Chemical composition and medicinal properties of stinging nettle. Stinging nettle: description, useful properties

Urticaceae

Family - Nettles - Urticaceae.

The parts used are grass, seeds and rhizome.

The popular name is zhegala, zhigalka, strakiva, strekava, strekuchka, zhigachka, zhguchka, stredalka.

Pharmacy name - nettle herb - Urticae heiba, nettle seed - Urticae semen, nettle root - Urticae radix.

Botanical description

perennial herbaceous plant, up to 2 meters high, with a powerful root and long horizontal branched rhizomes.

Nettle stalk is hollow, straight or ascending, the surface of which is covered with simple and stinging hairs.

The leaves are opposite, long-petiolate, entire, oblong, ovate or elliptical in shape, dark green in color, up to 17 cm long. The top of the leaves is pointed, drawn, the edge is coarsely serrated or coarsely serrated. The leaves are covered a large number stinging hairs. Stinging nettle hairs have stinging cells that contain a caustic liquid of complex chemical composition. When the skin is touched, the end of the hair breaks off, the skin is pierced and the liquid from the full hair enters the wound, causing itching and mild inflammation on the skin.

The flowers of the plant are yellow-green, collected in inflorescences - spikelets, and are located in the axils of the leaves, rather small. Stinging nettle blooms from May to October.

The fruits are greenish-gray ovoid nuts.

Stinging nettle is distributed everywhere - in Europe, Western Asia and Asia Minor, in the Transcaucasus, China, on the Indian subcontinent, is found in North Africa from Libya to Morocco, in North America and Australia. In Russia, it grows in the European part and Western Siberia, it is brought to Eastern Siberia and the Far East. It prevails in the forest and forest-steppe zones.

Collection and preparation

In May, June and July (August), wild nettle leaves are collected, which are carefully (with gloves) torn from the stem, and then dried in the air. The whole herb is used to make nettle juice. 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).

Active ingredients

Flavonoids, chlorophyll, carotenoids, vitamins, mineral salts, beta-sitosterol, vegetable acids, sterol and steryl glycosides, as well as lignans and tannins.

Use in homeopathy

In homeopathy, only stinging nettle is used. The homeopathic remedy Urtica urens is prepared from leaves, stems and rhizomes collected at the time of flowering.

Healing action and application

It has hemostatic, anti-inflammatory, multivitamin, antipruritic, immunotropic, choleretic, diuretic, hepatoprotective, blood-purifying, expectorant, analgesic, antiseptic and anticonvulsant effects.

Nettle has been widely used by ancient healers since ancient times. Avicenna in his "Canon of Medicine" noted numerous medicinal properties nettles.

It has long been believed that nettle - good remedy for the elderly, it is very useful as a tonic for the elderly, it activates and enhances one's own defensive forces organism.

IN medicinal purposes leaves, flowers, roots and seeds are used. Nettle is used for uterine, pulmonary and intestinal bleeding, sleep disorders, rheumatic pains, physical and mental fatigue, loss of appetite, cholecystitis, peptic ulcer of the duodenum and stomach, and gastritis.

Outwardly, decoctions and infusions of a medicinal plant are used as lotions for seborrheic dermatitis, trophic ulcers, and eczema.

Stinging nettle is known to many. As soon as the spring sun begins to warm, this grass appears. There are only three types of nettle: dioecious, hemp and stinging. The first has long been known for its characteristics. Next, we will learn more about this plant, find out what nettle has beneficial features. The article will also describe how this herb is applied.

Stinging nettle: description

The herb's botanical name is Urtíca dióica. The plant belongs to the nettle family. In the people it is called strakiva, strekavoy, zhigalka, zhigachka, strekuchka, zhguchka. Stinging nettle is perennial. The stem can reach 60-200 cm. Up to two meters, the grass grows in ideal climatic conditions, with a high height and density of plants in the area around it. The entire stem of grass is covered with stinging hairs. They are densely distributed over all surfaces. The plant is distinguished by a powerful root and horizontal long branched rhizomes.

Stem

Stinging nettle has an elongated shoot. The stem of the plant is hollow, ascending or straight. Its texture is herbaceous. On the surface, in addition to burning, there are also simple hairs. In cross section, the structure is ribbed (tetrahedral). The plant is distinguished by a cross-opposite leaf arrangement. On initial stage vegetation grass has a simple stem. By the second half of summer, axillary shoots form on the grass.

nettle leaves

These parts of the plant are equilateral, opposite, whole. Nettle leaves are simple, long-petiolate, dark green in color. The plate has an oblong ovate-lanceolate or heart-shaped. In length, the leaf can reach 8-17 cm, and in width - from 2 to 8. The bases of the plates are deeply cordate. The notch reaches a depth of up to 5 mm. The leaf has a pointed, drawn top. The edges of the plates are coarsely serrate or coarsely dentate. The venation is palmately pinnate. Stipules have a narrow triangular or oblong shape, free, stem. Their width is up to 4 mm. Leaf blades with pronounced cystoliths. Simple hairs are mainly located along the veins. There are also plants with bare leaves. Flowering grass occurs from May to October.

stinging hairs

In these elements of the plant are special stinging cells. They contain a highly caustic liquid with a complex chemical composition. While touching the fingers, for example, the tip of the hair breaks off, piercing the skin. The liquid from it penetrates deep into the wound. The result is mild inflammation and itching. Stinging nettle differs from annual nettles. Plants are often confused. Non-specialists, as a rule, call stinging nettle dioica. So they distinguish it from the white lamb. In India and on about. Java species grow, the burn from which is dangerous in the same way as a snake bite.

Spreading

Stinging nettle, whose properties will be presented below, grows everywhere in the temperate zone of both hemispheres. Grass can be found in Asia Minor, Europe, China, Transcaucasia. The plant is also common in the Indian subcontinent. At the same time, in the mountains of Nepal, grass is found at an altitude of up to 3500-4500 m. Dioecious nettle grows in the northern part of Africa between Morocco and Libya. Grass has been brought to Australia and North. America. In Russia, the plant is found in the European part, in Western Siberia and is listed in Eastern Siberia. Grass also grows on Far East. As a rule, it is found in the forest-steppe and forest zones. Most of all, the plant prefers moist and oily soil.

Collection

The optimal period is May-July (sometimes August). At this time, the collection of nettle leaves begins. Working with gloves, they are carefully torn off the stem. Drying is carried out in air. The whole plant is used to make juice. The rhizome is dug up in spring either autumn period. This part of the plant is cleaned of adhering earth and dried in the air or using artificial heating up to 40 degrees. Usually the grass is cut with scythes and the leaves are cut off after it withers, when they stop stinging. Seeds are collected at their full maturity. These elements of the plant are also widely used for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes.

