Stinging Nettles

Spring comes as a breath of fresh air, and then things bloom and it's beautiful and hap...haapp...ACHOO! Sneezy. And then the red eyes and scratch throat follow not far behind for many of us. Thankfully, I have just discovered a natural remedy that is an amazing antihystamine called Nettles, aka Stinging Nettles, aka Urtica dioica. I got a tincture that contains nettles and other herbs for allergies and I got a bag of dried nettles to make teas with all at Zensations by Jen! (Wherever you source nettles from, be sure it is organic). I have been using these treatments for three full days now and my scratchy throat and itchy eyes have totally cleared up. I will say that my allergies are not as bad as some peoples I know, but it is a significant difference from how I felt on Thursday.

Jen showed me her live nettles in a pot outside to know what he looks like. She advised that now is the perfect time to forage for nettles while the plant is young. The name's stinging nettles for a reason - there are little hairs on his stems that can sting you - so take a pair of garden gloves on your hike and a produce bag and bring home some wild nettles!

I have a Swedish friend who tells me that as a kid, they would always collect nettles in Spring and make Nettles soup (aka Nässelsoppa)! If I have any luck finding wild nettles and make the soup I will let you know if it's any good!!

Now, let's get back to enjoying the many happy gifts spring has to offer - Cherry Blossoms, Red Buds, Robins hunting worms, and sunshine! :)

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