Papaya - a world class meat tenderizer, natural digestive aid, prevents ulcers, and also a soft contact lense cleaner.Healing with Nettle
Nettle won’t grow hair, boost milk production, or guarantee easy childbirth, but science lends some support to a few of its age-old uses.
Gout - Some German researchers have shown nettle juice and infusion help relieve the pain of gout. According to German medical herbalist Rudolph Fritz Weiss, M.D., the effect “is not very powerful, but long-term use may give definite clinical results.”
Gout sufferer james Duke, ph.D., an authority on herbal Healing for the u.S. Department of Agriculture, agrees nettle helps gout but prefers urtication: “Recently after a painful week, the pills my doctor prescribed had improved but not terminated the gout pain in my elbow. I stung the elbow with nettle. The sting caused momentary forgetfulness of the gout, and be it an effective remedy or coincidence, my gout subsided by nightfall. As a matter of fact, I walked and ran several miles that afternoon with no pain at all.”
High Blood Pressure - Nettle also has some diuretic action. In Germany, where herbal medicine is more mainstream than it is in the United States, physicians prescribe nettle in the treatment of high blood pressure. Dr. Weiss writes: “Nettle juice is definitely useful lin] diuretic therapy. It has the advantage of being well tolerated and safe, as distinct from the [pharmaceutical] thiazides [now] so widely used.”
High blood pressure is a serious condition requiring professional care. If you’d like to include nettle in your overall treatment plan, do so only with the supervision of your physician.
Nettle may be safer than thiazides, but diuretics deplete the body of potassium, an essential nutrient. If you use nettle frequently, be sure to eat foods high in potassium, such as bananas and fresh vegetables.
Pregnant and nursing women should avoid diuretics. Congestive Heart Failure. Physicians often prescribe diuretics to combat the fluid accumulation involved in this condition. Heart failure demands professional care. If you’d like to include nettle in your overall treatment plan, do so only with approval from and supervision by your physician.
Hay Fever - A study at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland indicated that two 300-milligram capsules of freeze-dried stinging nettle provide significant relief from the symptoms of hay fever. These capsules are not available outside research facilities, but you might try an infusion and see if it works for you.
Premenstrual Syndrome - Diuretics help relieve the bloated feeling caused by premenstrual fluid buildup. Women bothered by PMS might want to try some nettle during their premenstrual days.
Scurvy - Nettle is high in vitamin C, which supports its traditional use in treating scurvy.
Intriguing Possibility - One German study suggests stinging nettle juice might relieve symptoms of non-cancerous prostate enlargement (benign prostatic hypertrophy).
Rx for Nettle
For juice used to help treat the pain of gout and possibly help with prostate enlargement, process fresh plant Material in a juicer.
For a pleasantly warming infusion for possible help in the treatment of high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, and hay fever, use 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried herb per cup of boiling water. Steep 10 minutes. Drink up to 2 cups a day.
In a tincture, use ΒΌ to I teaspoon up to twice a day. Nettle should not be given to children under age 2. For older children and people over 65, start with low-strength preparations and increase strength if necessary.