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Drying of raw materials is carried out in attics with iron roof or under well-ventilated canopies. The grass is spread in a thin layer of 3-5 cm on fabric or paper. Do not dry the leaves in the open sun. Otherwise, they will discolor. When overdried, the leaves lend themselves well to grinding. The preparation of raw materials is completed when the petioles and central veins begin to break. Dried leaves are pressed and packed in bales of 50 kg, cut - in twenty-kilogram bags. Storage of raw materials is carried out in a well-ventilated area on racks or pallets. Places must be protected from direct light. Shelf life of grass - up to two years.

Stinging nettle: useful properties

The characteristics of a plant are determined by its chemical composition. The leaves contain various vitamins: B2 and B6, C, K. They also contain a lot of chlorophyll, carotene, tannins, urticin glycoside. Nettle is widely used in cooking. Silicon, calcium, iron, magnesium, A-vitamin were found in the grass. Chlorophyll is used in cosmetology. The plant also contains protein. Because of this, the herb is used in agriculture. There is a significant increase in the egg production of chickens and milk yield of cows, if nettle is added to the feed of animals. The medicinal properties of the plant are also widely known. In particular, the herb has anti-inflammatory and hemostatic effects. The plant has an antipruritic, immunotropic and multivitamin effect. Nettle helps to accelerate regeneration (healing), normalize general metabolism, enhance hematopoiesis (hematopoiesis). Stinging nettle is also used as a hepatoprotective, urinary and choleretic agent. The properties of the herb are used in the treatment of bronchopulmonary pathologies. The plant has an expectorant, antiseptic and analgesic effect. The herb has an anticonvulsant effect, and also helps to restore the sense of smell.

The drug "Allohol"

As part of this tool, stinging nettle is present as an active ingredient. The medicinal properties of the plant in the preparation are combined with the therapeutic effect of dried garlic, dry bile and activated carbon. This tool is used to enhance the production of bile. The drug "Allohol" normalizes the secretory activity of the liver. In addition, the mechanism of activity of the agent is due to the reflex function of the intestine. The drug can be used as a replacement therapy for bile deficiency endogenous. Means "Allochol" reduces putrefactive processes in the intestines. Indications for the use of the drug should include chronic cholangitis, constipation associated with atony, cholecystitis, hepatitis.

Dosage regimen of "Allohol"

The drug is taken orally in 2 tab. Frequency of reception - 3 times a day. As a rule, the therapeutic course is 3-4 weeks. Children under seven years of age are recommended to take a tablet orally three times a day. The drug is taken before meals. Patients from seven years of age are prescribed the drug after meals, 2 tablets / 3 rubles / day. The course of therapy is also 3-4 weeks. Improvement is observed on the fifth or eighth day after the start of therapy.

additional information

The remedy "Allohol" is not prescribed for liver dystrophy and hepatitis in the acute stage. Contraindications include obstructive jaundice. Among negative consequences taking the remedy should be noted allergies, diarrhea. With frequent repetition side effects the drug is cancelled. In case of an overdose, diarrhea worsens, itching, nausea appear. There is also an increase in blood transaminase.

The use of the plant in antiquity

The medicinal properties of stinging nettle have been known since ancient times. For example, Dioscrides mentions this herb as a remedy used for the most various diseases. He talked a lot about nettles and Avicenna. In his notes there are indications that in ancient times people took the plant for food. The grass was boiled with meat, consumed with eggs and onions. A decoction of stinging nettle in barley water was also popular. They also prepared a drink from grass and honey.

The use of herbs in various areas of life

According to its nutritional properties, the plant is close to legumes. In this regard, the grass is widely used in the preparation of feed for farm animals. Since the plant is not toxic, it is eaten by some peoples in the Transcaucasus. Nettle leaves are used to make a green dye for confectionery. The lower underground part of the grass is used to create a yellow pigment. For hundreds of years, nettle has also been used in weaving. A canvas was made from the plant, which was subsequently used in tailoring. outerwear. Fishing tackle was also woven from it, sails, ropes, and ropes were made. Nettle was also used for the manufacture of valuable grades of paper, and the ash was used as a fertilizer. Stinging nettle flowers are an excellent tea leaves.

Health drinks

The leaves of the plant are used to normalize metabolism. These parts of the herb are an indispensable component of many collections for the autumn and spring wellness course. Young shoots and leaves are used mainly for beriberi, for their prevention and elimination. The method of application is quite simple - the powder of crushed dry raw materials is added to the second and first courses. Almost all parts of the plant are used for therapeutic purposes. However, drugs, the main component of which is the root of the nettle, are considered more effective.

Recipe 1

Nettle root tincture is used to relieve joint pain, treat furunculosis, rheumatism. The remedy is effective for diarrhea, pathologies of the digestive tract, fever. The tincture is used as a hemostatic and regulating agent for disorders in the menstrual cycle. For cooking, you need 2 tablespoons of raw materials. The crushed root is poured with vodka (0.5 l). The mixture is infused for 7-10 days in a cool and dark place. The remedy is taken three times a day for 30-40 drops. You can enhance the effect by adding half a head of garlic (chopped) to the tincture. An infusion of the roots with sugar is used as an expectorant.

Recipe 2

Leaf tincture is used as a hemostatic agent, with myositis, rheumatic pains. For cooking, you need to place 10 grams (2 tablespoons) in an enameled container. Raw materials are poured with a glass of boiled hot water. The mixture is then heated by the water bath method for 45 min. Then the infusion is filtered, squeezed. Water is added to it up to 200 ml. The prepared product is stored for no more than two days in a cool place. For cooking, it is recommended to use melted water. An infusion is taken in half to a quarter of a glass before meals. Reception frequency - 3-5 rubles / day. (as a hemostatic).

water infusion

You can prepare an aqueous infusion of leaves by pouring a tablespoon of raw materials with a glass of boiling water. The mixture is aged for 10 minutes. Then the infusion is filtered. The remedy is taken three times a day for 1 tbsp. l. Juice is taken orally for acne, rashes, furunculosis. Stinging nettle is used for hair. To strengthen them and for baldness, it is recommended to rinse your head after washing with an aqueous infusion of the plant. With active hair loss, the effect can be enhanced. For this, an infusion of nettle and burdock roots is used. The ingredients are taken equally. A tablespoon of raw materials is poured with boiling water (1 cup). The mixture should be boiled for five minutes on low heat, then insisted for 45 minutes. Strained infusion is rubbed into the scalp.

genitourinary system

Nettle is useful for potency. Good stimulation is noted when taking during the day a tablespoon of plant seeds, ground with a ripe banana. You can increase sexual desire by mixing a teaspoon of crushed herbs with onions and egg yolk. This mixture is taken three times a day for 1 tsp. Ingestion of 1-3 grams of seeds daily helps prevent ectopic pregnancy. The tool improves the expansion of the lumen of the fallopian tubes. With erosion of the cervix, fresh grass juice is recommended. A bunch of nettles is twisted or finely chopped. The resulting slurry is wrapped in cheesecloth and juice is squeezed out of it. The tampon is soaked in juice and inserted overnight into the vagina. The remedy is used for a month. Nettle decoction is recommended for pyelonephritis and nephritis. A tablespoon of leaves (chopped) is poured with boiling water (1 cup). The mixture languishes in a water bath for about 10 minutes. The filtered agent is taken orally 1/3 cup before meals three times a day. With hemorrhagic metroendometritis and uterine fibromyoma, nettle accelerates the resorption of tumors.

