NETTLE ( STINGING )
BOTANICAL NAME : Urtica dioica
OTHER NAMES : Devil's Apron, Naughty Man's Plaything, Scaddie, Tanging Nettle, Hoky-poky, Jenny-nettle, Sting-leaf, Devil's Leaf, Heg-beg,
PLANETARY RULER : Mars
CORRESPONDENCES : Element - fire, Gender - male, Totem animal - serpent, Gemstones - Ruby / Fire Opal, Ogham - Nin / Deanntag, Rune - Feoh, Magical Tool - nettle,
ASSOCIATED DEITIES : Agni, Blodeuwedd, Cernunnos, Hades, Horus, Jupiter, Osiris, Pcuvus ( Earth Fairies ), Pluto, The Lightning Serpent Lord, Thor, Vishnu, Vulcan, Yama,
NATURAL HISTORY : The stinging nettle is a perennial plant that can grow to a height of up to 4 ft. It is native to Europe and Asia but is now found throughout the temperate regions of the world. It prefers a sandy soil but will grow in any kind available. It is often found growing on waste ground, in hedgerows, along roadsides, field edges and grassy places. Stinging nettles have tough, creeping roots and square stems which are covered with stinging hairs. The leaves are ovate with toothed margins, and like the stems, are covered with stinging hairs. The small greenish flowers bloom in small clusters from June - September. The male and female plants are entirely separate.
Propagation : Most people would think you entirely mad if you planted nettles in your garden from choice, they spread rapidly and are difficult to contain. It is much easier to collect what you need from the wild, however should you wish to cultivate them in the garden the seed can be sown or the roots divided during the spring. It is wise to plant them in a tub to prevent the roots from spreading too far.
Gathering : The leaves should be collected from an unpolluted area during the spring. They can be dried for future use. The roots should be harvested during the autumn. Drying or cooking eliminates the sting.
LORE : The generic name of this plant probably comes from the Latin 'uro' meaning 'I burn', which is obviously a reference to the sting. The common name is thought to come from the Anglo- Saxon 'noedl' meaning 'a needle'. This may be a reference to the sting or possibly to the fact that a sewing thread was once made from the plant.
Nettles yield a strong fibre which can be made into thread, linen, ropes, sailcloth, twine, fishing nets and paper. The use of nettle for these purposes was widespread before the introduction of flax. Shortages during the First World War forced manufacturers to use nettle fibre for army clothing. The German name for muslin nessel-tuch refers to the manufacture of a fine cloth from nettle, while in Russia nettles were used commercially to make dyes for wool.
It is thought that the Romans introduced the little known 'Roman Nettle' (Urtica pilulifera) into Britain after they had experienced the damp climate; they used the shoots to chastise themselves in order to increase the circulation and keep warm! An old injunction, which may date from Roman times reads; take nettles and seethe them in oil, smear and rub all thy body therewith; the cold will depart away. This practice seems to have survived the test of time as in many rural areas the practice of thrashing joints afflicted with rheumatism was said to relieve the pain. There are several anecdotes about the success of nettles as a cure for rheumatism after the patient has stripped naked and rolled in a nettle patch! The juice from the stem is a remedy against the sting.
Nettles were once popular in the kitchen. In 17th century Britain nettle pottage was a favourite dish, while nettle soup and pudding were common in Scotland. In the countryside nettle beer was drunk, especially as a remedy for gout and rheumatism. The preacher John Wesley recommended a nettle poultice as a remedy for sciatica, and St. Patrick highly valued the nettle for its usefulness to both man and beast.
Nettles were once associated with lightning, and the Great Serpent Lightning was said to have imbued the nettle with some of His sting, or perhaps the Underworld Serpent gave the plant some of His poison. The lightning strike was seen as the fertilising power of the God which enters the womb of the earth, therefor the nettle also has underworld connections. According to Romany gypsies nettled grow mostly in places where there are subterranean passages to the dwelling places of the Earth-Fairies or Pcuvus, and nettles are dedicated to them.
The nettle was sacred to thunder Gods, like Thor, and was thrown onto fires during storms, as an offering to invoke protection.
The white dead nettle is also called archangel. The flowers upside down are said to show Adam and ve in bed togther, an old memory device for conveying that they were used for the generative oragns. It tones the uterus, aids urinary problems, and protastae problems, the flowers are used.
FOLK MAGIC :
A bunch of freshly cut nettles placed under a person's sick bed helps to facilitate a rapid recovery.
Carried in the hand nettles ward off ghosts and evil spirits.
Dried and sprinkled around the home nettle keeps out evil spirits.
Combing nettle juice through the hair combats baldness.
