Posted to HerbFest blog after free weekly herbal tip from Herbal Lore & Legend Series:

  Yes, thanks for info about Nettles. In addition, for years, myself and many other women throughout history, drank nettles tea after menses, to replace iron lost in their menstrual blood. Many folks grow nettles, or collect it wild, and steam or boil it to eat as a vegetable (like greens). Gaia Herbs, in Brevard NC, grows it in their organic gardens to add to their herbal formulations.
   In homeopathy, we use Urtica urens to treat/antidote shellfish poisoning, uticaria, gout & uric acid diathesis, agalactia (decreased milk production), first-degree burns & scalds (topically or internally), chicken pox, other itching & stinging ailments including that from insect stings, jellyfish stings, etc. Urtica urens herbal tincture (nettles) can be diluted in water & used as a topical dressing to treat burns or scalds. I carry the tincture in my office for such emergencies. And, of course, as you mentioned, the more popular use now for this wonderful plant is for allergies, decreasing the inflammatory response to allergens during the pollen season.

Ok, just thought I’d add some info to the plant’s Bio. (-:

Herbanite Julie