Other pathologies

Plant juice with milk is recommended for stomach discomfort and vomiting. With a toothache, they drink a decoction from the underground part of the grass. It is also used for rinsing the mouth with stomatitis, gingivitis, periodontal disease. A decoction is recommended for epilepsy, exhaustion, hysteria. In Romania, an ointment is prepared, which is used for diseases provoked by Staphylococcus aureus and other viruses that are resistant to antibiotics. Nettle is used as an anticancer agent, as well as for gangrene, leucorrhea, asthma. It has also been established that the use of the plant contributes to the regulation of acid-base balance. Nettle is also an antidote.

Application in cooking

As a multivitamin, the plant is especially valuable in spring period. As the bulk of the nettle is added to vegetable salads. Pickles, borscht, cabbage soup are cooked with it. The antimicrobial (phytoncidal) properties of the plant make it possible to use it to increase the shelf life of various perishable products.

You can make nettle salad. To do this, you need 150 g of grass, an egg (1), sour cream (20 g). You will also need vinegar and salt. Leaves young plant should be boiled and crushed. The mass is seasoned with vinegar, an egg and sour cream are added on top.

There is a recipe for nettle sauce. For this 200-300 gr. plants are passed through a meat grinder. In the resulting mixture, add salt, onion (finely chopped), allspice and toasted flour. The mass is diluted with meat broth or hot milk. The sauce is served, as a rule, with potatoes, meatballs, pasta.

Nettle soup recipe is quite popular. For their preparation, the plant must be washed and sorted out. Then it is poured with salted hot water and boiled for 2 minutes. Next, you need to grind the mass through a sieve, add the onion (previously chopped and fried in oil), chopped hard-boiled egg. Shchi is seasoned with grated cheese or sour cream. Served with croutons.

In Poland and Scandinavia, a recipe for sauce and nettle puree is common. Young shoots are eaten as a seasoning for green borscht. They are also dried, pickled and fermented.

Not every person is allowed to receive stinging nettle. Contraindications for the plant are similar to those that increase clotting. It is not recommended to use the plant for people prone to thrombophlebitis, thrombosis. A relative contraindication is an elevated prothrombin time index. People with such a deviation are advised to limit the use of the plant. The plant should not be taken by pregnant women. Contraindications also include hypertension.

Stinging nettle medicinal properties and contraindications, description of the plant, photo, raw materials leaves seeds root, nettle stinging nettle dioica differences

Latin name Urtica dioica L.

Nettle family

Description

perennial weed nettle family 70-150 cm high.

Rhizome long creeping branched.

Nettle stems are erect, tetrahedral, branching at the top.

The plant is covered with long, stinging and short simple hairs that contain formic acid.

The leaves are opposite, petiolate, ovate-lanceolate in shape, coarsely serrated along the edge, with free stipules 8-17 cm long, 2-8 cm wide. Covered with burning hairs. Each adult plant is armed with approximately ten million stinging hairs.

The flowers are unisexual, small, yellow-green, with a simple, four-parted perianth, collected in spike-shaped hanging inflorescences, spikes emerging from the axils of the leaves.

The fruit is a small ovoid or elliptical nutlet of a yellowish-gray color.

Blossoms in June-September, seeds ripen in September.

Spreading

Nettle

Distributed throughout the European part of Russia, and Siberia.

Distributed throughout the country. In the Caucasus, in Central Asia.

It grows on fertile, moist soils, in shady places, ravines, along roadsides, near farms and housing. In culture, the nettle is the most promising.

Teberdinsky Reserve. In weedy places, areas for harvesting forest materials. It is especially abundant in the places of former cattle camps, 1300-2500 m above sea level. Everywhere.

cultivation

Agricultural technology

It does not require special methods of cultivation.

reproduction

Propagated by seeds, rhizomes and layering.

Chemical composition

Active ingredients

The leaves contain many vitamins, being a kind of natural multivitamin concentrate: vitamins K and B2, carotene (14-30 mg/100 g), ascorbic acid (100-200 mg/100 g) and pantothenic acid. They also contain 17% protein, 10% starch, about 1% sugars, a lot of iron, calcium and potassium salts, chlorophyll, flavone and tannins, silicic and formic acids, urtecin glycoside, sitosterol, protein, fats and carotene.

In the green leaves of the nettle, ascorbic acid is twice as much as in the fruits of black currant, and there is more carotene than in carrots.

Up to 22% fatty oil was found in fruits.

Application

In every farmhouse stinging nettle should be an essential item.

The leaves are used in perfumery, food and pharmaceutical industries.

Feeding chickens nettle tops mixed with oats allows you to get eggs all winter. It is useful to add it to the feed for pigs, especially pregnant uterus. Young nettle increases milk yield and fat content in cows.

Leaves placed in milk prevent it from turning sour. Fresh meat and fish lined with nettles last longer.

Nettle fiber can be used to make nets that do not rot in water, and a yellow dye can be obtained from the roots.

food application

In terms of nutritional value, nettles are not inferior to legumes.

Nettle leaves are an inexhaustible basis for the hostess' fantasy of preparing healthy and nutritious food. They are put in green cabbage soup, borscht, salads, scrambled eggs, omelettes and other dishes, salted for future use.

Use in landscape design

natural cosmetics

Nettle Dioecious Medicinal Properties and Uses

In medicine, nettle leaves are used as anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, wound healing, hemostatic, tonic, stimulating, vitaminizing, choleretic, diuretic. Nettle preparations are used for atherosclerosis, cholecystitis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, for the treatment of non-healing purulent wounds and ulcers, for dysentery, anemia.

It enhances metabolism, increases the tone of the uterus, intestines, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, improves blood composition, strengthens cartilage, promotes the renewal of mucous membranes, removes excess sugar from the body, soothes rheumatic pains, cleanses the body of toxins, reduces allergic reactions.

IN folk medicine juice fresh leaves and fresh nettle seeds are used for osteomyelitis. Fresh juice is recommended for digestive disorders and salt deposits in the joints, as well as externally in the treatment of trophic ulcers, bedsores, vitiligo.

Infusion and decoction of nettles wash their hair for better hair growth.

Nettle is contraindicated with increased blood clotting, with kidney disease.

