Rawforestfoods

Most people that have spent time in the forests and woods are familiar with the bite of Stinging Nettle, and many women are already familiar with the therapeutic uses and health benefits of the above-ground parts of the leaf (from the common Stinging Nettle, Urtica dioica). In Western herbalism, the use of Nettle, whether you call it Nettle, Stinging Nettle, or just a nuisance while you’re out hiking, dates back over 2000 years, and has a long use as a top spring tonic (alongside dandelion leaf and root). Stinging Nettle is an important—and powerful—herb that has proven its position in the Western herbal pharmacopeia. Nettle leaves are known to be deeply nutritive as a food (a good source of vitamin A and calcium) and as a tea, able to improve skin, hair, and nail health. Once dried or cooked (even lightly steamed) Nettle loses its ability to sting as the trichomes (the tiny hair responsible for its sting) become deactivated. In Chinese herbalism, Nettle Seed contains tonifying qualiti