Meet the plants: nettle!
“Boundaries are the distance at which I can love you and me simultaneously.” - Prentiss Hemphill
Urtica dioica
Despite its sting, nettle has many wonderfully nurturing virtues. In the garden, it encourages beneficial insects and strengthens the growth of mint & tomato families. Nettle is a common perennial herb found on moist forest edges and meadows often considered a weed. Despite that green bias, nettle supports over 40 species of insects, including butterflies, makes a wonderful natural compost and it mere presence can be an indicator of nutrient-rich soil. Energetically nettles are said to create boundaries, like thorns to a rose. Healthy boundaries are an affirmation of sacred space.
Nettle leaves can be made into tea or spring tonic. Young nettles can be eaten as a salad or added to soups. Rich in vitamins and iron, they are a good remedy for anemia, aiding in blood circulation. In fact, nettle was one of the few things the Irish had to eat during the Great Famine.
Medicinally, nettles are a highly nutritious superfood providing vitamins A, B6, K, riboflavin, folate, calcium, manganese, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and potassium has been used to treat a range of illnesses of the kidneys, adrenals and urinary tract, gastrointestinal tract, skin, cardiovascular system, hemorrhages, and influenza. The inflammation from nettles has long been a folk remedy for treatment of arthritis. ‘Urtication,’ or flogging with Nettles, is a remedy for chronic rheumatism or blood stagnation. According to herbalist Kelsey Barrett, “Nettle acts like an old grandmother, whipping you into shape. Coming from love and nourishment, she gives organs, muscles, skin, blood and limbs the medicine they truly need. She doesn’t waste time, she gets right to the task at hand of cleaning house.”
The stinging hairs of nettle are composed of silica that inject a natural venom into the skin and cause a temporary rash. The irritation, however, can be eased with nettle juice, dock leaves, jewelweed, rosemary, mint, sage or any member of the sorrel family, which usually (and conveniently) grow nearby.
Solitary Gardens’ dried nettles for tea!
Nettle represents the complexity of existence. These sharp stinging plants are packed with powerful healing remedies and stinging bite. The teach us about boundaries, consent and personal space. Without care, reaching for nettle can cause discomfort but/and the antidote is often found near by.
Our binary justice system leaves no space for human complexity. How is it possible to recognize the humanity of a person who may have committed a horrible act?
Can we create a system that addresses harm with out creating more? How might what we need grow adjacent to the spaces and places where harm has occured?
Nettle also reminds us about boundaries— what are the roles of boundaries in abolitionist practice? How can boundaries help us to heal from harm? Where in your own life can boundaries help you to love more fully?