Collection and processing of medicinal raw materials

Leaves and rhizome with roots are used for treatment. The leaves are harvested all summer, and the rhizomes are harvested in late autumn.

Dry under a canopy or in an attic with good ventilation, spreading a layer of no more than 3-4 cm. Raw materials should not be dried in the sun, as it becomes discolored, and vitamins are destroyed.

Store in a dry, well-ventilated area for 2 years.

Application in official and traditional medicine

In early spring, it is useful to take fresh nettle juice. To prepare it, the leaves are cleaned of impurities, washed well with running water, squeezed, scalded with boiling water and passed through a meat grinder. The resulting juice is diluted with boiling water 3 times and boiled for 3-5 minutes. Take 1 teaspoon 3 times a day with meals.

Nettle infusion is used to treat uterine, hemorrhoidal, pulmonary and nosebleeds. The hemostatic effect is due to the presence of vitamins K and C in nettle. Iron in combination with protein, vitamins, chlorophyll and silicic acid has a stimulating effect on carbohydrate and protein metabolism, which is accompanied by an increase in the tone of the cardiovascular, respiratory and other body systems. Nettle infusion is used for all sluggish chronic diseases, in which the body's resistance to the effects of various factors of the external and internal environment decreases.

Nettle is useful for anemia. It increases the amount of hemoglobin and red blood cells in the blood. Its positive effect was noted in diseases of the liver, gallbladder and gastrointestinal tract. Nettle is used as additional remedy in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis, bronchitis, malaria and diseases of the spleen. The infusion is used as a gastric, laxative and multivitamin tea, for the prevention of gout and the formation of stones.

The use of leaves reduces the amount of sugar in the blood. In dried form, they are taken in a mixture with yogurt at the rate of 2 tablespoons per 1 glass. Nettle is effective in acute and chronic inflammation of the small intestine.

Nettle is used externally for skin itching, thrush, joint pain, dandruff and hair loss. In this case, it is combined with garlic tincture and burdock root decoction. Do not wipe your head after washing. The course of treatment is 2 weeks. Repeat it in 1-2 weeks for 4-6 months.

An infusion of leaves and a decoction of roots are prepared on water in a ratio of 1:10.

The medical industry produces briquettes of crushed nettle leaves weighing 75 g, divided into 10 slices. One slice is poured with 1 cup of boiling water, insisted for 10 minutes, filtered, cooled and taken 1 tablespoon 3 times a day after meals.

Thick extract of nettle is part of the drug allochol.

