From stinging weeds to radiant skin and hair

From stinging weeds to radiant skin and hair

By Renate Lunde
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SUPERHERB nettle! The most nutritious herb we have. Good for so much and used for thousands of years from ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, by soldiers in the Roman Empire who used nettle as a whip to warm the body, and so on up to today where, among other things, a lady walks in Voss picking nettles in her basket 🌱💚🧺
 
Nettle for drying and tincture, for tea, for Vossabia 's hair and skin products. And for private smoothies, pesto, for the "medicine cabinet" and much more. Nettle: I love you!
 
Nowadays, there is a daily harvest of this super plant (when the weather is nice!). I find so much joy in going outside and picking one plant at a time, and smelling the very unique scent of nettle, while the cats run around me and want to be part of everything that happens. Nettle likes where there is nitrogen-rich soil, typically where there has been compost, where old grass or manure from sheep barns and the like has been laid. There are also a lot around my great-grandfather's large blackcurrant bushes, so picking them provides both great raw material for products and privately, AND I clean up a bit around the berry bushes.

 

We fill basket after basket, before the nettles are dried flat on large sheets, slowly and gently to preserve all the good properties and ingredients. This slow drying also ensures that the nettles retain their beautiful green color in their dried state, just as if they were still fresh out there on the slopes.

 

In recent years, nettle has become super trendy in the US and England, (Kate Middleton and Michelle Pfeiffer have apparently become hooked on nettle skin products as the plant can reduce lines/wrinkles) and for good reason. It has completely unique anti-inflammatory properties, is packed with antioxidants, minerals and vitamins, in addition to being a great cleanser for the blood, kidneys, body and skin. It strengthens the hair, cleanses well, can be good for dandruff and oily scalp, and not least also a nice supplement against hair loss. I think nettle can become a big trend here in Norway too, and after you read about the fantastic health benefits you will understand why! 

Natural beauty without artificial additives

Let yourself be seduced by the power of nettle and other wonderful ingredients from nature. Here you will find some selected treats from the store with fantastic skincare products and shampoos made with natural ingredients. 

🌱The unique health benefits of stinging nettle🌱

Minerals and vitamins

This humble wild growth is actually one of the most nutritious herbs we have. Nettle actually consists of 20% minerals, so it is not without reason that I call it a superherb! It contains, among other things, lots of iron, calcium, potassium, as well as vitamins A, C, B and K. Silicon is one of the good minerals found in nettle, and it is an important mineral for skin, hair and nails. So you get nettle into your diet and in your skin and hair care routine, you are assured of many good health benefits.

Blood purifier and tonic

Nettle is a powerful blood purifier that removes toxins from the body by, among other things, stimulating the kidneys to increase urine output. In addition, the plant has been traditionally used as a tonic to increase energy, stimulate the digestive system, and help with various digestive ailments.

Antioxidants - natural anti-aging

Nettle is packed with antioxidants and they are crucial for maintaining healthy and fresh skin, and can delay and reduce the signs of aging. We recommend getting antioxidants both inside and out, which you can do with nettle, among other things. You will notice it in your body, skin, hair and organs if you add nettle to your diet and in your skin and hair care. Below you will find some tips for recipes for food and drinks, and we of course recommend Vossabia 's nettle product for skin and hair, and Renate has developed the wonderful and very popular regenerating Sea Buckthorn and Nettle ointment with, among other things, nettle from the farm.

How to get nettle into your body and skin

Many people probably avoid nettles because they sting when you pick them. But, wear gloves or pick them carefully, and you won't get as much stinging. Chamomile balm helps with the stinging, by the way 😉. If you go out and pick some fresh nettles, there's an incredible amount you can do with them, which will be beneficial for your health. By the way, the stinging of nettles goes away when treated like boiling, crushing, and other processing. So all you have to do is pull yourself over the nettles and play around in the kitchen, and then of course wash your hair and apply Vossabia 's super nettle product 💚🌱🐝

 

 

Nettle tea

  1. Pick some fresh nettles out in the garden/ditch, etc. If you have dried nettles lying around, that's great too (and a smart way to secure yourself throughout the year).
  2. Rinse them lightly, and then boil a pot of water.
  3. When this boils, turn off the heat, add the nettles, and let it steep for 5 to 10 minutes. Feel free to mix in other herbs such as red clover, meadowsweet, mint, rose, or other favorites that grow where you are.
  4. Strain, add a little honey for sweetness, and voila, you have a wonderfully delicious nettle tea!

If you want a tea that gives you extra strength and is a real spring cleaning classic, you can take equal parts nettle, birch leaves, and dandelion leaves.

 

Tincture

  1. Find a Norwegian glass, or another glass of a decent size, and fill it completely with fresh nettle.
  2. Then add alcohol (around 40%) until everything is covered. Let it steep for a month.
  3. Now all the health benefits of nettle have been released into the spirit. Put one to two teaspoons (30-40 drops) of this in a glass of water every day (or three times a day if needed) and you have an easy way to get your daily dose of nettle!

 

Pesto

Pesto is great in salads, with chicken, pasta, vegetable dishes or just on the plate! Try nettle in your pesto!

  • 200 g nettle leaves (or a couple of handfuls)
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 40 gr cashews or walnuts, pine nuts (experiment and vary)
  • 80-100 ml good olive oil
  • 30 gr Parmesan cheese or similar Norwegian cheese
  • salt

Pick and rinse the nettles, put everything in the blender and blend! If you want/need more olive oil, adjust accordingly. Season with salt, and enjoy!

 

Nettle powder

I always dry huge amounts of nettles to have for my shampoo all year round, but I use some of it to make nettle powder! Can be used for smoothies, fried eggs, porridge, fruit, ice cream and much more

  1. Pick nettles, spread them out on a sheet or tablecloth and let them dry slowly for a few days.
  2. Take some dried nettles in the blender and go for it!
  3. Voila! Nettle powder! Store in an airtight, dark container, and use in smoothies, porridge, soups, broths, and your imagination is the limit here. We're talking super powder!

 

Yes, then I'll find the basket again, stick out into the green, with my butt in the air and my senses sharpened 💚 Carry your basket around now and then 😁

Helsing Vossabia 🐝💛