Found everywhere as a weed. Medicinal raw materials are leaves, roots, nettle seeds. Stinging nettle has found wide application in folk and scientific medicine.

Nettle leaves have a complex chemical structure: this is a treasure trove of protein, the most important vitamins and trace elements necessary for the proper regulation of human metabolism.

Description. Perennial herbaceous plant 60-100 and even 150 cm high, with a long creeping rhizome, giving underground shoots and planted in nodes with thin roots. The stems are erect, obtusely tetrahedral, furrowed, unbranched, covered, like the plant, with long stiff, stinging and short simple hairs. The leaves are opposite, petiolate, ovate-oblong, heart-shaped at the base, coarsely dentate. The flowers are small, with a simple four-segmented perianth, collected in branched, spike-shaped catching sotsvstka. The fruit is an ovoid yellowish-gray nut. Blooms from mid-June to autumn.

Nettle prefers oily and moist soils. Its hairs, impregnated with silica, easily break off, making a scratch on the skin, into which the juice of the hair, mainly consisting of formic acid, enters. On the island of Java and in India, there are such types of nettles, the burn of which is as dangerous as a snake bite.

But, despite the fierce pungency, Nettle has been attracting people since time immemorial.. Already in the first century AD, it was included in the arsenal of healing agents. A rich set of salts and vitamins makes nettle one of the most promising medicinal plants. It has 5 times more vitamin C than a lemon and 10 times more than an apple. Carotene is 5 times more than in carrots. In addition, it contains vitamins K, B 2, a lot of iron, copper, manganese.

Geographic distribution. Almost throughout the European part of Russia, in Western Siberia. As adventitious, it is found in Eastern Siberia, on Far East and in Central Asia.

Organs Used: leaves collected during the flowering of the plant, as well as roots.

Chemical composition . The leaves contain vitamin K, glycoside urticin, tannins and proteins, formic and ascorbic acids, vitamin B 2 C 17 H 20 O 6 N 4, pantothenic acid, protoporphyrin C 34 H 34 O 4 N 4 and coproporphyrin l C 36 H 38 0 8 N 4, sitosterol, histamine C 5 H 9 N 3, as well as carotenoids (up to 50 mg%), β-carotene C 40 H 56, xanthophyll C 40 H 56 O 2, xanthophyllepoxide C 40 H 56 O 3 and violaxanthin C 40 H 56 O 4 . In addition, chlorophyll (2-5%) was found, which can be easily isolated without impurities of other pigments.

Pharmacological properties and application. Ibn Sina wrote about nettle as a medicinal plant: “Crushed nettle leaves stop bleeding from the nose ..., a medicinal bandage (from nettle) with salt helps to reduce nerves ... Nettle seed in the form of a medicinal bandage facilitates tooth extraction ..., it eliminates asthma, stagnant breathing and cold pleurisy."

In the 17th century, Russian doctors widely used nettle as a hemostatic agent in the form of a fresh crushed plant or juice squeezed out of it (!).

Literature data on the hemostatic properties of nettle are contradictory. According to some authors (N. G. Kovaleva, 1971), it is used for bleeding of various origins, according to others (M. A. Nosal, I. M. Nosal, 1959), for nasal and uterine bleeding. S. E. Zemlinsky recommended it both for the treatment and for the prevention of intestinal bleeding, and Zyukov (cited by K. Ya. Skutul, 1910) considered nettle "an aphrodisiac, blood purifier."

Ibn Sina limited the indications for the use of nettle - only for nosebleeds. Therefore, the need for experimental verification and evaluation of the hemostatic properties of this plant is long overdue, despite the fact that it is considered in scientific medicine as a hemostatic agent for pulmonary, renal, uterine and intestinal bleeding (MD Mashkovsky, 1977).

Popular not only as a hemostatic agent. It has extensive indications for use as a source of ascorbic acid, as an anti-febrile, early, ulcer-healing, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agent.

According to N. G. Kovaleva (1971), Bulgarian and German scientists recommend it for the treatment of anemia, arteriosclerosis, muscular and articular rheumatism, dropsy, inflammation Bladder diseases of the liver, gallbladder, gastrointestinal tract, skin, accompanied by itching, with thrush and to enhance lactation.

B. G. Volynsky et al. (1979) note that in folk medicine nettle has long been used as a hemostatic agent for hemoptysis, nasal, uterine and hemorrhoidal bleeding in the form of fresh juice; externally - as an early and ulcer-healing agent, with osteomyelitis - freshly squeezed juice, leaves and fresh seeds; with a persistent cough, roots boiled in sugar syrup help well; as an expectorant they drink tea from nettle flowers - one pinch for four cups. Nettle roots, together with garlic, insist on vodka for 6-7 days; filter and rub the patient with this tincture, give inside 1 spoon 3 times a day for fever.

A.P. Popov believes that fresh nettle juice gives the best effect and may well replace nettle decoction.

nettle extract is part of the preparation Allahol, prescribed 1-2 tablets 3 times a day after meals for liver diseases and biliary tract; leaves - in the composition of gastric, laxative and vitamin teas. Nettle preparations help to restore the function of smell.

Nettle - old medicine. It is used in the form of infusion, decoction, powders and in collections as a wound healing, hemostatic in pulmonary, intestinal, uterine, hemorrhoidal and other bleeding. Nettle enhances the tone and contraction of the muscles of the uterus. It is good to combine nettle infusion with yarrow infusion.

The chlorophyll present in nettles has been used as a food coloring. It has now been proven that it has a stimulating and tonic effect, enhances basal metabolism, and stimulates the epithelialization of affected tissues.

Increases intestinal tone, regulates metabolism. In animal experiments, the sugar-lowering effect of nettle in diabetes was noted. Nettle is part of the drug "Allochol", prescribed for hepatitis, cholangitis, cholecystitis, chronic constipation. Nettle is one of the main constituent parts multivitamin, gastric and laxative collections.

According to Bulgarian and German researchers, nettle preparations are recommended for anemia, atherosclerosis, articular rheumatism, itchy skin eczema, diseases of the biliary tract, constipation, hair loss, for the treatment of wounds, and also as a means of increasing lactation.

In folk medicine, nettle is used as a tonic, with liver disease, renal dropsy, hemorrhoids, as well as a means of regulating menstruation and as a blood purifier for furunculosis, acne.

An infusion of the roots with sugar is used as an expectorant.

Nettle brooms steamed with articular rheumatism, radiculitis, muscle pain, pre-scalded brooms with boiling water.

To prepare an aqueous infusion, a tablespoon of dry nettle leaves is poured into a glass of boiling water, insisted for 10 minutes, filtered and taken in a tablespoon 3 times a day (Zhukov, 1983).

Nettle preparations increase blood clotting, hemoglobin and red blood cell count. They are used for menopause, varicose ulcers (Afonaseva, 1974).

In Western Siberia and the Urals, nettle is used for dropsy, paralysis, scabies, nettle fever, impotence, and as an anthelmintic (Surina, 1974).

Nettle has ability to restore the function of smell. It is used for whooping cough, kidney disease, bladder, polyarthritis, chorea, malaria, dysentery, headache and as a heart remedy.

A decoction of nettle with honey or sugar is taken to improve the functioning of the heart and for appetite.

Nettle decoction taken with milk for vomiting and stomach pains, and a decoction of the roots for toothache (Popov, 1973).