Recipes for various diseases

AVITAMINOSIS
Pour 2 tablespoons of dry chopped nettle leaves with 1 cup of boiling water and leave for 15-20 minutes, strain. Take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.
ASTHMA CARDIAC
Take 1/2 tablespoon of young nettle leaves, 1 tablespoon of young quinoa leaves and bulrush leaves. Mix and chop the leaves, pour 1 cup boiling water, insist, wrapped, 2 hours, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, stir and insist 10 days in warmth in the light. Take 1 teaspoon 1 time per day 30 minutes before meals for 3-4 weeks.
GASTRITIS
Pour 1 tablespoon of dried nettle leaves with 1 cup of boiling water, simmer for 10 minutes over low heat, cool, strain. Take 1 tablespoon 4-5 times a day
day.
HAEMORRHOIDS
Take 2 tablespoons of nettle leaves and rhizomes, pour 1 liter of boiling water, put on fire and boil for 15 minutes, strain. Take 1 glass in the morning on an empty stomach and in the evening before bed.
HYPERTENSION
Pour in 1 tablespoon chopped nettle leaves
1 cup boiling water, leave for 30 minutes. Take 1/4 cup 4 times a day half an hour before meals. A course of treatment
2 weeks, then take a break for 5 days, start the second course of treatment. Infusion helps at the initial stage of the disease.
HEADACHE
Pour 3 tablespoons of crushed nettle leaves with 2 cups of water and boil for 2-3 minutes. Insist 1 hour. Take 1/2 cup throughout the day.
CHOLELITHIASIS
Squeeze juice from nettle leaves. Take 1/4 cup of juice 2-3 times a day or 1 tablespoon every 2 hours.
LIVER DISEASES
Pour 1 tablespoon of chopped nettle leaves with 1 cup of boiling water, leave for 30 minutes. Take 1/2 cup 1 time per day for a month.
Pour 4 tablespoons of crushed leaves with 0.5 liters of water, boil for 5 minutes, strain. In a decoction, dilute 1 tablespoon of honey and drink hot, 1/2 cup 4 times a day.
STROKE
Take 20 g of chopped nettle, pour 1 liter of boiling water, put on fire and boil for 10 minutes. Infuse overnight, strain. Take 1/2 cup 3 times a day.
CARDIAC ISCHEMIA
Pour 0.5 liters of boiling water over 5 tablespoons of dried and chopped nettle herb collected before flowering, and boil for 5 minutes over low heat. Take with honey or sugar 1/2 cup 4 times a day.
Pour 15 g of crushed nettle roots with 1 cup of boiling water, boil over low heat for 10 minutes, leave for 30 minutes. Take 2-3 tablespoons 2-3 times a day 30 minutes before meals for 3-4 weeks.
COUGH
Boil 2-4 tablespoons of nettle seeds in 0.5 liters of boiling water and insist overnight in a thermos. Drink 1/2 cup 3-4 times a day or a cup, but in smaller portions. You can brew 2 tablespoons of nettle root with 1 cup of boiling water, heat over low heat for 5 minutes, leave for 30 minutes. Take the same.
Finely chop fresh nettle roots and boil in sugar syrup. Take 1 tablespoon several times a day for chronic cough.
Pour 1 tablespoon of chopped nettle root with 1 cup of boiling water, keep in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes, cool at room temperature, strain, sweeten with honey. Drink 1/2 cup 4-6 times a day 30 minutes before meals for severe coughing attacks.
Pour 1 teaspoon of stinging nettle flowers with 0.5 liters of boiling water, insist, wrapped for 20-30 minutes, strain. Drink as a tea for expectoration and thinning of phlegm.
Urticaria, ALLERGY
Pour 1 tablespoon of dry or fresh nettle flowers with 1 cup of boiling water. Insist, wrapped, 30 minutes, strain. Take 1/2 cup 4-5 times a day or 1 cup 3 times a day while warm.
GUM BLEEDING
Pour 1 tablespoon of chopped nettle leaves with 1 cup of boiling water, leave for 30 minutes, strain. Take in the form of an infusion of 1/2 cup 3 times a day after meals.
FEVER
Take 2 tablespoons of chopped nettle roots and 1 clove of garlic, which must also be chopped. Pour in 1 glass of vodka. Insist for 6-7 days, strain. Take 1 teaspoon 3 times a day or rub on the patient.
ANEMIA
In case of anemia, it is recommended to eat cabbage soup from the tops of young nettles, fresh or dried: 1 handful of grass per 1 liter of water.
UTERINE BLEEDING,
profuse menstruation
Squeeze juice from fresh nettle leaves. Take 1 teaspoon 3 times a day 20 minutes before meals, diluting the juice in 1/2 cup of water.
Mix in equal proportions nettle leaves, shepherd's purse herbs, horsetail. Take 1 teaspoon of the mixture, pour 1 cup of water at room temperature, leave for 8 hours, strain, add 1/2 cup of boiling water. Take 1/2 cup 2 times a day.
METABOLIC DISEASE
Pour 1 tablespoon of dry nettle leaves with 1 cup of boiling water, leave for 10 minutes, strain. Take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.
INSUFFICIENT LACTATION
Squeeze the juice from fresh nettle leaves, dilute it with water in a ratio of 1:2, bring to a boil, cool. Take 1-2 teaspoons 3 times daily with meals.
Pour 1 tablespoon of dry chopped nettle leaves with 1 cup of boiling water and leave for 10 minutes. Take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.
NEPHRITIS, PYELONEPHRITIS
Pour 1-2 tablespoons of dry nettle leaves with 1 cup of boiling water, leave in a water bath for 15 minutes. Take 1/2 cup before meals 3 times a day.
Take equal parts nettle leaves and calendula flowers. Pour 1 tablespoon of the collection with 1 cup of boiling water, insist. Take 1/2 cup 3-4 times a day 1 hour after meals.
INCREASED LEVEL
BLOOD SUGAR
Take in equal parts nettle leaves, blueberry leaves, St. John's wort herb. Pour 1 tablespoon of a mixture of 1.5 cups of hot water, boil for 5 minutes, leave for at least 30 minutes, strain. Take 1/2 cup 3-4 times a day before meals for a month. Instead of St. John's wort, you can also use dandelion leaves and knotweed grass.
Take 2 tablespoons of chopped nettle and pour it into 1 cup of curdled milk. Drink 1-2 glasses a day.
DIARRHEA
Mix 1 teaspoon of stinging nettle leaves and blackberry leaves, pour 1.5 cups of boiling water, insist in a warm place for 2 hours. Drink 1/3-1/2 cup 3-4 times a day.
RHEUMATISM
Squeeze juice from fresh nettle leaves. Take 1/2 cup of the resulting juice with 1 tablespoon of honey 3 times a day.
THROMBOPHLEBITIS
Pour 1 tablespoon of nettle leaves with 1 cup of boiling water, leave for 40 minutes, strain. Drink 1-2 tablespoons 3-4 times a day before meals. In this case, you should follow a diet: do not eat meat, fish, and fried foods.
TUBERCULOSIS
Mix 1 tablespoon of nettle leaves and roots, pour 0.5 liters of boiling water, heat over low heat for 5 minutes, leave for 30 minutes and strain. Drink 1/4 cup 3-4 times a day 30 minutes before meals. You can also prepare separately decoctions from the leaves and roots of nettles.
LOSS OF VISION
Take daily 30 g of young fresh leaves or nettle shoots in any form.
ENTEROCOLITIS
Take 2 parts of nettle, 1 part of alder buckthorn bark and yarrow herb. Pour 2 tablespoons of the mixture with 1 cup of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, cool, strain, bring the volume of liquid with boiled water to 200 ml. Take 1/3 cup in the morning and at night.
CERVICAL EROSION
Squeeze the juice from fresh nettle leaves, moisten a cotton swab in it, which is inserted into the vagina for 5-10 minutes.
OILY SEBORRHEA, HAIR LOSS
Mix 0.5 l olive oil and 2 tablespoons of nettle and burdock (roots) and leave for 14 days. Strain, rub into the scalp. Rinse your hair with acidified vinegar or lemon water.
Pour 2 tablespoons of chopped nettle leaves with 1 cup of boiling water, leave for 10 minutes, strain and rinse your hair after washing.
Prepare an infusion of nettle leaves in a ratio of 1:10. Combine the resulting infusion with water and table vinegar, taking them in a ratio of 1:5:5. Rinse your hair after washing 2-3 times a week. The course of treatment - 10 procedures.
WOUNDS
Fill a half-liter jar with fresh nettle leaves, pour it with 70% alcohol and leave for 2 weeks. Treat wounds with tincture or make cold compresses.
When bleeding from a wound, apply fresh nettle leaves scalded with boiling water.
RHEUMATISM
Fresh nettle quilt sore spots. You can alternate. one day to quilt sore spots with nettles, the next day rub them with kerosene.
SPUR
Crush the leaves and roots of the nettle, apply to the spurs at night, before going to bed, steaming the legs in hot water with spruce needles and sea ​​salt(1 tablespoon per foot bath).

Stinging nettle is probably known to every person. Nettle is used most often in folk medicine. Such a plant cures an incredible number of diseases, it will be easier to list the diseases that it is not able to cure. But we still need to figure out for which diseases the stinging nettle is used as a medicine. Nettle has properties such as diuretic, laxative, anticonvulsant. It is a source of vitamins, and also has an expectorant, diuretic, wound healing, tonic effect.

That's not all: nettles are used in the treatment of kidney and gallbladder stones, choking, liver diseases and biliary tract, bleeding, hemorrhoids, with various edema, heart disease, as well as in the treatment of tuberculosis and all kinds of allergies. This plant is also used for bronchitis, bronchial asthma, skin diseases and to strengthen hair.

Useful properties of nettle

Stinging nettle is one of the most valuable multivitamin medicinal plants with the most extensive beneficial properties. The leaves of young nettles contain twice as much ascorbic acid as currants. Nettle also has a high content of carotene - much more than carrots, sea buckthorn fruits or sorrel.

Nettles also contain vitamins such as B2, K, C, and many others. Nettle contains a lot of salts of iron, potassium, sugar, sulfur, a lot of protein, calcium and chlorophyll. The plant also contains pantothenic acid.

Nettle improves such an indicator as blood clotting. But this is not the only thing related to blood. Nettle significantly increases the amount of hemoglobin, red blood cells, platelets in the blood, and also reduces the concentration of sugar. The properties of nettle include such as wound healing, diuretic and tonic.

The use of nettle

Nettle can be used for almost any disease. If you suffer from anemia, kidney diseases, atherosclerosis, diseases of the bladder, liver, kidneys, gallbladder, tuberculosis, metabolic disorders, then stinging nettle will be a significant help in recovery. Nettle also helps with bleeding. Nettle is not only a medicinal plant, but also a food! Prepared from its leaves delicious salads, and young shoots are an excellent component for cabbage soup. Nettles can also be salted. In the Caucasus, for example, nettle is used as a specific seasoning for meat dishes.

