COMMON NETTLE: NETTLE (URIOTICA DIOICA): USES AND COOKERY RECIPES OF NETTLE: HOW TO MAKE NETTLE SOUP

COMMON NETTLE URIOTICA DIOICA

The Common Nettle or Stinging Nettle is native to the temperate zones of the world and is common in Britain, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Australia and many other countries. Some believe that it may be a naturalized plant in Britain, introduced by the Romans who, knowing it was cold in Britain, took stinging nettles with them and used them to get warm in winter by beating their legs with them. The nettle is a unique plant in that if you get stung by one and then deliberately put a nettle on the stinging part, it lessens the stinging sensation. However, as Dock leaves usually grow near nettles, at least they do in Britain, you can put a dock leaf on the sting and this gives rapid relief. Mint, sage and rosemary leaves have the same effect.

   However much the nettle hurts in Britain and Europe, other nettles are far more horrendous. A species native to Java Uriotica urentissima, gives a sting, the effects of which can last for a year, and may, it is said, be fatal. In India Uriotica crenulato and Uriotica heterophylla are also best to avoid.

    In the past nettles have been used to relieve painful muscles, joints, eczema, arthritis, gout and anaemia. Some of the remedies included beating the nettle on the sore place, which probably served to give the patient some other pain to think about. They sting because they have fine hairs on the stalk and leaves, and these contain chemicals which when released cause irritation to the skin.

    Today they are used as a diuretic, and to help urinary problems associated with an enlarged prostate gland (benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH), urinary tract infections, hay fever, or in compresses for treating joint pain, sprains and strains and insect bites. Fresh nettles make good insect repellents. Recent medical trials suggest that they may help lower blood sugar levels and blood pressure. The parts used are the stem, leaves and roots, although the seeds have been used too. Nettles should be avoided when pregnant.

   A tisane can be made with 2/3 cup of boiling water poured over 3 to 4 teasponns of dried leaves or root. Allow the plant to steep for 3 to 5 mins, then strain and drink, sweetened with a little honey. You can also use fresh leaves, but leave to steep for 10 minutes. You should drink water after drinking the tisane.

   The plant contains vitamins A, B and C and lectins which seem to stimulate the immune system. The tisane has been used to dispel gravel from the kidneys and stimulates the function of these and the bladder.

   Nettles have been used to make cloth and this was used in German army uniforms in the First World War, when cloth was scarce in Germany. It has been made to weave coarse fibres for cordage, sacks and sailcloth. Nettles can be made into beer, and the flowering tops used to be made into country wine.

    The young tops are best used for cooking and should be harvested when they are 6”to 8” tall. You need to harvest these wearing protective gloves, and then wash them thoroughly under cold running water, and throw them in a pan, while they are still wet, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove them from the heat and roughly chop them, and blend them with salt and freshly ground black pepper. You can put poached eggs on top of them for a tasty light lunch. The leaves have a nutty flavour. They have a slightly laxative effect though, so don’t eat too many.

   In Scotland they make nettle pudding, by using a bucket full of young nettle tops, 2 chopped leeks and broccoli heads, and ¼ pound of rice. You put the vegetables together in a layer in a muslin bag then a layer of rice and repeat the layering until the ingredients are used up. Then tie the bag and boil for 30 minutes and serve with melted butter.

    An infusion of fresh leaves can be helpful for burns, but you can dry nettles, by picking them on a sunny morning and tying them in bunches of 8 to 10 in a fan shape and hang them in a sunny spot to dry so that the air can penetrate the nettles. When dry, store in airtight tins or powder them and store in airtight jars. You can also dry the flowers and seeds by spreading them out on paper in the sun.

   The juice from the leaves can be used with a little honey or sugar for asthma, or sufferers can burn the dried leaves and inhale the smoke. The seeds and flowers were given in wine to relieve fevers. This was also given as an antidote to poisoning by hemlock, nightshade and Henbane, as well as for snake bites, and those of rabid dogs.

   Nettles have also been used to prevent hair loss and promote growth. To make the hair tonic, you need 2 pints of water and a handful of young nettles. Simmer them for 2 hours, strain and bottle when cold and saturate the scalp with the liquid every alternate night. You can also comb expressed nettle juice through your hair to stimulate new growth and keep hair shining and healthy.

