101 Uses for Stinging Nettles [Paperback]

Piers Warren (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 21, 2006

Stinging nettles are, for many of us, nothing more than persistent weeds with a painful sting. But apart from having an important role in the web of life, nettles are an incredibly useful plant to mankind. They have been put to myriad uses by our ancestors, and many of these are still valid today. Already stinging nettle products are growing in popularity in the field of alternative medicine, as their wide range of health benefits becomes better known. This unique book explores the diverse uses of this fascinating plant - in the garden and the kitchen, for their medical and fibrous properties and so on. It is packed with practical suggestions, as well as a guide to the botany of stinging nettles, and how to collect and store them. For example, you will discover how to use nettles to: make a liquid plant fertiliser brew an unusual beer make a dandruff treatment protect beehives flavour an omelette make friendship bracelets repel flies naturally make green or yellow fabric dyes keep yourself warm in the winter and much more ... The many health benefits of taking nettles in various forms include relief from: hay fever and other allergies; acne and other skin conditions; arthritis and rheumatism; asthma; stress; high blood pressure; depression; enlarged prostate gland. The book also features Digital Nettle Art!

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

I expect your first question is ‘Are there really that many uses for stinging nettles?’ The answer most definitely is yes – and more besides, depending on how you categorise them.

Your second question might be ‘Why on earth write about the uses of stinging nettles?’ Well I have two very good reasons: the first is that from a practical point of view these are uses that you may be able to put to your benefit; the second is that stinging nettles are a good example of the valuable natural resources that surround us, yet are often ignored.

We are becoming aware that disappearing rainforests contain many plants that can be of great use to mankind – in combating disease for example – and let’s hope we are realising this before it is too late. But in our own back yards we also have many useful plants, most of which we think of as weeds and destroy. With our increasingly disposable and environment-damaging lifestyles it is important to value the resources that nature has given us.

Everything has its place in nature, and, even if you don’t end up enjoying a nettle omelette, or gargling nettle juice to ease your sore throat, I hope you will think of nettles with a little more affection and respect after reading this book. Stinging nettles, like wasps, are often thought of as unnecessary evils of the natural world, but they are vital elements of the web of life. If we look into the past we see that our ancestors indeed made much use of stinging nettles (and many other wild plants too) and most of these uses are just as valid today.

Above all, nettles are extremely good for us. They are packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre, and have many healing properties.

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Wildeye (May 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 095418999X
• ISBN-13: 978-0954189990
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #252,861 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #10 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Medicine > Alternative & Holistic > General
  • #11 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science > Biological Sciences > Plants > General
  • #41 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Home & Garden > Gardening & Horticulture > General

More About the Author

Piers Warren is a wildlife film-maker and author living in rural Norfolk UK. He has walked the African plains with Maasai Warriors, tracked tigers in India on elephant-back, explored the Amazon rainforest, swum with sharks, trekked across Tanzanian deserts on a camel and filmed cheetahs hunting in Kenya. But his favourite place is the North Norfolk coast, where he spends his time capturing the flora and fauna on film ... and looking for pawprints in the sand.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I was amazed and enlightened!, August 4, 2006

By 

Owlbright "Owlbright" (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 101 Uses for Stinging Nettles (Paperback)

After reading this book by either dipping in to seek what you wish to know - or from cover-to-cover - you will be intrigued and delighted!

It is, quite simply, the definitive guide to that much-maligned plant: the nettle.

This book has become invaluable to me in my work of complementary therapy. It has joined the many excellent books that I suggest to my clients, if they seek alternative remedies that work.

I have no doubt that whatever interests you have - you will love this book and its priceless information.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 101 uses for Stinging Nettles, May 11, 2008

By 

Tara (Athol, ID, United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 101 Uses for Stinging Nettles (Paperback)

Outstanding book! These nasty weeds I used to roundup, I have found to be one of the most healing plants yet. I now use nettle for everything. Our horses shine like no other. We use it for healing as well as for nutrition. I find myself looking in my friends yards seeing if they have the pesky weed for me to harvest. Its great on chicken too!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 101 uses for Stinging Nettles, July 25, 2007

By 

J. Morgan (Ford, Washington, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 101 Uses for Stinging Nettles (Paperback)

I have a large patch of Stinging Nettles close by the house. I knew there were some uses like compost and tea but I did not know that Nettles could be used for so many different things. Some ideas in the book, are too much for me to try. Good book, recommended to all who think that Stinging Nettles are just a weed. They are so much more!