Stinging Nettles
A Natural Way to Treat Arthritis
Joint pain and inflammation are as old as mankind. Archeologists have even found evidence of arthritis in the remains of Neanderthals. The term arthritis encompasses over one hundred different ailments, from osteoarthritis to rheumatism, that involve the deterioration of the cartilage or fluid surrounding adjoining bone surfaces. There are numerous factors which lead to arthritis, such as age, stress, and genetics, while the exact cause and cure remain elusive to conventional medicine. Stinging nettles are one natural way to treat arthritis. Utilizing this herb, along with a healthy lifestyle can profoundly relieve arthritic pain by addressing the holistic health of the individual.
The Sting of Stinging Nettles
There are transparent, delicate short hairs on the underside of nettles' blue-green leaves and along the stalk. These hairs are both toxic and healing. On contact they cause an intense prickly sensation on the skin, and in some cases a red irritation. This is not because they are sharp, but because of the chemicals they eject into the skin, in the form of tiny multiple localized injections. These hairs are filled primarily with formic acid, acetylchlorine, seratonin and histamines.
How nettles treat arthritis is through a process called urtication. When fresh nettles are lashed against the skin and joints they cause a gentle irritation which encourages the dilation of capillaries, stimulating circulation, nerves, lymphatic flow, and cellular metabolism. The seratonin and histamine are both neurotransmitters which act on the central nervous system. Clinical studies in Europe have found that this chemical cocktail blocks cytokines and other inflammation-producing immune cells, which encourage inflammatory deterioration in bone and cartilage. According to the BBC News article, "Nettles ease arthritis suffering'" (May 31, 2000), research done at the University of Plymouth concluded that nettle urtication reduces arthritic pain, possibly through the neurotransmitters which affect pain perception.
Nettles are an Overall Health Tonic
Stinging nettles are also a beneficial way to treat arthritis because they are an overall health tonic. Nettles are rich in a variety of nutrients, and are more easily absorbed then vitamin supplements. They are very high in calcium, magnesium, iron, and chlorophyll, and are a good source of other trace minerals - chromium, zinc, copper, cobalt, niacin, selenium, sulphur, potassium, phosphorus, and tin. They also supply vitamins A, B, C, D, and K.
Nettles tone and strengthen almost all systems of the body, but are particularly useful for the endocrine system, which is responsible for hormone secretion and body regulation, and the kidneys, which help rid the body of toxins. Nettles are an alterative - alteratives are blood cleansers; they are herbs that increase vitality by restoring proper bodily function and maintaining optimum health. Stinging nettles are powerful enough to heal damaged tissue.
Regular use of nettles will revitalize the body and boost the immune system allowing it to effectively rebuild worn cartilage and encourage smooth joint function. They also have antiseptic properties, protecting the body from infection, which is one cause of arthritis. Fresh nettles can be eaten or made into a juice, or they can be taken as a tincture, or an herbal infusion. Eat one-half cup of cooked nettles, drink 1 to 2 cups of nettle tea, or take 5-100 drops of a tincture, or 1-3 teaspoons of juice diluted in water every day for up to three months. After that, take nettles 3 or 4 times a week. Always consult your health care practitioner before using herbal remedies.
Sources
Weed, Susan, Healing Wise (Ash Tree Publishing, 1989).
Hoffmann, David, The Complete Illustrated Holistic Herbal: A Safe and Practical Guide to Making and Using Herbal Remedies (Element Books Limited, 1996).
Balch, Phyllis A. Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition (Penguin Group, 2006).
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