NETTLE SOUP

Ingredients

1 lb potatoes, peeled and chopped

½ lb young nettles washed and roughly chopped

2 oz butter

1½ pints chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste

small pot of natural yoghurt

Method

Boil the potatoes for 10 mins in salted water. Drain.

Melt the butter and add nettles and fry for a few minutes. Add the potatoes and chicken stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 mins or until tender.

Remove from the heat and blend all ingredients together.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

BURDOCK: A MODERN AND USEFUL MEDICINAL HERB: USES OF BURDOCK: DANDELION AND BURDOCK DRINK

BURDOCK, ARCTIUM LAPPA

Burdock is a very common weed in the British Isles and is native to Europe and northern Asia, although it is widespread in North America too where it has been naturalized. It has been used in traditional medicine for centuries, but also makes a good drink when mixed with dandelions. The recipe below is for a soft drink, but beer or mead can be brewed from burdock and dandelion roots too. In Wales, dandelion and burdock was a popular soft fizzy drink.There is a legend dating back to the 13^th century in which it is said that while in prayer, God told St Thomas Aquinas to make an elixir of the first ingredients he found, and these happened to be dandelion and burdock

   Burdock is a member of the thistle family, and donkeys love it. Remember Eeyore in Winnie-the-Pooh stories? He loved it. Burdock has seed pods, burs which stick to sheep’s wool and people’s clothing, in the same way that those of agrimony do. Whereas agrimony was known as philanthropos, burdock was called Philanthropium, presumably to distinguish it from agrimony. The name Arctium comes from the Greek, arktos meaning bear, and is thought to refer to the brown hairy bur looking a little like a bear’s coat.

   Burdock is mentioned in literature form North America and Europe attesting to its prevalence. Here are some examples: Shakespeare refers to it in “Troilus and Cressida” when Pandanus says “They are Burs, I can tell you, they’ll stick where they are thrown.”

In “King Lear”: -

   “Crown’d with rank Fumiter and Furrow-weeds,

     With Burdocks, Hemlock, Nettles, Cuckoo-flowers”

In “As You Like It”: -

  " Rosalind : How full of briers this working day!

    Celia:        They are but burs, cousin, thrown in holiday foolery. If we walk not in the trodden paths, our very petticoats will catch them."

Children love to throw the burs on adults clothing still so that they are unaware of their presence until they get home.

   These plants are also mentioned in Hans Anderson’s Fairy Tales, in “The Happy Family”,

“The burdock never grows alone, but where there grows one, there always grow several, it is a great delight and all this delightfulness is snail’s food.”

In contrast the American writer, Nathaniel Hawthorne says this of them:

  “…a grass-plot, much over-grown with burdock, pig-weed, apple-pern and such unsightly vegetation…” (The Scarlet Letter, chapter 2)

However George Eliot has this to say about them in chapter 12 of her famous novel “Middlemarch”:

    “…the great oak shadowing a bare place in mid-pasture; the high bank where the ash-tree grows, the sudden slope of the old marl-pit making a red background for the burdocks.”

  In the Middle Ages these were valuable plants and the seeds were used to get rid of kidney stones in the belief that seeds, being hard and needing to be pounded could counteract the gravel in the organs.

   The stalks of the burdock plant can be peeled and eaten raw in a salad tossed in oil and wine vinegar, like the stalks of the Globe artichoke. They can also be cooked after peeling and used as a vegetable. (They taste a little like asparagus.) They are eaten in parts of Europe and Japan. They contain inulin and dietary fibre as do the leaves which can also be boiled and eaten as a vegetable. The stalks used to be candied and used like angelica.

   The plant has antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and medical trials have shown that it has “prebiotic properties that could improve health” (University of Maryland centre for alternative and complementary medicine).

    You can make and infusion of the root which is best harvested in July, and dried, using 2-6 grams of root to 500 mls boiling water and allowing the root to steep in the water for 15 minutes before straining and drinking 3 times a day for skin problems such as acne and eczema. You can also use this on the skin, but not on open wounds.

   You can make an infusion of the leaves (pour boiling water over them and leave to steep for 15 minutes) for stomach problems and an infusion of the seeds has been used to treat kidney problems and nervous disorders. Culpeper recommended the leaf juice or latex from the roots to be drunk in “old wine” for snake bites, and the bruise leaves mixed with egg white for burns. The bruised leaves can be made into a poultice for skin problems but not for open wounds.

