The unrecognized treasure from the garden corner: The nettle is a true wonder herb for health, cooking and beauty

In her new compact guide “ Nettle ”, Barbara Simonsohn presents the “Medicinal Plant of the Year 2022”, which is often misunderstood as a weed. With over 100 uses and recipes, the nettle is not only a gift for health prophylaxis, but also works against many ailments.

Versatile health

Anyone who has left the nettle by the wayside because of its "prickliness" will have to rethink, because it has just been named "Medicinal Plant of the Year 2022" - because of its versatility in terms of health, because hardly any other plant has such a density of vital substances. The nettle contains exactly the substances we need: high-quality protein, iron and chlorophyll as well as valuable minerals and trace elements. It has been known since ancient times as a healer, garden helper, nourisher, aphrodisiac, symbol bearer, fiber supplier, ritual plant and ecological ally.

In her latest guide, nutritionist and superfood expert Barbara Simonsohn brings together 101 creative and helpful recipe ideas for health and beauty: "When you eat nettles, they act like medicine in your body - to counteract premature aging processes, to detoxify yourself on a continuous basis, to maintain acid-base balance, to eat optimally and to protect yourself against pathogenic germs." A superfood right on our doorstep, available in large quantities and easy to process. It has never been so easy to supply yourself with valuable vital substances.

Botany of the nettle

There are hundreds of species of nettle that have spread all over the world, including southern Africa and the poles. The plant can cope with direct sunlight, but prefers partial shade to shady and moist conditions. The nettle loves humus-rich and iron-rich soil and is considered a nitrogen indicator. Nettles are a first-class plant strengthener, and plants thrive particularly well in their vicinity.

Both the leaves and the stems are covered with tiny stinging hairs. At the slightest touch, these pierce the skin and inject a mixture of formic and acetic acid, serotonin and histamine.

All parts of the plant are useful and medicinal - flowers, leaves, stems, seeds and roots. Depending on the season, the life force of the plant migrates to the leaves in spring, to the seeds in summer and early autumn and to the roots in autumn. The nettle has a lot to offer for our mental and physical health, it gives us valuable substances to supplement our normal and unfortunately often nutrient-poor diet.

Symphony of ingredients

The leaves of the nettle are extremely rich in chlorophyll - they contain thirty times as much chlorophyll as lettuce and more than any other native plant. It is no wonder that they are used as a starting point for the production of chlorophyll preparations and various nutritional supplements for detoxification and defense. Above all, however, nettles contain valuable protein with high bioavailability, fiber and minerals, slowly metabolized carbohydrates such as polysaccharides, fats and organic acids.

In addition to carotenoids - including beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A by the body as needed and has an antioxidant effect - the plant offers more than thirteen vitamins as well as phytosterols, which lower the cholesterol content of the blood plasma and have an anti-cancer effect, as well as a high concentration of protein for tissue building and the happiness hormone serotonin.

The density of minerals in nettles is enormous, the concentration of calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc and phosphorus is particularly impressive. Nettle leaves also contain around six times as much vitamin C as lemons. As with all medicinal plants, it is the interaction of the various ingredients that is responsible for the positive effect on the human body.

Book tip:
Barbara Simonsohn: Nettle - the miracle herb for health, cooking and beauty. 101 uses and recipes. Compact guide . Mankau Verlag 2022, paperback, full color, 11.5 x 16.5 cm, 158 pages, 12.00 euros (D) / 12.40 euros (A), ISBN 978-3-86374-652-0

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