Silk of the North: Nettles — A Botanical History

Nettles were regularly used in medical remedies in the past. The leaves of the plant were primarily employed to treat a wide variety of illnesses and conditions, but sometimes nettle seeds and roots also found their way into medicinal cures. If you were experiencing conditions ranging from rheumatism to <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Medicinal_Dispensatory/mBNmAAAAcAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA295&printsec=frontcover" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">poisoning</a> a few centuries ago, a doctor or apothecary likely would have recommended some part of the nettle plant as a potential remedy. The juice extracted from the <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Wild_flowers_of_the_year_by_A_Pratt/oCoEAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA126&printsec=frontcover" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">leaves</a> was used to stop nose-bleeds and <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_General_Dispensatory_The_Second_Edit/-fARILnQt3sC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA132&printsec=frontcover" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">ease coughs</a>. Nettle’s <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Edinburgh_New_Dispensatory/27jZ6XZZK2oC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA263&printsec=frontcover" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">diuretic</a> and <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Herbalist_and_Herb_Doctor/_B06AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA154&printsec=frontcover" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">astringent</a> properties made it the ideal herbal cure for both digestive and kidney issues as well as scurvy. Nettle roots were used to treat <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Medical_Era/j6hXAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA139&printsec=frontcover" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">asthma</a> and <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Therapeutic_Notes/6kA9AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=RA6-PA40&printsec=frontcover" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">epilepsy</a>, and a <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Universal_herbal_or_Botanical_medica/9tPiFScTnewC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA780&printsec=frontcover" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">strong tea</a> prepared from them was used to treat jaundice or as a gargle for sore throats. <a href="https://medium.com/plant-based-past/silk-of-the-north-nettles-a-botanical-history-6326e9b9f871">Click Here</a>