   The Chinese use this plant in traditional medicine for cancer, barrenness, erectile dysfunctions and an aphrodisiac.

   The recipe below is rich in vitamins A and C.

DANDELION AND BURDOCK DRINK

Ingredients

2 tsps ground dandelion root

2 tsps ground burdock root

2 star anise

1 inch ginger root, finely chopped

3 pints water

Method

Boil all the ingredients together for half an hour.

Cool and bottle.

Use as a cordial and add soda water for the extra fizz.

You can also add orange juice and zest to the cooking water but this is the traditional recipe. You can experiment with other fruit once you have tasted it. It should look like cola.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

WHAT IS DANDELION? KEKRONDA IN URDU: PHYSICIANS OF MYDDFAI REMEDY: SIDE DISH OF DANDELION LEAVES

DANDELIONS, KEKRONDA,TARAXACUM OFFICINALE WEBER

Dandelions grow in northern places and are cultivated in India for their health benefits. Every child loves to play with the seeds; blowing them and watching them scatter on the wind. We used to call them dandelion “clocks” in Wales, but my grandfather told me that if I picked a dandelion and ate it I would “piss in the bed”, so I never picked them after that. This comes from the French name for the dandelion, pisse-en-lit, and refers, no doubt to the plants diuretic properties. The ancient Welsh physicians of Myddfai had many uses for the dandelion, as recorded in The Red Book of Hengist which is part of “The Mabingion”. Here is an extract for a dandelion remedy: -

“INTERMITTENT FEVERS. TREATMENT.
§13. For intermittent fevers. Take dandelion and fumatory, infused in water, the first thing in the morning. Then about noon take wormwood infused in water likewise, drinking it as often as ten times, the draught being rendered tepid. Let bread made with pounded wheat be also taken, or oaten cakes, goat's whey, the flesh of a young fowl, husky porridge in water, milk being abstained from, and indeed every kind of milk diet. If the ague does not then terminate, the patient must be put in a bath, when the paroxysm come.”

   The Latin name Taraxacum comes from the Greek, taraxos meaning disorder and akos meaning remedy. The dandelion has been used for centuries in the treatment of liver and gallbladder disorders, and medical science has found that these remedies have some scientific foundation, but say that more trials are needed to confirm these initial findings.

  In India they are used to remedy liver problems and in Britain they have long been used to counteract the same problems. The parts used in medicine are the root and the leaves, with the flowers made into dandelion wine.

    The name dandelion is a corruption of the Latin name for this plant; Dens leonis which means lion’s teeth and it is believed that the name refers to the shape of the leaves. In an ancient German manuscript dated 1532, “Brunfel’s Contrafayt Kreuerbuch”, the leaves of the dandelion are illustrated and they look like a lions teeth. In the “Ortus Sanitatis” manuscript of 1485 it is written “ The herb was much employed by Master Wihelmus, a surgeon, who, on account of its virtues, likened it to ‘eynem lewen zan, gennet zu latin Dens leonis’, (a lion’s tooth in Latin called Dens leonis)

   It could be, of course that as the dandelion flowers in August it coincides with Leo in astrological terms, so it could be that lion from which the plant got its name.

   In the Middle Ages it was referred to as “Priest’s Crown” which is what the head of the flower looks like after the seeds have scattered. The shaven tonsures of priests were then often seen.

    The plant is mentioned in Arab manuscripts dating from the 10^th and 11^th centuries and it was used by Ibn Sina among others. These physicians referred to it as the “wild endive” and Taraxcacon.

    The root can be roasted and then ground to make a coffee substitute which tastes fine and doesn’t leave you wide awake at night. The plant has been used to make beer too, and dandelion stout was once a favourite drink in the Midlands in Britain. It is also good as beer when mixed with nettles and docks, and there is a fizzy drink that was originally called “dandelion and burdock”, which has a very different flavour to most carbonated drinks.

  You can make a soup from the young dandelion leaves with sorrel leaves and nettles, and add the young leaves to other soups. They are good in egg sandwiches, liberally sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper, and the young leaves may be added to salads, making a good substitute for spinach. You can also boil them and then cook with spinach as a side dish that is rich in iron.