In Romania, an ointment is prepared from nettle leaves and used for diseases caused by Staphylococcus aureus and other viruses resistant to antibiotics. Nettle is used as an anti-cancer agent and for asthma, leucorrhea, gangrene (Altymyshev, 1976).

With uterine fibromyoma, hemorrhagic metroendometritis, nettle contributes to the rapid resorption of tumors (Turova, 1983).

It has been scientifically established that nettle stimulates the hematopoietic function and regulates the acid-base balance in the body.

Nettle infusion enhances uterine contractions.

The drug "Urtifilin" was obtained from nettle, promising for the treatment of stomach ulcers.

Nettle is an antidote. It is believed that nettle improves vision if it is introduced into the diet (Minaeva, 1991).

In Bulgaria, nettle is used to reduce bleeding and to accelerate uterine contraction in the postpartum period, with inflammation of the appendages, with ascites. It is believed that nettle juice stimulates the pancreas (Petkov, 1988).

Nettle decoction taken orally as a diuretic, laxative and for epilepsy, hysteria, exhaustion. The decoction is used to rinse the mouth with periodontal disease, gingivitis, stomatitis (Kulikov, 1975).

Nettle is used with enteritis, diarrhea, diseases of the kidneys and bladder, stomach, intestines, stomach cramps, burns, thrush, malaria, with stones in the liver and kidneys, and as an analgesic (Kovaleva, 1971).

Nettle dressed with vinegar causes boils to burst open and is beneficial in hardening.

Nettle ash with salt helps with dog bite ulcers and malignant tumors.

Nettle with salt helps from "reducing the nerves" (Avicenna).

It has been experimentally established that nettle decoctions have a therapeutic effect in alloxan diabetes and nettle fever (Plant Resources, 1985).

Methods of preparation and use

1. Freshly squeezed plant juice is taken orally 1 teaspoon 3 times a day.

2. One tablespoon of leaves is poured with a glass of boiling water, insisted for 10 minutes, filtered. Assign inside 1 tablespoon 3 times a day. The same infusion can be used to wash the head by lightly rubbing into the skin.

3. A mixture of equal parts (1 tablespoon each) of nettle leaves and bark of buckthorn one and a half to two years ago is poured with a glass of boiling water, boiled over low heat for 10-15 minutes, filtered. Take orally a glass 3-4 times a day for hemorrhoids.

4. Pour 2 cups of water over a tablespoon of seeds and chopped nettle roots, boil over low heat until half the liquid has evaporated, filter. Assign inside 3 tablespoons 4-5 times a day.

5. Powder of crushed seeds of the plant is prescribed orally 2-4 g 3-4 times a day for nephrolithiasis, bronchitis.

By nutritional value of stinging nettle close to leguminous plants Therefore, it is harvested for livestock feed.

And other species of this genus are non-toxic, they are used by some peoples of Transcaucasia for food.

Obtained from leaves green paint for confectionery, from the roots - yellow. For hundreds of years it has been used in weaving, canvas from it was used for sewing outerwear, sails, fishing tackle, ropes, ropes were woven from it, valuable grades of paper were prepared, its ash was used as fertilizer. And tender inflorescences are an excellent brew.

In medicine nettle is used as a hemostatic agent for uterine, hemorrhoidal, pulmonary, intestinal and nasal bleeding. Anemia is treated with nettle, as it helps to increase the hemoglobin content and increase the number of red blood cells. It is used for diseases of the liver, kidneys, diathesis, lichen, bronchitis and tuberculosis, with stomach cramps, habitual constipation. Fresh crushed nettle leaves were used by doctors already in the 17th century as a wound healing agent that stimulates the processes of granulation and epithelization. Purulent wounds were sprinkled with dry leaf powder. A decoction or infusion of nettle should be rubbed into the scalp for hair loss (1 tablespoon per glass).

Young shoots with leaves they are used as a seasoning for green borscht, they are pickled, dried and fermented. In Scandinavia and Poland, they prepare sauce and mashed potatoes for meat dishes.

nettle sauce: 200-300 g of young nettles are passed through a meat grinder, finely chopped green onions, salt are added, allspice, fried flour and all diluted with hot milk or meat broth. This sauce is served with pasta, potatoes, meatballs.

Green cabbage soup: wash young nettles, sort, pour hot salted water, boil for 2 minutes, rub through a sieve, add finely chopped onion fried in oil, chopped, hard-boiled egg, season with sour cream or grated cheese, serve with croutons.

spring salad: take equally (100-200 g each) nettle, green onion, shepherd's purse leaves. Boil the nettle beforehand. Mix everything, salt, season with mayonnaise or sour cream. You can add ground cumin or cilantro seeds as a spice. Top the salad with circles of boiled eggs at the rate of one egg per serving of salad.

Nettle is useful all as a multivitamin vegetable, but is contraindicated in persons suffering from thrombophlebitis, hypertension, increased blood clotting. Such patients need to add sweet clover leaves to nettle salads or drink tea from it, add heads of red or white clover.

Fresh nettle juice can heal cervical erosion. A bunch of nettles should be finely chopped or twisted. Wrap the resulting slurry in cheesecloth and squeeze out the juice. Soak a swab with this juice. Enter into the vagina at night for 1 month.

nettle tea cleans the blood. Must be taken twice a day for 1 month. Recipe: 100 g of fresh 1 nettle pour 1 liter of boiling water. Insist 30 min. It is recommended to drink tea at a certain time: between 15.00 and 17.00.

Nettle decoction helps with nephritis and pyelonephritis. Recipe: 1 tbsp. pour a glass of boiling water over a spoonful of crushed leaves. Simmer 10 min. in a water bath. Drink 3 times a day, 1/3 cup before meals.

For hair shine it is useful to make a decoction 2 times a week. Recipe: 100 g of nettle pour 1 liter of boiling water, add 1 tbsp. a spoonful of honey Cover with a lid and leave for 1 hour. Then strain the broth and dilute with 5 liters of warm water. Wash your hair with this water. You do not need to use soap, otherwise there will be no effect.

Useful properties of stinging nettle

Stinging nettle (U. urens L.) and Dioecious nettle (Urtica dioica L.) are unpretentious perennial plants that are found everywhere. Stinging nettle is annual plant, its stem is shorter (up to 70 cm), the leaves are more rounded, staminate and pistillate flowers are collected in one inflorescence. According to the content of biologically active substances, the leaves of stinging nettle and stinging nettle are similar, therefore, for medicinal use and cooking, they can be collected together. It differs from the dioecious, smaller size. But its action at the moment of contact is similar.

Stinging nettle -Urtica dioica L. Nettle family - Urticaceae Perennial herbaceous plant 40-150 cm high. The stem is straight, simple, covered with burning hairs. Leaves are opposite, long-petiolate, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate. Heart-shaped at the base, large-toothed at the edges. The flowers are green, small, collected in spike-shaped inflorescences, which are located in the upper axils of the leaves. The fruit is a one-seeded dry nut. Blooms from June to September.

The name “nettle”, which is familiar to us, is translated into Latin as Urtica Dioica, which literally means “burning”, it is clear why the nettle was called that. The word "nettle" came to us from the ancient Russian meaning of the word "silk", or koprina. Nettle was an excellent raw material for the production of various fabrics. For many years, nettles were cultivated in the fields and in greenhouses specifically for the light industry of that time.