Nettle is also a good addition to cosmetics. To improve hair growth, young nettle juice is rubbed into the head. There is another way to make your hair more attractive with nettle infusion. Take three tablespoons of dry chopped nettle leaves, pour a glass of boiling water, wait half an hour and strain the infusion. After washing your hair, rinse your hair with this infusion.

To strengthen the hair, as well as enhance their growth, you can use nettle decoctions. Take two or three tablespoons of dry leaves, pour two or three glasses of hot water, let it brew for about seven hours, then strain the composition and wipe the scalp with a soft cloth or cotton swabs, rubbing the decoction along the hair with slightly pressing movements, so as not to pull out and damage hair roots. This method can also be carried out with fresh leaves, but then their weight should be half a kilogram.

To improve performance of cardio-vascular system, use decoctions of stinging nettle. To give the broth a more pleasant taste, you can add honey or sugar. And here, in fact, is the recipe for making a decoction: before flowering, the tops of young nettles are cut off along with the leaves, and then dried in a dark place. Next, grind the nettle, take five tablespoons of this mass, pour half a liter of water and boil over low heat. Take a decoction should be four times a day for half a cup, you can with sugar and honey.

If you have cramps or stomach pain, accompanied by vomiting, use a decoction based on the roots. stinging nettle. Boil one teaspoon of dried, ground root, pour a glass of milk and boil for five minutes no more. Immediately drink one-fourth of the hot decoction. Later, take two tablespoons every two hours. The drug should be taken until the pain is completely gone.

To remove stones from the kidneys, nettle decoction will also help. Let's tell you ancient folk recipe. It is necessary to drink fresh nettle juice in two or three doses - fifty milliliters will be enough. It will be more effective if you take a decoction of a tablespoon every two hours. If you think that adding honey or sugar to a decoction will worsen its medicinal properties, you are mistaken. On the contrary, if you add any of these ingredients, then the decoction will become even more useful, as it will improve kidney function. The recipe for such a decoction is as follows: take a teaspoon of dry chopped nettle leaves for one glass of water and hold in a water bath for about fifteen minutes. If you have nephritis or pyelonephritis, the dose should be increased, that is, take raw materials in the amount of one or two tablespoons. You need to drink one third of it before meals.

To cure a weak involution of the uterus, you should drink a decoction of nettle. Dry chopped nettle leaves in the amount of three to four tablespoons must be poured with half a liter of hot water, and preferably boiling water. Such a decoction will be infused until the water has completely cooled down. Drink the decoction three or four times a day.

Another recipe for a nettle decoction, which is considered a good milk extractor. Take the juice of fresh nettles, dilute, preferably with a double amount of water, then bring it all to a boil. Let the decoction cool down, then take one or two teaspoons three times a day with meals.

nettle for hair

The healing properties of nettles were used by our great-grandmothers. Phytoncides contained in nettle exhibit bactericidal properties, vitamins B2, C and K, carotene and pantothenic acid have a beneficial effect on the human body, so the plant is recommended to be eaten fresh. The beauty of long well-groomed hair has been valued at all times. miraculous plant strengthens hair and enriches them with useful substances. Fresh nettle juice is an indispensable product, it must be rubbed daily into the hair roots for several weeks, it is best remedy for hair care, it is added to the water to rinse the head after shampooing. There are many ways to use the plant for its medicinal properties. Nettle is suitable for restoring hair structure after dyeing; with brittleness and dullness, a decoction of nettle is used for hair.

Nettle decoction recipe: for it you will need 1 tablespoon of dry crushed nettle leaves and rhizomes and 200 ml of water. Boil the composition for 30 minutes, and then rub into the hair roots. In this case, the head does not need to be rinsed with plain water, it is enough to lightly blot with a towel.

Nettle tincture for hair: 3 tablespoons of dry nettle leaves and 2 cups of boiling water must be infused for 7 hours. Rub this medicine into the scalp.

nettle leaves

The leaves of the plant have a rough hairy surface, especially a lot of hairs along the veins of the leaf, the taste of the leaves is weak, bitter, and the color is dark green. When touched, there is a burning sensation, blisters appear on the skin. Iron and potassium salts are present in nettle leaves, vitamins of groups B and C, flavonoids, silicon, chlorophyll are contained. Made from nettle medicines prevent hair loss, treat seborrhea, when applied, itching disappears, hair acquires splendor and healthy shine. Hemostatic and uterine toning properties of the plant were revealed.

Vitamin K has a hemostatic effect. Istamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, leukotrienes, formic acid stimulate the formation of red blood cells in the bone marrow, normalize lipid metabolism. Raw materials in the form of decoctions and infusions have a choleretic and anti-inflammatory effect, help to reduce the smooth muscles of the uterus and improve regeneration processes.

Nettle during menstruation

Nettle is simply created in order to protect a woman from problems that arise during the menstrual cycle. Excessive bleeding creates discomfort and affects health. Slow clotting of blood can lead to large blood losses, and vice versa, fast clotting causes the formation of blood clots. If the body has a meager supply of vitamin K and calcium, then the coagulation process is disrupted. To normalize it, it is necessary to use nettle products.

Nettle intake increases hemoglobin levels. Plant juice is especially valuable on critical days: you need to drink it 1 teaspoon 3 times a day before meals. You can make tea or decoction from nettle and drink three glasses of warm liquid during the day. These drugs have diuretic properties. With vitamins and minerals in female body blood is cleansed, blood vessels are strengthened and the condition of the uterus improves.

Nettle infusion

The unique features of the nettle composition allow infusions prepared on its basis to have a laxative, expectorant, anti-inflammatory effect. Nettle enhances the functions of the digestive glands, in some cases lowers blood sugar, eliminates constipation. Infusions are taken for diseases of the liver and gallbladder, dysentery, dropsy, colds. The blood-purifying agent contributes to the rapid treatment of the respiratory organs, the reduction of pain in hemorrhoids, rheumatism. By improving the composition of the blood, the drug helps to cleanse the skin and eliminate acne, boils, and lichen. water infusion nettle saves from intestinal, hemorrhoidal, uterine, pulmonary bleeding.

Recipe number 1: 1 tablespoon of dry nettle leaves should be poured with 1 cup of boiling water, leave for an hour, strain. Drink the infusion half an hour before meals, 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day.

Recipe number 2: 3 tablespoons of chopped grass must be steamed in a thermos with two glasses of boiling water. Insist the medicine for two hours. For external use, the infusion is prepared in a more concentrated form.

nettle extract

Nettle liquid extract is used not only in traditional medicine for uterine and intestinal bleeding, but also official medicine also recommends this product. The extract has a diuretic, anti-febrile and anti-inflammatory effect, useful substances with tannic and anti-hemorrhagic properties regulate blood loss during menstruation. Nettle remedy can be prepared at home.

