101 Uses for Stinging Nettles (Unbound)

Stinging nettles are, for many of us, nothing more than persistent weeds
with a painful sting. But apart from having an important role in the web of
life, nettles are an incredibly useful plant to mankind. They have been put
to myriad uses by our ancestors, and many of these are still valid today.
Already stinging nettle products are growing in popularity in the field of
alternative medicine, as their wide range of health benefits becomes better
known.
This unique book explores the diverse uses of this fascinating plant - in
the garden and the kitchen, for their medical and fibrous properties and so
on. It is packed with practical suggestions, as well as a guide to the
botany of stinging nettles, and how to collect and store them. For example,
you will discover how to use nettles to:

make a liquid plant fertiliser
brew an unusual beer
make a dandruff treatment
protect beehives
flavour an omelette
make friendship bracelets
repel flies naturally
make green or yellow fabric dyes
keep yourself warm in the winter
and much more ...

The many health benefits of taking nettles in various forms include relief
from: hay fever and other allergies; acne and other skin conditions;
arthritis and rheumatism; asthma; stress; high blood pressure; depression;
enlarged prostate gland.

The book also features Digital Nettle Art

Excerpted from 101 Uses for Stinging Nettles by Piers Warren. Copyright © 2006. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
I expect your first question is ‘Are there really that many uses for stinging nettles?’ The answer most definitely is yes – and more besides, depending on how you categorise them.

Your second question might be ‘Why on earth write about the uses of stinging nettles?’ Well I have two very good reasons: the first is that from a practical point of view these are uses that you may be able to put to your benefit; the second is that stinging nettles are a good example of the valuable natural resources that surround us, yet are often ignored.

We are becoming aware that disappearing rainforests contain many plants that can be of great use to mankind – in combating disease for example – and let’s hope we are realising this before it is too late. But in our own back yards we also have many useful plants, most of which we think of as weeds and destroy. With our increasingly disposable and environment-damaging lifestyles it is important to value the resources that nature has given us.

Everything has its place in nature, and, even if you don’t end up enjoying a nettle omelette, or gargling nettle juice to ease your sore throat, I hope you will think of nettles with a little more affection and respect after reading this book. Stinging nettles, like wasps, are often thought of as unnecessary evils of the natural world, but they are vital elements of the web of life. If we look into the past we see that our ancestors indeed made much use of stinging nettles (and many other wild plants too) and most of these uses are just as valid today.

Above all, nettles are extremely good for us. They are packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre, and have many healing properties. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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