How medicinal plant nettle has been known for a long time. Avicenna in the Canon medical science"says the following about her:" In a medicinal dressing with vinegar, it causes abscesses to open, helps from them, benefits from hardening ... Crushed nettle leaves stop bleeding from the nose ... "

It was the hemostatic effect of nettle that attracted the attention of doctors. From the 16th century decoctions of the leaves of this plant have become widely used for pulmonary, intestinal and uterine bleeding. However, since the beginning of the 20th century nettle fell into the category of forgotten medicinal plants.

During the years of the Great Patriotic War, when the need for hemostatic agents increased dramatically, they again remembered nettle. Scientists have created a liquid extract from the leaves of stinging nettle, which has served well in hospitals and clinics.

In medicine, almost the entire plant, rhizomes, leaves, seeds are used. For therapeutic use, the leaves and tops of the plant are mainly used in May - August; roots - in autumn, after growing season. Rhizomes contain tannins, nicotine, vitamin C; seeds - fatty oils (16-33%); flowers and seeds - vitamin C. Fresh leaves contain acids (formic, oxalic, succinic, pantothenic, gallic), urticin glycoside, gum, tannins and proteins, mineral salts, iron, vitamin C (150-200 mg%), various carotenoids (up to 50 mg%), vitamins K and B2, protoporphyrin, coproporphyrin, sitosterol, histamine, essential oil, chlorophyll (2-5%), phytoncides.

Nettle properties

We are used to the fact that we get vitamins only from vegetables and fruits. Meanwhile, herbs, as a source of vitamins, are undeservedly forgotten. And in the same nettle, there is twice as much carotene than in carrots, sea buckthorn and sorrel, and ascorbic acid is more than in currants and lemons.

And only 20 nettle leaves will give the body a daily diet of vitamin A. And, of course, there is iron, magnesium, copper, and calcium in nettle. So it is a very good idea to add scalded nettle leaves to salads. Well, if we talk about its medicinal properties, then it will help restore the work of many organs.

Drying nettle leaves under vacuum and low temperature (freeze drying technology) makes it available for long-term storage. Freeze-drying allows you to save all the properties of nettle for a period of 2-3 years. Leaves prepared in this way have increased efficiency, because vacuum drying makes all components of nettle more digestible - hence the higher effect.

What is nettle rich in, and why is it so necessary for people?

This is a valuable multivitamin plant, a kind of natural concentrate of vitamins. Almost all vitamins, many microelements, organic acids, as well as phytoncides and tannins are found in it, fatty oil is found in the seeds. Ascorbic acid in this plant is 2.5 times more than in the fruits of black currant and lemon.

Results of chemical analysis of dried nettle leaves

COMPOUND
Crude protein (proteins)
Carbohydrates	23.8 (dry weight)

Cellulose


Amino acids

Histidine

Aspartic acid


Glutamic acid





Methionine
Isoleucine


Phenylalanine
mineral elements	mg/kg




manganese






Chromium, lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic were not found.
vitamins	mg/100g
Thiamine (vitamin B1)
Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B3)
Folic acid
Biotin (vitamin H)
Vitamin PP
Meso-inositol
Ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
Vitamin K
beta carotene

Such a rich set of amino acids, macro- and microelements, vitamins provides a wide range of restorative, healing and therapeutic and preventive effects of nettle on the human body. Nettle proteins contain 9 out of 10 essential amino acids, which, in combination with minerals and vitamins allows you to maintain high performance, quickly restore strength after hard work, fatigue or illness.

Essential amino acids are not synthesized in the human body and must be obtained from food. It:

Lysine, which promotes the absorption of calcium and supports normal nitrogen metabolism, necessary for the formation and growth of bones, as well as during recovery after operations and injuries;

Histidine, protecting the body from the effects of radiation, necessary for the formation of red and white blood cells and maintaining immunity;

Arginine necessary to maintain metabolism in muscle tissues, improves skin condition, participates in the restoration of cartilage of the joints, strengthens ligaments and heart muscles, slows down the growth of tumors and stimulates the immune system;

Threonine supporting protein and fat metabolism and immunity;

Methionine, normalizing the functions of the liver and preventing the deposition of fats in it, preventing muscle weakness and hair loss;

Phenylalanine, improves memory and attention, improves blood circulation, promotes the formation of insulin.

Other amino acids that make up the nettle are involved in the restoration of damaged tissues, skin formation, and strengthening of joints. Especially surprising is the effect of glutamine, the percentage of which is the highest. It improves brain activity, reduces cravings for alcohol and smoking, maintains the acid-base balance in the body.

Nettle is almost the only product that contains vitamin K - a hemostatic factor that increases blood clotting, especially with external and internal bleeding and has an anti-inflammatory effect.

These properties are especially important for the gastrointestinal tract, in which microdamages constantly occur. The antitoxic effect of nettle is expressed. At the same time, lignins and cellulose polysaccharides contained in plant fibers are combined with vitamins C, K, E, group B, therefore, when eating nettle, toxins are absorbed throughout the entire gastrointestinal tract.

Nettle also contains formic acid, tannins, flavonoids. The presence of bioflavonoids - important factor antihistamine and antioxidant action, which makes it possible to recommend nettle for the prevention and treatment of asthma. Nettle is rich in vitamin C, in terms of the content of which it is not inferior to citrus fruits. In combination with the amino acid cystine, vitamin C acts on the bronchi and mucus secreted by the lung epithelium. Therefore, nettle should be consumed by anyone who has weak or diseased lungs.

Vitamin C and lipoproteins contained in nettles, being antioxidants, have positive influence for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Normalization of the cardiovascular system contributes to the high content of potassium and calcium. Therefore, the constant intake of nettle is one of the factors in reducing the risk of heart and vascular diseases.

The high content of beta-carotene in nettles (2 times more than in carrots!) helps to strengthen the retina and improve vision. Large quantities chlorophyll, which has an anti-radiation effect, are extremely valuable when working in conditions of increased radiation and exposure; when applied topically, chlorophyll promotes wound healing. Therefore, nettle is a must for those who work with a computer. The unique combination of substances in nettle provides its unsurpassed effect on the body.

Essentially, one can speak of unique properties this plant, which, unfortunately, is used very little in practice, since dry nettle is not always available in pharmacies, and it is very difficult for the townspeople to collect and prepare it for future use. In addition, you can not collect nettles from highways, because it can be toxic due to the lead it contains.

The use of nettle is especially necessary for people suffering from diabetes. There is evidence that eating nettle helps to restore the functions of pancreatic beta cells, resulting in a sharp decrease in insulin dependence in diabetic patients until normal sugar metabolism is fully restored. In addition, the presence of secretin in nettle, which stimulates the formation of insulin, is also antidiabetic, contributing to the removal of sugar from the blood.

It strengthens the immune system, has a tonic effect, helps to resist the effects of radiation. Nettle will also help those who suffer from metabolic disorders and diabetes, as it has a stimulating effect on protein and carbohydrate metabolism, and on the formation of insulin.

Nettle helps, thanks vitamin K and as a powerful hemostatic and wound-healing agent, used both externally and internally.

And yet - a diuretic, choleretic agent, increasing the tone of the intestines, uterus and cardiovascular system Actually, it seems that this is almost a universal doctor.