HERB SIMPLES :
Nettles are rich in vitamins and minerals and make one of the best teas for treating gout and rheumatism. It can be used to regulate menstruation and stimulate the flow of milk in nursing mothers. Nettles are excellent in the treatment of eczema, particularly childhood and nervous eczema. An infusion taken daily will help the circulation and promote healthy hair growth. It also makes a good gargle for mouth ulcers and sore throats.
A decoction made from the root may be used as a general hair tonic, or a hair tonic can be made from young nettles simmered in water for two hours. This can be bottled and kept for use as required. A decoction of the aerial parts is used to cleanse the circulatory system.
The stop nosebleeds a cotton wool ball should be soaked in nettle juice and inserted into the nostril. A compress may be used to treat acne, alopecia and eczema.
Nettles are said to improve the complexion and circulation. The fresh young leaves can be used in facial steams or added to the bath as a cleanser. They are particularly good for oily skin.
Old nettles are laxative as well as diuretic, esp the root. The root aids the liver and gall bladder. Nettle seeds are used in oil as a warming rub for rheumatism. Sting the hands asa treatment for arthritis.
MAGICAL USES :
The nettle's animal totem is the serpent, one of the most powerful allies a magician can have. Cernunnos is often depicted holding a ram headed serpent, showing He is a God of fertility and the Underworld, whilst His horns reveal His Overworld connections. Amongst many peoples the snake was a sacred animal as it was the symbol of life, death and rebirth as it sheds its skin and emerges renewed, transformed by death. It represents wholeness and its energy is that of creation, and immortality.
The nettle is a plant which is allied to all three realms. It is a 'venomous' plant with a fierce sting, and may not be plucked easily. It teaches the lesson of transmutation. Though it appears antagonistic, once assimilated it is totally beneficial. Those spiritual and life experiences which are the most difficult and testing are those that make us grow most. The power of the nettle demonstrates that all things have their place in creation, and those things which may be experienced as painful can be integrated and transmuted.
Nettle tea may be taken when working through spiritual or emotional ordeals to use the power of fire to transform the discomfort to spiritual advancement. It may be used in incenses when undertaking Underworld journeys or to ward off negativity. An infusion of nettle or nettle oil may be used in the consecration of the ritual knife to imbue it with the power of the three realms, whole and connected, and with the power of transfiguration. Nettle beer or wine may be taken sacramentally at the rites of passage of birth, initiation and death.
Nettles can be used to make home-made paper for magical documents and dyes for initiation and vision quest robes. A yellow dye may be obtained from roots and a green dye for wool from the leaves. Mixed with alum a dark grey-green dye can be obtained for wool and a cream dye for silk. When mixed with cream of tartar a greeny-grey dye is obtained and a soft grey is obtained when mixed with copper.
RECIPES :
NETTLE INFUSION
4 tsp. nettle tops
1 pt boiling water
Pour the boiling water over the nettle tops and allow to infuse for 10 minutes. Strain.
INFUSED NETTLE OIL
Pack a glass jar with fresh nettles and cover with vegetable oil. Leave on a sunny windowsill for two weeks and strain into a dark glass bottle.
NETTLE BEER
1 gallon nettle tops
2 lb. malt extract
2 lb. brown sugar
2 oz hops
lemon juice
yeast
2 gallons water
Wash the tops and remove the stalks. Boil 4 pt. water and add the nettles. Simmer for fifteen minutes. Boil another 4 pt. water and add the malt extract and hops. Simmer for fifteen minutes.
Put the sugar and lemon juice into a brewing bin and pour over the two lots of boiling water. Stir until the sugar has been dissolved. Add the remaining water and when lukewarm add the yeast. Stir and cover with a clean cloth. Leave in a warm place for a week, stirring daily. Strain and leave to ferment out. Siphon into screw topped bottles, leaving a 4 cm gap at the top. add 1 tsp. castor sugar to each bottle and seal tightly. Leave for 1 week before drinking.
NETTLE WINE
1/2 gallon nettle tops
water
1 lemon
1 piece root ginger
3 lb. sugar
1 cup cold tea
yeast and nutrient
Wash the tops and remove any stalks. Place in a saucepan with the ginger and the juice and grated rind of the lemon. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain into a demi-john. Dissolve the sugar in a little hot water and add the tea. Add to the demi-john. Top up to a gallon and when lukewarm add the yeast and nutrient. Leave in a warm place for seven days. Rack into a clean demi-john and fit an airlock. Allow to ferment out. When fermentation is completed rack off into a clean demi-john and allow to clear. Bottle and store for six months before drinking.
UNDERWORLD JOURNEY INCENSE
1 part dried nettle leaves
1 part aspen bark
1 part bistort root
2 parts myrrh (optional )
Blend together and burn on charcoal.
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