  The whole plant is rich in vitamins A, B complex, C and D, iron, potassium and zinc. Dandelions have been used to cure fevers, as a mild laxative, to stop diarrhoea, for eye problems and various other ailments. Research has shown that they may be valuable for diabetics as they can regulate blood sugar levels, and lower cholesterol levels.

 There are many remedies which use dandelions roots, some of which are given below. If you go out to harvest the roots, look for large fleshy ones, and do this in autumn when the latex is at its most potent; ignore ones that are slender and forked. It is said that you can use the milky sap from the flower stalks to get rid of warts. You can use a juicer to get the sap from the leaves, and have a teaspoon of it 3 times a day as a general spring tonic. Tisanes have been used for weight loss, as they rid the body of fluid and keep the bowel clean. One tisane can be prepared by using 1 oz of the plant to 1 pint of boiling water. Pour the water onto the plant and leave to steep for 10 minutes. This has been used to stop nausea and vomiting.

   A decoction of the root, which is said to dispel gall and kidney stones, is to use 1 part of sliced root to 20 parts of water and boil this for 15 minutes then strain and sweeten with honey. This also aids digestion and cures flatulence and improves the appetite.

   For eczema and other skin problems, try this decoction: 2 oz plant or root and 2 pints of water. Bring this to the boil and then simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Take a small cup of it every 3 hours

If you have liver problems, then you might want to try this: 1 oz dandelion root, ½ oz caraway seeds (kala zeera) ½ oz ginger root, ½ oz cinnamon quills, ¼ oz senna leaves and 3 pints of water. Boil all these ingredients and simmer until the water has reduced to half. Strain and cool, then add sugar, ½ lb, and boil again, removing any scum that appears on the top. Cool and take in teaspoonful doses frequently. Alternatively you could try this one for liver and kidney health: 1 oz broom (the plant) tops, ½ oz juniper berries, ½ oz dandelion root (fresh or dried), 1and a half pints of water. Boil for 10 mins then strain and add cayenne pepper to taste. Take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.

   For a leaf tisane, take an ounce of fresh leaves and 1 cup of boiling water. Pour the water over the leaves and allow to steep for 10 to 15 minutes, strain and take 1-2 teaspoons 3 times a day as a mild laxative.

DANDELION LEAF SIDE DISH
Ingredients

½ lb fresh young dandelion leaves

½ lb spinach

¼ tsp grated nutmeg

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 small onion finely chopped

30 gr pine nuts

grated zest of 1 lemon

butter or oil for frying

Method

Put dandelion leaves in a pan of water and boil for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain then pat dry.

Heat the olive oil or butter in a pan and add the spinach and dandelion leaves, cook over a low heat until they have wilted.

Add the pine nuts to the pan and coat in the oil and fry the garlic and onion if you want to, although this isn’t necessary.

Mix the all ingredients together well and serve.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

 

AGRIMONY: A MEDICINAL HERB: BENEFITS, USES AND HISTORY OF AGRIMONY: AGRIMONY TISANE

AGRIMONY, AGRIMONIA EUPATORIA

Agrimony is an ancient healing herb or vulnery which was certainly used by the Meddygon Myddfai, or Physicians of Myddfai in ancient Wales. These were a long line of gifted herbal doctors whose beginnings are shrouded in the mists of time, but are thought to have begun in 800 AD. Their herbal lore was supposed to have come from the founder who fell in love with the Lady of the Lake, a fairy who eventually returned his love and bore him three sons. The herbal lore of these physicians continued until the 1800s and was transcribed in The Red Book of Hengist, The Mabingion, in the 13 the century. This book is still in print. The herb is Y Tryw in Welsh and was used along with betony and vervain, boiled in ale and milk for mastitis. It was sacred to the Celtic goddess Danu.

   It was known to Dioscorides in the first century AD who recommended it for “bad livers” and snake bites. There are various beliefs about how the herb was named, some saying that it was named eupatoria after the King of Pontus, Mithradates Eupator, who was a bane of the Roman Empire, and who ruled Pontus from 120 BC until 63 BC. He was thought to be a magician and herbalist who doused himself with plant poisons to protect himself from injury. The name Agrimonia may come from the Latin “agri moenia” meaning “defender of the fields” as it was a common sight in meadows and hedgerows, or it may come from the Greek name for plants which healed eyes and made them shining “argamone”.