INDICATIONS FOR USE
A decoction of nettle, affecting the state of the whole organism	A person becomes vigorous, healthy, the heart improves its work, the blood composition improves, movements become easier, sclerosis disappears: put 200 g of May nettle (leaves) into a bottle and pour 0.5 liters of vodka or 50-60% alcohol. Tie the neck of the bottle with gauze. Keep the first day on the window, and the remaining 8 days in the closet in the dark. Strain and squeeze. Accept: 1 teaspoon on an empty stomach 30 minutes before meals and 1 teaspoon at night before bed. Drink the whole bottle.
To maintain tone and strengthen strength, for the prevention of acute respiratory diseases andto saturate the body strength and energy	it is enough just to purchase young nettles, make juice from it. Accept: at least 60 ml per day, which corresponds to 12 teaspoons. If desired, the juice can be sweetened with natural honey.
With anemia as a vitamin remedy and normalizing metabolism	2 tbsp. spoons of flowers, leaves or nettle grass pour 1 cup boiling water, leave for 15 minutes, strain. Accept: 1-2 cups 3 times a day before meals. Decoctions and infusions of nettle help to increase the concentration of hemoglobin in the blood, as well as the number of red blood cells.
With a decrease in blood clotting	2 tbsp. spoons of leaves brew 1 cup boiling water, boil for 10 minutes on low heat, cool and strain. Accept: 1 st. spoon 4-5 times a day.
With bleeding	1 st. brew a spoonful of nettle leaves with 1 cup boiling water, boil for 10 minutes on low heat, cool and strain. Accept: 1 st. spoon 4-5 times a day. Or 2 tbsp. spoons of dried nettle leaves brew 2 cups boiling water, leave for 1 hour and strain. Take 1/2 cup 2 times a day
For compresses and washes	2 tbsp. Spoons of the whole plant pour 1 cup boiling water, leave for 25 minutes, strain. During the scarring period, fistulous passages should be washed with juice from fresh leaves.
From wounds and cuts	Fill the bottle with fresh nettle leaves, fill with alcohol and close the cork. Expose in the sun for two weeks. A gauze soaked in tincture applied to a wound or cut will speed up healing and prevent infection.
For rinsing the mouth	infusion of leaves 1:10 - 10 g of nettle leaves brew 1/2 cup boiling water, leave for 10 minutes, strain, cool
In acute articular rheumatism, muscular rheumatism, gout	Nettle decoction 1 tbsp. pour a spoonful of dry leaves with 1 cup of boiling water, insist, wrapped, 1 hour, strain. Take 1 tbsp. spoon 3-4 times a day 30 minutes before meals
For chronic cough, nettle roots	finely chop and boil well in sugar syrup. Accept: 1 st. spoon several times a day. Or pour a pinch of nettle flowers with 2 cups of boiling water, insist, wrapped, 1 hour, strain. drink like tea
Like a good pain reliever	At severe pain use a decoction: nettle leaves - 1 part, buckthorn (bark) - 1 part, 8 g of the mixture, pour 1 liter of boiling water, heat for 10 minutes on low heat, insist, wrapped, 30 minutes, strain. Accept: 1 glass 4 times a day
In inflammatory diseases of the liver, gallbladder, various departments gastrointestinal tract	in the form of infusions 1:10. Sometimes fresh juice is used
To improve performance kidney	Nettle decoction is taken with honey or sugar. For such a decoction, one teaspoon of dried nettle leaves per glass of water is enough. With nephritis and pyelonephritis, the dose is increased to 1-2 tablespoons, kept in a water bath for 15 minutes. Accept: a third or half a glass before meals
A decoction of nettle acute gastritis	a) nettle leaf, plantain leaf, St. John's wort, chamomile flowers (all equally). 4 tbsp. spoons of the mixture pour 1 liter of boiling water, leave for 2 hours in a warm place. Drink 1 glass up to 1.5 liters per day and for 7-10 days; b) nettle leaf, St. John's wort, knotweed grass, peppermint leaf (all equally). 4 tbsp. Spoons of the mixture brew 1 liter of boiling water, leave for 2 hours in a warm place. Drink from 0.2 to 1.5 liters per day for 7-10 days. At gastritis and ulcer take 1 tsp. 3-4 times a day for 30 minutes. before meals, diluted in 1/2 cup of water.
With habitual constipation	Collection: nettle leaves - 1 part, yarrow flowers - 1 part, buckthorn bark - 3 parts. 1 st. brew a spoonful of the mixture with 1 cup of boiling water, boil for 1 minute, leave for 30 minutes, strain. Accept: 1/2 - 1 glass at night. Course of treatment - 2 weeks
With frequent diarrhea	eat dry, powdered nettles or drink an infusion of nettle leaves and blackberries. Crushed raw leaves are recommended to be applied to fresh wounds. Nettle juice treats chronic wounds, ulcers and fistulas
With hemorrhoids	nettle leaves - 1 part, oregano herb - 2 parts, buckthorn bark - 2 parts. 1 st. a spoonful of the mixture brew 1.5 cups hot water, boil for 5 minutes, insist 4 hours in a warm place. Accept: in a warm form, 1/2 cup 3 times a day 15 minutes before meals
With excessive menstruation and various bleeding	juice of fresh nettle leaves taken orally 1 teaspoon 3 times a day in 1/4 cup 20 minutes before meals. Nettle liquid extract (pharmaceutical preparation) Accept: 30-40 drops 30 minutes before meals in 1/4 glass of water for prevention uterine bleeding
With cervical erosion	a cotton swab moistened with juice from fresh nettle leaves, or a slurry of leaves on a swab, is inserted into the vagina
To increase lactation	nettle leaves - 1 part, dill fruits - 1 part, sweet clover grass - 1 part, anise fruits - 1 part. 2 tbsp. Spoons of the mixture pour 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, cool, strain. Accept: 1/2 cup 2 times a day 1 hour after meals
To lubricate affected areas of the skin	nettle is used in the form of an ointment, which is prepared from dried and powdered nettle leaves, annual pepper grass and petroleum jelly. Apply the ointment 2 times a day. a) nettle leaf - 2 parts, dandelion root - 1 part; b) nettle leaf - 2 parts, dill seed - 1 part, anise seed - 1 part. 2 tbsp. spoons of the mixture brew 0.5 liters of boiling water, leave for 2 hours, drink in sips throughout the day
For nosebleeds	dried and crushed leaves are used, and warts are destroyed with fresh leaves
Nettle juice - from acne wounds and ulcers	fresh leaf juice has early - and ulcer-healing properties. You can squeeze it out with a meat grinder or juicer (before that, the leaves are washed). For acne in parallel take an infusion of nettle inside
Heal diaper rash, acne and skin wounds	tampons soaked in juice help (apply and stick with a band-aid, change 2-3 times a day until healing)
Nettle decoction - from baldness	with seborrhea and focal baldness, boil 100 g of leaves for 30 minutes. in 1 liter of vinegar diluted with water 1:1. Wash your hair in the evening before going to bed, without shampoo, every other day, a course of 3-4 weeks, then a break for 1-2 weeks, and repeat the course again
Decoction for hair loss and dandruff	nettle leaves - 20 g, coltsfoot leaves - 30 g, calamus rhizomes - 30 g. 6 tbsp. boil spoons of the mixture for 10 minutes in 1 liter of water, wrap warmer for 1 hour, cool, strain. Wash your hair with a decoction 3 times a week for dandruff and hair loss. Nettle decoction to wash your hair before going to bed without soap. For a decoction: 100 g of crushed nettle leaves pour 0.5 l of Art. vinegar and 0.5 l of water and cook for 30 minutes, when it cools down, squeeze
Medicinal properties of NETTLE SEEDS
Recipe for saving male power	Caucasian centenarians, for whom late marriage and procreation in old age is not a problem, often use tincture of nettle seeds. To enhance potency, not vodka is used in the recipe, but real grape wine. Pour 5 tablespoons of seeds into 0.5 liters of grape port, boil for 5 minutes, cool and strain. Accept: 50 ml at bedtime or 1 tbsp 3-4 times a day. You can also use a decoction of nettle seeds

Nettle is one of the few plants in whose leaves green chlorophyll is almost not accompanied by other pigments: carotenoids, anthocyanins, etc. Therefore, nettle leaves serve as a convenient object for obtaining pure chlorophyll, which is used in the food industry as a harmless dye.

