Nourishing Herb: Stinging Nettle
My first nourishing herb was Stinging Nettle with the botanical name or scientific name Urtica dioic.
Some indigenous names:
Plains Cree & Woods Cree: masān.
Lakota & Dakota: čhaŋíčaȟpehu (often spelled ichahpe hu).
Tla’amin Nation (Ay-ah-ju-thum): sewšew (pronounced "sue sue").
Ojibwe: mazaan.
Maasai: Entamejoi.
Nepalese (Regional): Sisnu.
Himachali (Western Pahari): kukshi or kungas.
I worked with Nettle from Feb 18th-24th. During that time I found myself more focused and spending time asking myself questions. I was releasing a lot of fear about moving forward building a business with my fiancé. I was having doubts about my ability to be successful. I ended up getting a lot done when I also focused on my separate endeavors that are spiritual in nature unlike some of what we are working on together. I needed the balance. I am reminded i must continue to grow things i enjoy. I feel as though nettle helped me through that week & also with mothering myself as i take a break from speaking with my own birth mother. i am separating from the trauma that wanted to be pass down to me and wanted to eat me alive… well that’s how it feels when certain images or phrases come to mind. I tell myself it’s not mine and i let it pass on by. Nettle has also helped with my hormonal balance and my skin is starting to clear back up. my cycle is back to being regular and very predictable which i find works best for me after having it change up the month before. My milk production is great and my baby also did the 7 days with me!
I look forward to creating a hair rinse and a few other new creations with stinging nettle. Nettle feels like a big HUG for sure and is a staple for me. I tried giving it to my dog but had the dosage too high, but will try again soon. He has skin issues so maybe i will try a rinse for him and a few other plants to balance out.