Nettle extract recipe: Pour 1/3 of the jar with dry leaves, pour 70% alcohol to the brim, leave for 15 days, take half an hour before meals, dissolving 0.5 teaspoon in a glass of water. The course of treatment is 1 month.

Such treatment is indicated for endocrine diseases, chronic bleeding, diabetes, inflammation respiratory tract, for rinsing oral cavity, throat, for instillation into the nose.

nettle oil

Nettle oil is used for plexitis, myositis, arthritis, osteochondrosis. Bruises, sprains of the ligamentous apparatus pass quickly, pain in fractures decreases. The regenerative properties of nettle contribute to the rapid healing of wounds and the reduction of skin defects.

Nettle oil recipe: 40 g of crushed seeds are required to be poured into 100 g of vegetable oil and infused for 2 weeks, then strain and pour into a separate bowl, preferably from dark glass. The product should be stored in the refrigerator.

Nettle oil has a beneficial effect on metabolism, prevents the appearance of early gray hair.

nettle root

A decoction of nettle roots relieves boils, hemorrhoids, relieves swelling, an infusion of roots is used as a heart remedy.

With an old cough, the roots boiled in sugar syrup will help. Nettle rhizome contains polysaccharides, steroids, lecithins, polysaccharides, scopoletin, lignans and ceramides. Nettle root is used as folk remedy(infusion) against worms and prostate diseases.

Infusion of nettle roots: 1 tablespoon of crushed roots is poured with 1 cup of boiling water, infused for 1 hour. You need to drink 2-3 tablespoons of infusion 3-4 times a day.

Nettle decoction

To prepare a nettle decoction, you need to take five tablespoons of chopped herb plants, pour them with 500 milliliters of water, boil on low heat for fifteen to twenty minutes. This decoction perfectly helps with problems in the work of the cardiovascular system. Drink this decoction four times a day. For a more pleasant taste, you can add sugar or honey. During the course of therapy with this decoction, for the best effect, you should stop smoking, alcohol, that is, it is better to generally engage in a healthy lifestyle.

So, we figured out that nettle helps for the heart system, but this is not all that this plant is capable of. There is a decoction of nettle, which will help with painful stomach cramps. It is done like this: ground dried nettle root (one teaspoon) is taken, poured with a glass of milk and boiled on the stove for about five minutes. Drinking the broth should not be all, but only a fourth of it. After two hours, take only two tablespoons of the decoction, after the next two hours, take two tablespoons again. Take this decoction until the moment when you stop feeling pain.

If you suffer from kidney disease, nephritis, hemorrhoids, constipation, pyelonephritis and many others, then decoctions prepared on the basis of stinging nettle will help you.

Contraindications to the use of nettle

There are contraindications for all folk medicinal plants and nettles are no exception. If you are pregnant, and even more so if you are on last dates, the nettle is strictly counter-indicative to you! Also, if you have thrombophlebitis, in no case do not use nettles.

ALL HAPPINESS, LOVE, HEALTH, GOOD AND LIGHT

Each of us must have seen the leaves of this burning plant in our bowl of soup or borscht. However, in addition to taste properties, nettle has a lot of useful properties. Decoctions and infusions from the plant have been used since ancient times to treat diseases of the stomach and respiratory tract. And masks and shampoos from a prickly plant have long been adopted by prominent beauties. IN this material We will tell you how to take full advantage of the beneficial properties of a burning plant.

Chemical composition

Nettle contains carbohydrates, proteins, fiber and ash. In addition, it can be found fatty oil, glycoside, urticin, tannins and protein substances, as well as nitrogen-containing formic acid.

The plant is rich in useful minerals and trace elements. Among the most important are iron, manganese, copper, potassium, calcium, boron, titanium, sulfur, nicotine, histamine, flavonoids and much, much more. Nettle is also rich in vitamins. In its composition, you can find vitamin A, B vitamins (B1, B2, B6), vitamin C, vitamin E, and incredibly rare and beneficial vitamins K and PP.

How useful is nettle?

Thanks to his unique composition Nettle has many beneficial properties. Thus, the biologically active compounds of nettle have an immunomodulatory effect. Due to the large amount of iron, the plant has a powerful hematopoietic action, A vitamin K will make the blood thicker and coagulate.

In addition, nettle has a strong diuretic effect, which helps reduce swelling and regulates blood sugar. Do not forget that the plant can be useful in the treatment of allergies.

Nettle is also incredibly beneficial. for men's health. It enhances erection and improves the quality and quantity of semen. Moreover, the plant can even help in the treatment of early stages of prostate adenoma.

In turn, it will be useful for women to know that nettle medicines can normalize the cycle of menstruation, normalize abundant monthly bleeding and even eliminate the symptoms of the upcoming menopause. With insufficient milk, nettle juice or tea will be an indispensable remedy.

Due to its beneficial properties, the plant has found wide application both in folk and traditional medicine, and in cooking and even in cosmetology. In addition to the well-known salads and borscht, plants make teas, decoctions, syrups, infusions, tinctures, masks, shampoos and so on. Some people even take fresh nettle juice.

The properties beneficial for the body are most fully revealed when the plant is used in medical purposes.

Nettle decoctions, infusions and teas are used to treat beriberi, liver diseases, stomach ulcers, anemia, cough, skin diseases and rheumatism.

Nettle-based products are also useful for general strengthening of the body, restoration of the liver and lowering blood cholesterol levels.

For stomach ulcer

For colitis, stomach ulcers and pain in the duodenal region, it is useful to take a decoction of the roots or leaves of the plant. The decoction is highly effective and has a mild effect on the body.

A decoction of the roots of the plant is prepared as follows:

• We collect or buy nettle rhizomes;
• Grind the roots with a blender or meat grinder;
• Next, take one spoonful of roots and pour it with a glass of warm milk;
• Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat;
• We insist the mixture for three hours, after which we take the milk broth one tablespoon, three times a day before meals.

Decoction of nettle leaves:

• We collect , and ;
• Grind the ingredients thoroughly and mix in a one to one ratio;
• Pour four tablespoons of the mixture with a liter of boiling water and let it brew for three hours;
• After straining the infusion, we take it half a glass four times a day;
• The course of treatment lasts for a week, after which you should take a break for the same time.

With anemia

The plant well increases the level of iron in the body and prevents the development of anemia. Useful for treating anemia nettle infusion, which can be prepared as follows:

• Pour one liter of water into a saucepan and bring it to a boil;
• Turn off the fire and throw 50 grams of chopped nettle into boiling water;
• We insist the nettle for five minutes, after which we squeeze the lemon into the infusion;
• We filter the infusion and, if desired, add bee honey;
• The infusion is taken half an hour before meals for fifteen days.