Nettle was used to make a very durable fabric, which in the tenth century was used to make sails, ropes, and fishing tackle.

In many countries, nettles are grown on purpose. In France, it is grown as animal feed. it unpretentious plant, and crops can be harvested frequently.

Especially often pregnant animals and young animals are fed with it. Cows receiving nettles give more milk and best quality. Chickens increase their egg production.

A nettle broom in a bath is very useful, especially for osteochondrosis.

A decoction of rhizomes and roots of stinging nettle in folk medicine is used orally for furunculosis, hemorrhoids and swelling of the legs, and an infusion of roots is used as a heart remedy.

Sugared nettle rhizomes are also used for coughing.

An infusion of nettle flowers in the form of tea is drunk for suffocation and coughing for expectoration and resorption of sputum.

Application of nettle leaf powder. 2 tbsp. spoons of powder are mixed in a glass of curdled milk, yogurt or kefir and consumed 1 time per day.

0.5 g of powdered nettle leaves are taken 3 times a day for the same diseases as the infusion. The powder is sprinkled on wounds and used externally for nosebleeds.

Fresh nettle leaves applied to purulent wounds to cleanse and heal them, and used to remove warts. Nettle leaves mixed with honey help with shortness of breath

Fresh nettle juice take 1 tbsp. l. 3 times a day for the same diseases as the infusion.

Syrup of nettle juice and honey with tea is recommended for anemia, bleeding, diabetes, coughing and decreased potency.

Easy Kidney Cleanse Recipe: swallow 3 g of nettle seeds 1 time per day.

If you mix nettle with salt, knead this mixture and apply to dense tumors, then this gruel will slowly dissolve any formations, cleanse purulent ulcers.

Candied nettle rhizomes used for coughing, and the seeds - for nephrolithiasis, dysentery and as an anthelmintic.

Raw leaves ferment like cabbage.

Delicate inflorescences of nettle brewed as tea.

Potency can be increased and with the help of such a drug: take one glass of red grape wine and a tablespoon of dry nettle. Mix all this, boil in a water bath for 30 minutes, strain the broth and take a tablespoon 3-4 times a day.

Nettle is absolutely indispensable in modern cosmetology for the skin of the face, head, hands and feet.

Bath. Nettles, along with roots and rhizomes, are crushed and poured with boiling water in a ratio of 1:20, they require half an hour, they filter. Bath 36-37 ° C can be taken at any convenient time.

nettle lotion- Ideal for oily skin. How to make it? Squeeze the juice from fresh nettles, take one tablespoon of this juice and mix it with one hundred milliliters of alcohol or vodka. Wipe your face with this lotion morning and evening for two to three months. You will see that your skin will become dull, fresh and healthy looking.

To tone the skin of the hands it is recommended to make baths with nettles. We take one tablespoon of nettle per liter of water and make an infusion in which we hold our hands for no more than a quarter of an hour. After the bath, hands should be well dried and soaked with cream.

Nettle masks are very popular which are especially useful for dehydrated or toneless skin. We start making a mask with 1 tablespoon of milk. Milk should not be cold: it is better to warm it up and let it cool down to room temperature. Add the prepared required amount of milk to one tablespoon of nettle. It is desirable that it be dry nettle, which is easy to grind. Leave milk with nettle for ten minutes, and then add a spoonful of yolk there. Mix and apply on the face. Wash off the mask after a third of an hour, preferably with boiled water (not hot). If you have oily skin, use egg white instead of egg yolk.

If hair falls out, they should be strengthened with the following infusion. We take two large spoons of dry nettle and two large spoons of coltsfoot, brew this mixture with 200 ml of boiled water, leave this infusion for a while and then squeeze it out. This infusion must be rubbed into the scalp, especially into the hair roots once every three days.

With increased sebum secretion, dandruff, hair loss after washing your hair and drying your hair, rub infusion of nettle leaves into the scalp: 1 tbsp. brew a spoonful of leaves with 1 cup of boiling water, leave for 1.5 hours and strain. Apply once a week for a long time.

Infusions and decoctions

herbal decoction
1 st. l. dry crushed leaves and roots of nettle per 300 ml of water are boiled for 10 minutes over low heat, insisted for 1 hour, filtered. Take 1 tbsp. l. 3-4 times a day for the same diseases as infusion,	recommend it mainly for bleeding, acute articular and muscular rheumatism, gout, hemorrhoids, furunculosis, swelling of the extremities
100 g of dry nettle leaves per 1 liter of water are boiled for 10 minutes, insisted for 1 hour, filtered. Take 200 ml 4-5 times a day as a hemostatic, wound healing and multivitamin remedy	for washing, wiping, compresses, lotions for various skin diseases, as well as for the growth and strengthening of hair (they wash their hair with a decoction in a week for several months)
300 g of nettle roots per 3 liters of water are boiled for 20 minutes over low heat, insisted for 2 hours. Used in warm baths	for rheumatism, gout, joint pain (the decoction can be used repeatedly), and for tumors, 100 g of leaves are added to the decoction.
Herbal infusion
1 st. l. dry nettle leaves for 250 ml of boiling water insist 1 hour, filter. Accept: 1 st. l. 3-4 times a day 30 minutes before meals as tonic, multivitamin	increasing hemoglobin; increasing the tone of the uterus and large intestine; with dysentery; constipation; as a diuretic for urolithiasis; in violation of metabolism; with diseases of the liver and biliary tract; rickets; gout, as well as neuropsychiatric diseases (neurasthenia, hysteria); as an antipyretic and expectorant with diseases of the upper respiratory tract; nettle fever; as an antiseptic and blood purifier for various skin diseases (lichen, acne, boils); as a hemostatic agent for hemorrhoidal, uterine and intestinal bleeding;
1/2 tsp dried nettle flowers in 250 ml of boiling water insist 20 minutes. accept in the form of tea	with rheumatism; when coughing for expectoration and resorption of sputum; with chronic skin diseases; as a diuretic; antimalarial drug
herbal tincture
600 g of fresh nettle leaves per 500 ml of 96% alcohol insist 10 days, filter. accept 3-10 drops 3 times a day	with the above diseases

For medicinal purposes, nettle infusion should be filtered no later than an hour later.

Procurement of raw materials

For cooking medicines apply the roots of the plant and the leaves of the nettle dioica. The leaves are harvested when the nettles are in bloom, then dried in ventilated rooms or on outdoors. Ready-to-storage raw materials are dark green in color, bitter in taste and have a slight odor. The shelf life of the leaves is 24 months. Roots store up late autumn Procurement of raw materials, as it turned out, almost crucial point throughout the process. Collect leaves, separating them from the stem. To prepare for the future, dry the leaves in the shade on the same day. When the central vein of the leaf becomes brittle, the raw material is ready. Tightly closed jars and plastic bags are not suitable, because storage in them degrades the quality and healing properties of plants.

