Tag Archives: stinging nettle

Raw Kitchen Corner: Stinging Nettle Pesto

Lately I’m really glad to see that more and more people don’t consider stinging nettle to be just an annoying weed anymore but rather recognize it for what it really is, a superfood. Stinging nettle contains loads of iron and calcium for example. It is also a good source of vitamins A and K. I discovered this powerful weed for myself last spring and all through winter this year was dreaming of spring to get my hands on the fresh nettle leaves and make one really good pesto out of them : ) So here’s the recipe for my raw vegan stinging nettle pesto:

You’ll need about 2 handfuls of raw stinging nettle leaves, about 4-5 Siberian garlic chives leaves, a few basil leaves, about half a cup of cashew nuts, 2 tablespoons of pine nuts, 2-3 garlic cloves, about 1/3 or half a cup of walnut oil, salt to taste.

Mix everything in a blender and use on pasta or as a vegetable dip sauce.

If you don’t have Siberian garlic chives leaves then feel free to be creative and replace them with something else or skip them altogether, the star of this recipe after all is the stinging nettle : )

 

May 11, 2012Permalink 5 Comments

Beneficial Herbal Teas To Drink Before, During And After Pregnancy

There are many beneficial herbs that can be made into a tea and consumed before, during and/or after the pregnancy to keep both the mother and the growing baby healthy and happy.


Not so well-known herb to use before pregnancy is Herb Robert (Geranium Robertianum) because it is said to be the miracle remedy in case of infertility. It contains natural progesterone and stimulates fertility in both women and men. It is also a source of germanium which is a valuable element to the body as it makes oxygen available to the cells.

Probably the most well known herb on the other hand to use before and during pregnancy is raspberry leaf. It helps to prevent miscarriage and postpartum hemorrhage, eases morning sickness, reduces pain during labor and can actually help make the labor faster. After birth it assists in the production of breast milk. Raspberry leaf is also rich in various vitamins and minerals like calcium and magnesium which help relieve leg cramps and iron which helps to prevent and treat anemia.

Another herb to use before and during pregnancy is lady’s mantle which is also said to be very useful in treating sterility. It helps to thicken the uterine lining which is necessary for better embryo implantation. During pregnancy lady’s mantle helps to avoid miscarriage and during labor it helps and eases the process of giving birth.

Stinging nettle is also recommended during pregnancy but only for one week at a time. After drinking stinging nettle tea for one week you should have a break for at least 1 month before having it again. Stinging nettle tea is mostly used to treat and prevent anemia but it has other benefits as well. For example it aids and strengthens the kidneys, nourishes mother and baby, helps to reduce hemorrhoids and diminishes pain during and after birth.

Alfalfa tea is especially recommended during the last trimester of pregnancy because it contains a lot of vitamin K among other essential nutrients. Vitamin K is necessary for blood clotting so it helps to decrease postpartum bleeding and chance of hemorrhaging. Vitamin K is also essential to the newborn.

From 36th week of pregnancy it is recommended to start drinking one cup of wild thyme tea a day. It helps to prepare the cervix for the labor and relaxes smooth muscles. At the same time it is also a mild uterine stimulant.

All of the herbs mentioned above can be consumed after giving birth as well but there is one more herb that is especially recommended right after labor and that is yarrow. It helps to stop external and internal bleeding, has anti-inflammatory properties and is calming to the nerves. It can be used right after giving birth but should definitely be avoided during pregnancy!

May 10, 2012Permalink Leave a comment

Soap Nut, Clay & Neem Powder Shampoo

After making the dishwashing liquid and laundry detergent out of soap nuts I didn’t want to stop just there yet because I still have loads of soap nuts left and after doing some research I found out that they can be used for so many more things. For example you can make shampoo out of them. Shampoo made out of soap nuts is said to work very well in treating and preventing dandruff and hair loss. Since so far I’ve had really good experience with washing my hair with clay (read more about it here) then I decided to add clay to my soap nut shampoo as well. But not only clay, I also added chamomile, neem powder and lemon essential oil.

So first what you need to do is make the soap nut liquid by boiling about 10 whole soap nuts in 3 cups of water on a medium heat for 30 minutes (read more about making the soap nut liquid from here). For making the shampoo I also threw in 1 chamomile tea bag into the boiling soap nut liquid. I chose chamomile because it gives lighter hair really nice shine. If you don’t want to use chamomile then stinging nettle, rosemary, peppermint and basil are good for promoting hair growth. Raspberry leaf and sage highlight darker hair. Comfrey, marshmallow and calendula are good for dry hair. Yarrow and witch hazel bark are good for oily hair. So the choice is yours. When the liquid is ready then let it cool a bit, strain the soap nuts and the tea bag out of the liquid and add about 2 tablespoons of Rhassoul clay and 2 tablespoons of neem powder to the soap nut liquid.

I chose Rhassoul clay because it has the most purifying properties of all clays but so far I’ve been using French green clay as a shampoo with great success so if you don’t have Rhassoul then I think that any other clay would work fine as well. I also added the neem powder because it keeps the scalp healthy and also prevents dandruff and hair loss. You can use ready-made neem powder or make your own by grinding whole dried neem leaves with mortar and pestle. After mixing the soap nut & chamomile tea liquid with clay and neem powder you should have something like this:

Now pour the liquid into a container (I chose a plastic bottle with a pump for easier application) and add about 10 drops of some essential oil of your choice. I chose lemon essential oil because of its smell and because it highlights lighter hair. Basil, rosemary, burdock and fenugreek essential oils all promote hair growth for example. Lavender essential oil is soothing to the scalp and hair. Peppermint essential oil helps to stimulate blood flow to the root of the hair. Sage essential oil works to deep cleanse the scalp. Tea tree oil works to treat dandruff.

Note that this shampoo won’t be creating very much foam because of the all natural ingredients so make sure not to use too much as the soap nuts can dry out hair when used excessively.

May 2, 2012Permalink 2 Comments