   Agrimony was used with other common herbs in the countryside in Britain as a “spring drink” or a “diet drink” and was believed to purify the blood. The Anglo-Saxons called it Garclive and used it to heal wounds, snake bites and to get rid of warts, among other remedies. They also believed that if they carried it on their person it would protect them from goblins. Agrimony was one of the seven herbs they used in their “Holy Salve.” In Chaucer’s time it was called Egrimoyne and used with mugwort and vinegar to relieve back pain and “alle woundes.” There was a remedy of the 12^th century which called for agrimony to be mixed with one pound of frogs and human blood to stop internal bleeding. It was one of the herbs used in L’eau d’arquebusade which was used to heal wounds inflicted by the arquebus, a type of early hand gun employed in the 15^th century. In France it may still be found and is used to treat sprains and bruises.

   Its other common names are Cockleburr, so called because the seed pods stick to animals and people’s clothes, and Philanthropos, (people lover). Gerard writes that this may be for the reason mentioned or because of its healing properties, but he seemed to believe the former reason was the correct one. He also wrote that it was good for those who lead “naughty lives”.

   It is also called Church Steeples because of the tallness of the plant and its flowers, it is reminiscent of mullein but not as tall and the flowers are not as close together, although they are usually yellow.

   It is a member of the rose family of plants and has a fragrant smell with a faint hint of lemon. It tastes rather like apricots, and makes a pleasant tisane. Culpeper recommended it for external use as being good for the skin and healing wounds and suggested bathing in water in which it had been steeped. He also says that a decoction taken in wine was good for snake bites, colic and bad breath as well as being effective against coughs.

    This rhyme was found in an old English manuscript: -

      “If it be leyd under mann’s heed.

       He shal sleepyn as he were deed;

       He shal never drede ne wakyn

       Till fro his heed it be takyn.”

In other words it induces profound sleep and if it is under your pillow, you won’t wake up unless it is removed. Today mugwort and agrimony are used in Dream pillows.

    Agrimony should be gathered when it is in full bloom and spread out to dry on a wire rack in a very sunny spot. Turn the parts of the plant at regular intervals until it can be crumbled to a powder. It can be stored for future use in airtight jars. Dry all parts of the upper plant, i.e. flowers, leaves and stem. You can use them in the tisane recipe given below, which is effective against diarrhoea and blood loss in the urine or stools. It can also be used as a gargle for sore throats and mouth ulcers. It has been used in traditional medicine for liver complaints including jaundice and will aid digestion. It is said to be good for the blood and skin and a strong decoction of the crown of the root system and leaves boiled in water and mixed with honey was especially used for skin problems. If you use this, you need to drink 2 or 3 small cupfuls every day for several months to clear the skin.

    In Ayurvedic medicine a tisane is given to alleviate stress, anxiety and hypertension and lower blood pressure. It is also a diuretic and as it contains Vitamin K it is a good blood clotting agent. Modern medical trials have shown that it may be useful in treating bacterial and viral infections, in inhibiting the growth of tumours, for diabetes and hypertension, although more human studies are needed to substantiate these early findings. Trials are underway to teat its efficacy in treating skin diseases and gastrointestinal ailments. Germany’s Commission E has approved the use of the tisane for diarrhoea and as a gargle for sore throats to reduce inflammation and soreness.

   You can make a poultice of the leaves and apply to the head during migraines, or use the tisane to treat athlete’s foot, or use freshly crushed fresh leaves. If you have conjunctivitis or other eye problems then 10 gr of the herb to 500 ml of water should be boiled together and left to cool then used as eyewash.

    Native Americans have used agrimony effectively for fevers, and the tisane is a mild diuretic.

   You can use it in pot pourris with dried flowers such as rose petals, lavender and violets. You can use the fragrant dried leaves for this purpose too. It is said that if you carry agrimony, along with rue, Maidenhair fern, broom and ground ivy, you will be able to recognize witches. If one happens to cast a spell on you then the agrimony will mirror it back and the evil will befall the one who cast the spell.

AGRIMONY TISANE

Ingredients

1 handful of dried agrimony (whole herb)

1 pint of boiling water

honey to taste

Method

Pour the boiling water over the dried herb and leave to steep for 15 minutes. Strain and drink a tea cup of it 3 or 4 times a day for all the ailments mentioned above.

This has taste and is a Treat(ment).