Side effects and contraindications

Nettle has the property of enhancing uterine contractions in women, so it should not be taken during pregnancy, especially during the last trimester.

It is not recommended to take people who may have thrombosis, increased blood clotting, as well as with hypertension and atherosclerosis. Those who have heart problems, as well as those with atherosclerosis, when blood vessels narrow.

Nettle propagation

In defense of such a useful "weed" we speak again and again. After all, destroying nettle shoots, we deprive ourselves of the richest source of vitamins. Nettles can be bred on the site, which is done easily by sowing seeds or shoots from the root. It is necessary to sow in September thicker than other seeds. If you propagate it with roots, then in September or October, depending on the weather, you need to dig up the stems, separate them, plant them in a certain place, cutting off the old stem, two fingers above the root. Nettles should be neither too tall nor too old. It is necessary to plant tightly, to trample down the ground, so that the stems cannot grow at random. Thus, in September or October, planted nettles can be cut already next spring.

A field once sown or planted with nettles does not need to be sown another time, because nettles will grow from roots that no weather can harm. Moreover, nettles can grow in the most unsuitable places; it does not require plowing,

Nettle Recipes

Nettle - valuable food product. Delicious and nutritious cabbage soup is cooked from young shoots and leaves, salads are prepared from leaves. Tops of shoots with leaves until late autumn are suitable for making cabbage soup and mashed potatoes. Nettle leaves are part of various teas. You do not need to store boiled nettle for a long time, it quickly loses vitamins. The most optimal is to take nettles in the form of food on the day of collection. In addition, nettle leaves and shoots can be salted and used, as they do, for example, in the Caucasus, as a seasoning for meat dishes.

The nettle genus includes about 30 species of this plant. In Russia, two types are most common: stinging nettle and stinging nettle. Outwardly, these plants are very similar to each other, but these are two different types. Stinging nettle - perennial, and burning - annual and much smaller in growth. Dioecious nettle forms thickets of either only males or only females. During flowering, and this happens most often throughout the summer, the wind carries pollen from male flowers to neighboring thickets of female plants. This species bears fruit from July to late autumn. Both nettles have medicinal properties, but they are more dioecious. Traditional medicine usually does not separate these plants by strength. But official medicine talks only about stinging nettle.

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) reaches a height of up to 170 cm. The rhizome is long, creeping, cord-like, branched with thin roots at the nodes. Stem obtusely tetrahedral, straight, unbranched, occasionally with opposite branches. The leaves are ovate-lanceolate, coarsely serrated along the edge, up to 17 cm long and up to 8 cm wide, arranged oppositely on petioles on the stem, gradually tapering towards the apex. The stems and leaves are covered with short simple and longer stinging hairs (touching them on the skin causes burning pain). Other Russian names for nettles: zhegala, zhigalka, strakiva, strekava, strekuchka. The popular Estonian name “bachelor's kiss” seems to personify everything burning and caustic.

PROPERTIES OF THE NETTLE

Stinging nettle is very useful for the body, it has a wide range of healing and healing properties:
1. Accelerates the process of blood coagulation, increases the content of hemoglobin and red blood cells.
2. Improves metabolism, lowers blood sugar.
3. Strengthens the immune system, has a tonic effect, helps to resist the effects of radiation.
4. Increases the tone of the intestines and the cardiovascular system.
5. Strengthens the tone and contraction of the muscles of the uterus, normalizes the menstrual cycle.
6. It has a stimulating and tonic effect, stimulates the epithelialization of affected tissues.
7. Has the ability to restore the function of smell.
8. Regulates the acid-base balance in the body.
9. Stinging nettle also has: anti-inflammatory, multivitamin, antipruritic, choleretic, diuretic, hepatoprotective (protecting liver cells), expectorant, analgesic, antiseptic, anticonvulsant and other properties.

Chemical composition

Stinging nettle is a valuable multivitamin plant, a kind of natural concentrate of vitamins. Almost all vitamins, many microelements, organic acids, as well as phytoncides and tannins are found in it, fatty oil is found in the seeds. Nettle is rich in biologically active substances, such as glycoside, urticin, flavonoids, phenolic acids. The roots contain up to 2% tannic acids. Nettle leaves contain formic, silicic, pantothenic, oxalic, succinic, lactic, citric and quinic acids.

100 grams of stinging nettle contains 3.7 grams of protein, 0.5 grams of fat, 5.4 grams of carbohydrates, 3.1 grams of fiber, 41 mg of iron, 1.3 mg of copper, 8.2 mg of manganese, 4.3 mg boron, 2.7 mg titanium, 0.03 mg nickel. The leaves contain chlorophyll (2 - 5%), starch (up to 10%), alkaloids (up to 0.29%), ascorbic acid (200 mg/%), carotenoids (up to 50 mg/%).

A rich set of amino acids, macro - and microelements, vitamins provides a wide range of restorative, healing and therapeutic and prophylactic effects of stinging nettle on the human body. Its proteins contain 9 out of 10 essential amino acids, which, in combination with minerals and vitamins, allows you to maintain high performance, quickly restore strength after hard work or illness.

Collection, drying and storage

Medicinal raw materials are leaves, rhizomes and seeds. Nettle leaves are collected during the flowering period - from June to September with gloves or the plants are mowed and, when not only the leaves wither, but also the stems that lose their pungency, the leaves are torn off with bare hands. Astrologers recommend collecting nettles in the first quarter of the moon, at dawn and exclusively on Tuesday - then it will have a special healing power. Believe it or not, it's up to you.

Dry raw materials in attics under an iron roof or under sheds with good ventilation, spreading a thin layer (3 - 5 cm) on paper or cloth. It is impossible to dry nettle leaves in the sun, as they become discolored, and most importantly, some of the vitamins are destroyed. During artificial drying, the heating temperature of the leaves is not more than 50 ° C. Drying is completed when the central veins and petioles begin to break. The dried raw material consists of dark green leaves with a slight odor and a bitter taste. Humidity is not higher than 14%. The yield of dry raw materials is about 20% of freshly harvested. After drying, all raw materials are sorted out, removing yellowed, browned and blackened leaves, as well as impurities.

Stinging nettle seeds are harvested at their full maturity. The rhizome is dug up in spring or autumn, freed from the earth adhering to it and dried in air or under artificial heating (up to 40 ° C). The shelf life of the roots is 3 years.

Dry leaves are packed in paper or cloth bags or bales. Do not store in plastic bags. Store in dry, well-ventilated areas on racks, out of direct sunlight. Shelf life 2 years.

Drying nettle leaves under vacuum and low temperature (freeze drying technology) makes it available for long-term storage. Freeze-drying allows you to save all the properties of nettle for a period of 2 - 3 years. The leaves prepared by this method have increased efficiency, because vacuum drying makes all the components of the nettle more digestible - hence the higher effect.

