Nettle tea is a versatile health companion

"The sting of the nettle is but nothing compared to the pains it heals." That saying has been passed on throughout ages in the annals of herbal literature.

But it's certainly for a good reason. The Europeans have been using the nettle for medicinal purposes for centuries. Now a new generation is poised to re-discover what their ancestors have known all along.

The leaves, stems, roots & flowers of the nettle plant have potent medicinal properties. It has a vivid green color that betrays its high iron and chlorophyll content. It is likewise abundant in the following minerals:

• calcium - magnesium - silicon - sulphur - copper - chromium - zinc - cobalt - potassium and - phosphorus.

There are also high amounts of vitamins A, C, D, E, and K as well as riboflavin and thiamine.

In the Old World, the nettle was used both as a spring tonic and in the treatment of scurvy. The Germans used it during the war as fodder and discovered that thin and lethargic horses with digestive problems benefited tremendously when nettles were included in their rations.

It is also used as an antiseptic and astringent in Russia. The dried, pulverized herb is sniffed to stop nose bleeding. Nettle tea is also used to improve heart action, for headaches and for any internal bleeding, especially after childbirth.

Nettle tea is likewise believed to be extremely beneficial for the kidneys, and is quite useful in expelling gravel from the bladder and dissolving kidney stones.

Furthermore, it is believed to be a potent blood purifier that drives out toxins & metabolic wastes by stimulating the kidneys to excrete more water. It may also help in the treatment of kidney inflammation. Nettle tea is also thought to help clean the entire intestinal tract while activating the body's natural defense mechanisms.

Other health benefits believed to be imparted by nettle tea include:

• killing and expelling intestinal worms - treating dysentery, diarrhea, and hemorrhoids - treating asthma as it is believed to help expel phlegm from the lungs

In the book, "The Family Herbal," authors Barbara and Peter Theiss recommend nettle tea as a long-term stimulation therapy for allergies, for people with poor complexions and as an additional discharging therapy in connection with all types of rheumatism and gout.

The nettle plant is also used to improve fertility in both men and women. Due to its high calcium content, nettle tea is specific for easing leg cramps and other muscles spasms, and also diminishes pain during and after birth.