When coughing

In the treatment of bronchial asthma, coughs, colds and other acute respiratory viral infections, it is useful to use nettle inhalation. Inhalation is prepared according to the following algorithm:

• We take 25 grams of wild rosemary herbs and 15 grams of nettle leaves;
• Grind the ingredients and pour them with a liter of boiling water;
• For an hour, heat the mixture over low heat, without bringing to a boil;
• We tear off 1 sheet of Indian onion, knead it and grease it with the chest, neck and face;
• We cover ourselves with a blanket and inhale the steam for fifteen minutes.
• The course of treatment with inhalations is a week.

If desired, you can take this infusion inside. To do this, we insist it for another two hours, filter and drink half a glass five times a day.

For skin diseases

In the treatment of various skin diseases, especially neurodermatitis and allergic dermatitis, it is very useful nettle baths. To prepare the bath, we act according to the following algorithm:

• We collect about 50 grams of flowering nettle with a root;
• We carefully grind the plant and pour it with a liter of boiling water;
• We insist the mixture for two hours, after which we filter;
• The resulting infusion is added to hot bath;
• The course of treatment is 15 days, after which you should take a short break.

To clean vessels

To cleanse the blood and blood vessels of cholesterol, it is useful to take nettle tincture on vodka. It has a mild effect on the body and is highly effective. It is prepared as follows:

• We collect the nettle and grind it. For tincture, both leaves and stems are suitable for us;
• Pour ten tablespoons of the crushed plant with a glass of vodka;
• We close the vessel with a lid and leave it in a cool, dark place;
• After ten days, we take out the vessel and filter its contents through gauze;
• Tincture is taken twice a day for 30 drops;
• After twenty days we take a break for a week. After that, the course of treatment can be resumed.

For rheumatism

In the treatment of rheumatism, it is useful to take infusion of nettle leaves and wild rosemary herb marsh. The infusion itself is prepared as follows:

• We take 15 grams of nettle leaves and 25 grams of wild rosemary herb;
• Carefully grind the components and mix them;
• Pour the mixture with a liter of boiling water and insist for fifteen minutes;
• Then we filter the infusion and take half a glass five times a day.

From a heel spur

Nettle treatment for heel spurs the use of nettle, which grows in May. This is due to the fact that during this period the plant contains the required amount useful substances in order to cope with illness. Below is a recipe for the treatment of this ailment:

• We collect the tops of the plant with leaves and stems;
• We grind the collected tops with a blender or meat grinder;
• Apply the resulting slurry to the heel and cover with a young leaf of burdock;
• So that the compress does not move out, we fasten it to the leg with gauze;
• The gruel itself should be stored in the refrigerator, no longer than three days.

As we have already said, stinging nettle leaves have found their application in cosmetology. Today, nettle is part of many masks, creams, lotions and shampoos. And all thanks to the deodorizing and disinfecting action of the plant. In addition, thanks to a whole complex of vitamins, microelements and phytancides, the plant has a tonic effect, speeds up metabolism, and stimulates regeneration.

At proper processing Nettle has a mild effect and is suitable for any, even the most delicate skin type. thorny plant incredibly good for hair. It can also be used to strengthen hair, accelerate their growth and counteract baldness. And thanks to the tonic effect, with nettle shampoo you will completely forget about dandruff. Below are a few healthy recipes from nettles.

To prepare decoction to strengthen and grow hair from nettle, we proceed as follows:

• We take one hundred grams of fresh nettle leaves and grind them;
• Pour the raw materials with half a liter of table vinegar and half a liter of water;
• We cook the mixture for half an hour, after which we let it cool and infuse;
• The resulting product is used to rinse the hair after washing.

Nettle mask for dry or oily skin prepared as follows:

• We take a bunch of fresh nettle leaves and grind them;
• Pour a teaspoon of raw materials with one tablespoon of milk;
• We insist the mixture for ten minutes;
• For dry skin, add whipped yolk, and for oily skin - whipped protein;
• We apply the mask on the face, and after 20 minutes wash it off with warm water.

Nettle bath for hands is done according to the following algorithm:

• We take a bunch of nettle leaves and grind them;
• Pour one tablespoon of raw materials with a glass of boiling water;
• Add a tablespoon of chamomile or elderberry flowers;
• Let the product brew for half an hour;
• Before going to bed, we dip our hands in the infusion for fifteen minutes, after which we lubricate our hands with cream.

In cooking

Nettle tastes like spinach, but is more sour and spicy. In terms of the content of nutrients, it is not inferior sauerkraut. It is useful to use it in the spring, when the body's reserves of vitamins are depleted.

Young nettle leaves are often added to borscht and cabbage soup, salads and sauces are made from them. But the use of dried or canned nettles is almost limitless: they make seasonings and food colors from it, use it in baking, add confectionery and much, much more. Below are a few simple recipes nettle based.

Cooking spring nettle salad:

• We take 300 grams of nettle and sorrel and one hundred grams green onion;
• We wash and finely chop the ingredients;
• We spread the ingredients on a plate and mix with finely chopped eggs;
• Salt, season with oil and mayonnaise and decorate the salad with radish.

nettle curd prepared like this:

• We wipe 200 grams of cottage cheese through a sieve;
• Add a glass of finely chopped nettle leaves to the cottage cheese;
• Add three cloves of minced garlic, a teaspoon of mustard and three tablespoons of vegetable oil;
• Stir the mixture thoroughly until it becomes homogeneous.

Nettle balls prepared as follows:

• We take one hundred grams of nettle and boil it for three minutes in boiling water;
• We squeeze the plant and chop with a knife;
• Add 200 grams of wheat porridge and mix with nettles;
• We form meatballs and bake them.

Contraindications and harm

Despite all its useful properties, nettle, like any plant, has a number of contraindications and limitations in use. They are mainly associated with the ability of the plant to increase blood clotting and density.

The use of nettle and products based on it is not recommended for the following categories of people:

• Suffering from hypertension. With excessive use of nettle, the thickening properties of the plant lead to a serious increase in pressure;
• Pregnant women, especially in the last months of pregnancy. Nettle greatly increases the tone of the uterus, which can lead to premature birth or miscarriage;
• People with thick blood. Nettle increases blood density even more, which can lead to serious problems;
• Patients with varicose veins, thrombophlebitis and atrosclerosis;
• Women with bleeding of the uterus, provoked by cysts or polyps;
• Persons with individual intolerance to plant components;
• Children up to 6 years old.

Despite the diuretic effect, nettle should not be consumed in case of stagnation and accumulation of water in the body associated with heart failure or inflammation of the kidneys.

This is primarily due to the fact that diuretics tend to flush out potassium from the body, which can lead to convulsions, arrhythmias, and cardiac disorders.

It is worth remembering that nettle has hematopoietic properties and increases the number of platelets and hemoglobin in the blood. This can play a trick on cancer patients as it stimulates the growth and development of cancer cells in the body.