TREATMENT OF DISEASES WITH THE HELP OF NETTLE

Stinging nettle is used in folk medicine for the treatment of many diseases:
1. To normalize metabolism in case of anemia, pour 2 tablespoons of stinging nettle leaves with 1 cup of boiling water, strain for 15 minutes. Take 1 - 2 cups 3 times a day before meals.
2. To improve the work of the heart. In young stinging nettle, before flowering, the tops are cut off along with the leaves, dried in the shade. 5 tablespoons of chopped herbs are poured into 0.5 liters of water, boiled over low heat for 5 minutes. Then insist 30 minutes and strain. Take half a glass 4 times a day with honey or sugar.
3. To cleanse the blood, take nettle tea twice a day for 1 month. Recipe: 100 grams of fresh stinging nettle pour 1 liter of boiling water. Insist 30 minutes. It is recommended to drink tea at a certain time: between 15.00 and 17.00.
4. Restorative recipe. 200 grams of May nettle leaves put in a bottle and pour 0.5 liters of vodka or 50 - 60% alcohol. Tie the neck of the bottle with gauze. Keep the first day on the window, and the remaining 8 days in the closet in the dark. Strain and squeeze. Take 1 teaspoon on an empty stomach 30 minutes before meals and 1 teaspoon at night before bed. Drink the whole bottle. A person becomes vigorous, healthy, the heart improves its work, the composition of the blood improves, movements become easier, sclerosis disappears.
5. Decoction for bleeding. 1 tablespoon of nettle leaves brew 1 cup boiling water, boil for 10 minutes on low heat, cool and strain. Take 1 tablespoon 4-5 times a day.
6. Decoction for acute gastritis. Grind and mix equally the leaves of the nettle, plantain leaves, St. John's wort, chamomile flowers. 4 tablespoons of the mixture pour 1 liter of boiling water, leave for 2 hours in a warm place. Drink 1 glass up to 1.5 liters per day and for 7 - 10 days.
7. Decoction for nephritis. Pour 1 tablespoon of chopped nettle leaves with a glass of boiling water. Simmer for 10 minutes in a water bath. Drink 3 times a day, 1/3 cup before meals.
8. Decoction for rheumatism, diabetes and kidney stones. 1 teaspoon of crushed dried nettle roots is poured into 1 glass of water and boiled for 5 minutes. They insist half an hour. Filter and take 1/4 cup 3 times a day before meals.
9. To improve kidney function. Pour one teaspoon of dried nettle leaves with a glass of boiling water. Keep in a water bath for 15 minutes. Take a third or half a glass before meals with honey or sugar.
10. To strengthen hair. We take two tablespoons of dry stinging nettle and two tablespoons of coltsfoot and brew this mixture with 200 ml of boiled water. We insist half an hour and filter. This infusion must be rubbed into the scalp, especially into the hair roots once every three days.
11. Decoction for hemorrhoids. A mixture of equal parts (1 tablespoon each) of stinging nettle leaves and bark of buckthorn one and a half - two years ago, pour 1 liter of boiling water, boil over low heat for 10 - 15 minutes, strain. Take 1 glass 4 times a day
12. Decoction to increase lactation. Mix nettle leaves - 1 part, dill fruits - 1 part, sweet clover grass - 1 part, anise fruits - 1 part. Pour 2 tablespoons of the mixture with 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, cool, strain and drink 1/2 cup 2 times a day 1 hour after meals.
13. Decoction for constipation. Grind and mix 1 part nettle leaves, 1 part yarrow flowers and 3 parts buckthorn bark. One tablespoon of the mixture is brewed with a glass of boiling water. Boil the mixture for a minute, and then insist for half an hour. Strain and drink 0.5 - 1 glass at night. Treatment of this problem lasts up to two weeks, but helps in 100% of cases.
14. As an antihelminthic. 1 tablespoon of fruits and crushed roots of stinging nettle per 1 cup of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain. Take 2 - 3 tablespoons 3 - 4 times a day.
15. To enhance potency.
Recipe number 1. 5 tablespoons of nettle seeds pour 0.5 liters of grape port, boil for 5 minutes, cool and strain. Take 50 ml at bedtime or 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day.
Recipe number 2. Seeds are brewed as tea and drunk 30 minutes before a meal, or 1 hour after a meal.
Recipe number 3. We take 20 grams of seeds, pour 0.5 liters of red grape wine, insist for a week and filter. Take 1 tablespoon three times a day.
16. With chronic cough. Finely chop the nettle roots and boil well in sugar syrup. Take 1 tablespoon several times a day.
17. In fever. Stinging nettle roots together with garlic insist on vodka for 6-7 days, filter and rub the patient with this tincture, give inside 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.
18. With dense tumors and purulent ulcers. Mix nettle with salt, knead this mixture and apply to dense tumors and ulcers. This gruel will slowly dissolve any formations, cleanse purulent ulcers.
19. For neuralgic pains. Shredded nettle roots are poured with hot sunflower or corn oil (1: 2) and infused for 2 weeks. Strain and use for rubbing.

USE OF NETTLE IN COOKING

Stinging nettle is the most valuable food product. In terms of nutritional value, it is not inferior to legumes. Only young leaves are suitable for culinary purposes, as they are not as tough compared to old ones. A few simple culinary recipes that use this wonderful herb.

Soup "Vitamin". Put the diced potatoes (2 tubers) into the meat broth and cook until tender. Then we take finely chopped young leaves of stinging nettle, lungwort and sorrel and add to the soup, after which we wait 1-2 minutes until it boils, and remove from heat. Salt, pepper - to taste. The soup can also be seasoned with sour cream and sprinkled on a plate of green onions and dill.

Soup "Vegetable". A wonderful dish for its taste and usefulness. And it is prepared with a minimum of effort. Ingredients: stinging nettle - 250 grams, potatoes - 3 pieces, carrots - 1 piece, onion- 1 piece, vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons, cheese - 70 grams. Clean and wash the nettles, then dip them into boiling water and cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Now drain the water and finely chop the nettle. Make a separate veggie broth with potatoes, onions, and carrots. Lastly, add the nettles and cook for another 1-2 minutes. After the soup is ready, season it vegetable oil and cheese, chopped on a grater.

Shchi "Green". Wash young nettles, sort, pour hot salted water, boil for 2 minutes, rub through a sieve, add finely chopped onion fried in oil, chopped, hard-boiled egg, season with sour cream or grated cheese, serve with croutons.

On the basis of nettle, you can cook a wonderful okroshka. Ingredients: nettle - 300 grams, kvass - 1 liter, radish - 5 pieces, cucumber - 1 piece, eggs - 2 pieces, onion - 1 piece, dill - 30 grams, sour cream - 1 tablespoon. Grate on a coarse grater fresh vegetables: onion, cucumber and radish. Finely chop the hard-boiled eggs and dill. Nettle leaves washed and boiled in boiling water (you can simply pour boiling water over them) put on a sieve or colander and grind. Mix nettle puree with the rest of the ingredients, season with sour cream and add chilled kvass.

Salad "Spark". Ingredients: plantain - 100 grams, onion - 80 grams, nettle - 50 grams, horseradish - 50 grams, egg - 1 piece, sour cream - 40 grams, salt and vinegar - to taste. Rinse green onion and finely chop. Grate the horseradish root on a fine grater, chop the hard-boiled egg. Mix everything, add sour cream, salt and vinegar. At the very end of cooking, put finely chopped plantain and nettle leaves into the salad, first dipping them in boiling water for one minute to soften them. Mix the salad again and place in a salad bowl.

Salad "Spring". Take equally (100 - 200 grams each) stinging nettle, green onion, shepherd's purse leaves. Boil the nettle beforehand. Mix everything, salt, season with mayonnaise or sour cream. You can add ground cumin seeds as a spice. Top the salad with circles of boiled eggs at the rate of one egg per serving of salad.

