Nettle is a common plant found in untouched areas where the ground has been left to go wild and without chemical use.  It may be considered a nuisance by some, due to its formidable sting afforded by its formic acid content(same found in ants!) and also because it is seen as an annoying weed.

This is far from the truth as Nettle is not only a great medicinal herb but also a nutritive plant.
The nutritive attributes are manifold as Nettle contains a very high content of Iron and Vitamin C in its leaves. So much so it can be used for iron deficiency anaemia and as a vegetable or tea to supplement our daily iron intake.

As well it contains an abundance of other minerals including Silica. Silica is a useful substance and adds strength to lungs and kidney tissue, as well as enhancing the strength and lustre of hair and nails.  The arrival of Nettle in spring would have been very welcome by rural folk who knew the nutritive value of this plant. Furthermore they would have been aware of its blood cleansing properties and combined with dandelion leaf and cleavers would have used all to enliven the body and rid it of toxic accumulation, after the sluggish winter months.

Today herbalist uses Nettle on a daily basis for its valuable medicinal functions..

Stimulating the peripheral circulation.
For is diuretic effect in enhancing kidney function and ridding the body of toxins.
For its cleansing action particularly suited to skin conditions.
As a remedy for arthritis and painful joint disease, including gout.
For benign prostate enlargement.

In order to augment biodiversity in the garden, a patch of Nettle should be encouraged as it is an important food for butterflies, in particular, and other insects which in turn are a food source for bats. Herbs such as Nettle encourage and preserve the interdependence of the natural world for continuing survival of this rich source.

The present extraordinary time demands extraordinary measures to keep us safe and well. We need to have tools to help and support our immune system as much as possible,and there are recipes available that everyone can concoct for themselves.

One such is Fire cider, made from spices which we probably use daily. These are Garlic,Ginger Chili,and Horseradish.
If it is difficult to source horseradish it is ok to omit it. The spices all have anti-pathogenic properties and are used for viral and bacterial infections.

Get a large,clean,sterilised glass jar and layer the jar(as shown above) with finely sliced ginger root, garlic and chilis. Then pour in cider vinegar, enough to cover all the spices used. Put the lid on the jar and leave in a dark place for 2 weeks, shaking the jar daily.
After this time strain off the liquid. Measure the amount of liquid strained and add to it the same quantity of honey.
Honey is an essential addition as the mixture would be too fiery to take. Pour the prepared liquid plus honey in a clean glass bottle and this can be kept in the fridge. Take 5ml daily as a preventative and 5ml 3x daily in the presence of a respiratory infection.

There are many other herbs that can be taken for immune support at this time.
These include..

Thyme herb which has anti-viral properties and is a great respiratory support herb, calming coughing and wheezing and assisting expectoration and clearing phlegm. Thyme is easy to source as a fresh herb and can be made into a tea by chopping half and ounce and adding hot water..half litre..to it. Cover the container to stop the valuable therapeutic oils from escaping and let steep for at least a half hour.  This is strained and the herb discarded and a cupful drunk 1-3x daily.

Another well know herb which offers immune support is Echinacea. This is commonly taken in Tiincture form as drops and can be bought from health food stores. Research has shown that Echinacea root stimulates the proliferation of white cells involved in the immune response. Dosage is 2.5 ml 1-3x daily, in water.

Elecampane is another wonderful herb to support the immune and respiratory system. It can be taken as a tincture in the same amounts as for Echinacea. Elecampane is commonly used by herbalists for respiratory and stomach infections.

There are many other herbs for immune support and two I use frequently are Astralagus root as well as False Ginseng. These two herbs have the added ability to help debility, weakness and improve energy.

Two excellent wild food sources that can be sourced presently are 3 cornered leek and wild garlic/ramsons. Both have a great affinity to the respiratory system like their family members, garlic and onion. The plants are edible and can be used in salads,sautéed with vegetables or made into a zesty pesto.

For any information on the herbs used in this article please contact
Jacqueline Kilbryde. Medical herbalist 0863369642

Even through howling/raging winds and torrential rain there is a little green herb pushing its way up and outwards to herald the spring!.  It is a tough plant and has earned itself many common names, including Goosegrass, Sticky willie, and Bedstraw among others.

As the herb matures with the months of growth, it becomes gnarled and fibrous and when picked ,it can be rolled into a dense mat-like structure which earned it the name of Bedtraw. It was literally used to stuff mattresses in the past! Another name for the plant is Cleavers which it is commonly known by.

Its botanical name is Galium aparine…aparine comes from the greek ‘aparo’ meaning to lay hold,of to seize, and belongs to the family of plants Rubiaceae.(coffee belongs to this family) The seeds of Cleavers were once roasted and ground and used like coffee,with a less stimulating action!

This plant is as tenacious as it is tough as it clings to surfaces it comes into contact with affording many hours of fun for children who used to delight in playing with it. The aerial part of the plant is used edicinally which can be made into a decoction or infusion and drunk 2x daily.

The soft new tender plant is edible and may be cooked as greens. Clavers was one of the many treasured spring herbs to be savoured and used by rural folk in our not too distant past. Along with Dandelion leaf and Nettle leaf ,the trio offered not only nutrition but an internal ‘Spring clean, enlivening the organism and bringing it into the spring energy.

It is termed a depurative, a remedy which rids the body of toxin accumulation.And to this end it is used by herbalists today. Its main use is as a lymphatic cleanser and helps to clear and clean lymph nodes throughout the body, enhancing immune function by reducing the incidence of infection. It clears  obstruction to the flow of lymph through the lymphatic system, relieving lymph node swelling, and reducing water retention and oedema.

Another significant action is its cleansing action for acne and hot skin conditions as it draws out impurities and cools hot inflammation. This is augmented by its diuretic action and an aid to kidney function. The coarse texture of the plant is due to high levels of silica which have a strengthening effect on hair and nails and on the organs such as lungs and kidneys which have lost tone and are weakened by recurrent disease.

Cleavers has earned itself a rightful place in the herbal materia media and graces the shelf, in the form of a tincture, in the herbalist dispensary.

Jacqueline Kylbride, Medical Herbalist

RIBWORT                                            GREATER PLANTAIN

We probably walk by these 2 plants daily and possibly never give them a moment’s glance.
But in fact they possess amazing medicinal actions and uses and are a must in the herbalist’s dispensary. Plantago lanceolata- Lesser Plantain/Ribwort is also known as Snake weed as it was historically used as an antidote to snakebite. At the end of its growing season the leaves take on a pattern resembling that of snakeskin.

Plantago major- Greater plantain was referred to as ‘white man’s foot’ by indigenous Indians in the Americas as wherever the white man walked the plant sprung up! Both plants have a wide distribution and are found in Ireland and in many parts of Continental Europe, in Asia and the Americas. They grow well in damp soil, and the leaves are mainly used for medicine, also the seeds to a lesser extent. They belong to the family Plantaginaceae.

Looking at the constituents explains their excellent application as a soothing/emollient and as a healing agent to damaged skin via injury or inflammation as seen in skin conditions. Aucubin inherent in the plants is anti-inflammatory. Lesser and greater plantain exhibit antibacterial action and are used in infections generally. The mucilage content impart a soothing action (emollient action) on dry, sore irritated skin and heals and restores damaged skin tissue. The soothing action is also used topically to alleviate insect bites, stings etc.

These actions are strengthened by the presence of Allantoin, found also in Comfrey, which restore tissue damage. Mucilages internally, heal and protect the gut and the urinary tract from irritation and coupled with the plants’ cooling diuretic action help to resolve urinary tract infection effectively. The tannins have an astringent action augmenting healing and protecting damaged surfaces.

Both plantains contain zinc and silica which speeds up tissue repair externally and internally. The silica and mucilage content give effective expectorant action, loosening stubborn mucous and making it easier to expectorate thus clearing phlegm and cough. (As an aside, another native plant, Horsetail, has a larger percentage of silica in its leaves and stems, strengthening and toning weak, exhausted tissue.

Horsetail was used historically to clean pewter because of its abrasive silica content!) A common balm or cream can be made from the following 3 herbs and applied to lesions such as eczema, dermatitis, psoraisis, stings cuts and wounds.

They are:

• Lesser and/or Greater Plantain;
• Lavender flowers;
• Calendula flowers.

These are harvested and macerated in vegetable oil in a bain-marie for several hours to extract their medicinal qualities. The oil is strained and a salve made by melting beeswax into the oil which is poured into jars and left to set. The leaves of both Plantains are nutritive and edible but the fibrous veins of Greater Plantain need to be removed first before cooking, though young Ribwort leaves are nice, (although slightly bitter) eaten fresh in salads or in a stir-fry.
They contain Iron, Calcium,Vitamins C, K and A.

(Never pick any plant for medicine or food unless 100% sure it has been identified correctly)

Jacqueline Kilbryde ..Medical herbalist

MNIMH MIRCMH