Porridge "Useful". We put lightly salted water on fire (1 liter). When it boils, put canned fish (250 grams) in a saucepan and pour a glass of stinging nettle seeds. Cook for about 15 - 20 minutes. As soon as the porridge thickens, the dish will be ready.

Nettle with rice. Ingredients: 0.5 kg of stinging nettle, 0.5 cups of rice, 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 3 onions, 1 bunch of parsley, 0.5 bunch of mint, salt to taste, 1.5 cups of water. Sort and wash the nettles, cut and put in a pan. Add rice, sliced onion, finely chopped parsley and mint, vegetable oil, salt. Pour in water, cover tightly with a lid and cook over low heat until the rice is cooked.

Scrambled eggs "Nettle". Ingredients: stinging nettle - 150 grams, onions - 30 grams, celery greens - 30 grams, eggs - 2 pieces, salt - to taste. Boil nettle leaves for 5 minutes in salted water, then discard on a sieve. Fry the chopped onion in a pan with heated vegetable oil, add finely chopped nettle leaves, celery greens. Salt all the ingredients and mix well, then simmer for 10 minutes. Now add to the pan raw eggs, fry a little on the stove and bring the dish to readiness in the oven.

Millet pies with nettles. Boil for two to three minutes about a hundred grams of stinging nettle in slightly brackish water. Next, drain the water through a sieve and grind the scalded nettles. Then we mix it with 100 - 200 grams of pre-cooked millet porridge. We sculpt pies from the resulting sticky mass and bake them in the oven. If you don't have an oven, you can also roast it on the stovetop.

Contraindications

Despite the fact that the plant has a lot of useful properties, nettle has some contraindications, so it is not recommended to use it without the advice of a doctor.
Nettle and preparations from it are contraindicated during pregnancy, especially in recent months.
It is not prescribed for thrombophlebitis. Nettle is contraindicated in cases of increased blood clotting, bleeding caused by polyps, cysts, tumors of the uterus and its appendages, diseases requiring surgical intervention.
Special care is needed when prescribing nettle to patients with kidney disease.
It is contraindicated in atherosclerosis, hypertension and in old age.

Application in magic

Nettle has a fairly strong magical potential. The most powerful is the adult, but not yet old nettle. Among the Russian people, she was known as a sure remedy against evil spirits- witches and mermaids. Therefore, bunches of nettles were hung on Ivan Kupala in the stables. By popular belief mermaids and witches are most afraid of aspens and nettles. The Sunday following Trinity Day is called "Rusal Charm" or "Nettle Charm". On this day, for protection from mermaids, it is customary to whip each other with nettles.

Most people in Russia know firsthand the nettle burn. Because of its "burning" nettle has earned a rather dismissive attitude towards itself. But in fact, this perennial plant is not just some kind of weed, but quite a useful and necessary medicine. When meeting, as a rule, two types of plants, people equally negatively relate to both of them. But there is a big difference between them. The difference between stinging and stinging nettles is that its second type is healing.

Dioecious nettle is often used in pharmacology, light industry, perfumery, and even in food, one of the ingredients of which it may be.

Useful properties of dioica nettle

It contains a lot of chlorophyll, and this allows it to act as a natural and safe food coloring. Nettle stalks are very strong. After processing, they are used to make strong ropes and fibers to create coarse fabrics such as burlap.

Dioecious is good for livestock feed. contained in it useful material help improve the number and quality of eggs laid by poultry and increase the amount of milk in a cow.

Young is used by knowledgeable cooks as a valuable ingredient for various soups, salads, mashed potatoes and pies. Cosmetological and healing properties have been known since ancient times, so nettle is widely used in the beauty industry and in medicine.

Where can you find stinging nettle?

Nettle is a perennial plant that reproduces well vegetatively. Settles in damp fertile soil. It can be:

areas near human habitation, which are fertilized annually;
wastelands on which nothing prevents it from growing, but at the same time the soil there is good for this plant;
floodplains where bushes grow - it is among the bushes that the dioecious nettle likes to settle;
clearings, the soil of which is rich in humus that has accumulated under the trees for decades;
alders;
wet forests.

Watch a video about stinging and dioecious nettles.

Nettle is a fertile and strong plant. Having settled somewhere, it is able to spread to hectares around. In Russia, the plant grows everywhere except the Far North.

Dioecious nettle grows up to 2 m in length. The stem is square and straight. The leaves are lanceolate and coarsely serrated, arranged oppositely on the stem. The top of the leaves is pointed. Grass flowers are inconspicuous. They are located in the axils of the leaves. After it fades, it bears fruits in the form of ovoid nuts.

The growth of burning grass is significantly lower. Its leaves are much smaller. And, if the leaves of the dioecious nettle look slightly lowered with their ends down, then the leaves of the stinging nettle are directed slightly upward. The color of the stinging is less saturated than the color of the stinging nettle.

In general, science has established that the differences between two-bottomed nettle and stinging nettle are rather more external. Thus, the chemical composition and healing properties of these two varieties are approximately equivalent. And the preference for using double-bottomed nettle in industry can only be explained by the fact that it multiplies much better and faster than stinging nettle. Nevertheless, both of these varieties are equally useful and necessary for a person.

Stinging Nettle and Dioecious Nettle: Differences that Influenced the Names

Why is stinging nettle called, in fact, stinging nettle? The secret of its name is that these plants are either male or female. More precisely, they carry such information. On some specimens grow only male flowers, and on some - only women's.

The name "stinging nettle" comes from the word "burn". This is because the entire body of this plant is covered with burning hairs, which are, in fact, tubular needles, from which burning chemicals get under the skin when in contact with the plant.

However, any nettle has these burning hairs. It starts to burn because, when touched, the tip of the hair, which consists of silicon salt, breaks off. After the protective mechanism is triggered, the hairs begin to dig into the flesh of the one who dared to touch the plant. These microscopic tubular needles inject formic acid under the skin of a person or animal, which causes a reaction and discomfort begins in the form of burning, itching and even pain.

If a person, especially a child, needs to remember the first and most important rule in order to avoid pain, itching and burning for several days: in no case do not scratch, do not rub or touch the burn site at all in the first 10 minutes. Subsequently, it will be necessary to remove the needles that remain in the skin. And there are several ways to do this:

Wash the contact area cold water and soap;
Clean the affected area with a piece of clean and dry cloth, such as a handkerchief;
Try to peel off the hairs with adhesive tape;
Remove needles with wax for epilation.

Folk recipes

Nettle is a plant rich in almost all useful vitamins, trace elements and others necessary to a person and animal substances. In traditional and folk medicine, nettle recipes take pride of place because it has powerful restorative and restorative properties. The powerful hemostatic properties of nettle are widely known.

Usually, beneficial features saved u helps such a tincture? In addition to the above, it is the restoration of metabolic processes in the body, strengthening with reduced resistance, with reduced immunity. In addition, tincture of alcohol will help to avoid oxygen starvation.

Here is one of the simplest and most popular nettle vodka recipes:

Rinse and dry the nettle along with the stem and leaves. Put the plant in a liter jar. Pour it with high-quality vodka without impurities. Cover with a tight-fitting lid. Shake the infusion daily for two weeks. After the end of the 14th day, strain the contents of the jar and squeeze the cake there.

Also, they are closely related. Only when potency is increased, the seeds of this plant are used, and not its leaves and stems.

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