Nettles-

Nettles (Urtica Dioica, also known as Stinging Nettle or Common Nettle) has been used since the days of Caesar nearly 2000 yrs ago. His troops would flail themselves with Nettles to keep warm. They get their name from: 1. Urtica comes from the Latin "Uro"; meaning to burn or sting 2. Dioica from "Di" which is Greek for two, and 3. "Oecos" which is Greek for house; all this adds up to: sexes on separate plants, and they both sting like Hades! The common name Nettle is said to derive from the meaning "textile plant". Stinging Nettle was grown in Scotland for the fibers in its stalks, which served to make a linen-like cloth. (rereading this makes me wonder about some folks...lol..flail yourself with Nettle? Yow...)


Magickal Uses:

Nettles are an herb of consecration. One of the traditional rites of consecration for an athame calls for Nettles to be added to the herbal wash into which the heated blade is plunged. Nettles are associated with the ability to dispel darkness. Taken as a Magickal tea they are not only good for the body but also good for the spirit. The old lore regarding combining Nettles with Yarrow to help one take heart against deep fears makes this mixture an excellent Magickal remedy. Some use Nettles as an herbal Magick to assist fishing.

Medicinal and Other Uses:

The best known use of Nettles is in the treatment of gout and other rheumatic conditions. Nettles are a histamine, and are used for hay fever, especially for allergic sneezing and itchy eyes, ears, and throats. (Recently a randomized, double blind, clinical trial has shown the usefulness of Nettles in the treatment of allergic rhinitis or hayfever) Stinging Nettles are also used in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Nettles are rich in Protein, Iron, and Vitamins A and C. (Because of their rich nutritional content, nettles have traditionally been given to anemic, exhausted, debilitated or recuperating people as soups or teas) Its high quantity of silicon has made Nettles highly useful in stimulating hair growth, improving the condition of the hair and skin, and treating dandruff. Nettles have been used internally and externally to treat eczema. Nettle juice has been used as an astringent or styptic to stop bleeding and to treat wounds. A decoction of the leaves or the expressed juice has been shown to mobilize uric acid from the joints and eliminate it through the kidneys. A poultice of the leaves reportedly alleviates pain due to inflammation, and the dried powdered leaves are used to stop nosebleed. Nettles are used as an astringent, diuretic, kidney ally, expectorant, laxative, lithotriptic, anti-purine, tonic, circulatory stimulant, and they promote milk flow, lower blood sugar levels, and can help prevent scurvy. They help the kidney and adrenals, including the liver. Commercially, Nettles are a source of chlorophyll that yields a green dye. **WC** This herb should be collected when the flowers are in bloom, but be careful...the leaves of the plants have stinging hairs, causing irritation to the skin and a horrible stinging-burning sensation (Trust me, you don't want the experience). **GT** There are at least 30 species of insects that feed on Nettles, and the caterpillars of several Lepidoptera species are dependant upon them for food. Also, male and female plants must be grown if seed is wanted for future planting.



Nightshade, Deadly-

Nightshade (Atropa Belladonna, also called Belladonna, Dwale, Deadly Nightshade, Devil's Herb, Banewort, Tollkirsche, Divale, Great Morel, Dwayberry, Petty Morel, and Naughty Man's Cherries) is a plant with a wealth of myth and lore attached to it. There are three plants which go by the common name of "Nightshade": Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna), Woody Nightshade (Solanum Dulcamara), and Black Nightshade (Solanum Nigrum). The plant in Chaucer's days was known as "Dwale", which Dr. J. A. H. Murray considers was probably derived from the Scandinavian "dool", meaning delay or sleep. Other authorities have derived the word from the French "deuil" meaning grief, a reference to its fatal properties. In "A Modern Herbal" Mrs. Grieve relates: "Its deadly character is due to the presence of an alkaloid, Atropine, 1/10 grain of which swallowed by a man has occasioned symptoms of poisoning. As every part of the plant is extremely poisonous, neither leaves, berries, nor root should be handled if there are any cuts or abrasions on the hands. The root is the most poisonous, the leaves and flowers less so, and the berries, except to children, least of all". Nightshade is supposed to have been the plant that poisoned the troops of Marcus Antonius during the Parthian wars. The soldiers of Macbeth poisoned a whole army of invading Danes by a liquor mixed with an infusion of "Dwale" supplied to them during a truce. Suspecting nothing, the invaders drank deeply and were easily overpowered and murdered in their sleep by the Scots. According to old legends, the plant belongs to the devil, who goes about trimming and tending it in his leisure, and can only be diverted from its care on one night in the year, that is on Walpurgis. The "Atropain" scientific name refers to one of the Greek Fates, "Atropos", who held the shears which cut the thread of human life. "Belladonna" is thought to refer to the practice of Italian ladies using the juice of the plant to dilate their pupils, thus giving their eyes greater brilliancy. Another derivation is founded on the old tradition that the priests used to drink an infusion before they worshipped and invoked the aid of Bellona, the sister of the Roman God of War, Mars.


Magickal Uses:
Nightshade is an herb of consecration and a funeral herb. Nightshade, or Belladonna, may be used in rituals for the dead. Added to the chalice of water which will aspurge the Circle, it may be used to help the spirit let go of its longing for the life just ended, helping the beloved to move forward into union with the Universe toward rebirth. Burning Belladona (do NOT inhale the smoke) as an offering to Bellona would be appropriate when preparing to do battle, such as when one must work through negotiations, enter a courtroom, or otherwise engage in competition which is not sport. Nightshade may be used to invoke Circe, and it is considered the appropriate herb when consecrating ritual items which contain the metal lead. There is an affinity with Onyx, so keep your Nightshade and Onyx together to keep the Nightshade empowered for ritual. Although lore suggests harvesting at Beltane Eve, practical gardening/wildcrafting suggests that, climate allowing, you should harvest at Hallow's Eve. The reality is that the berries should be gathered when they are fully ripe. (see the photo above)

Medicinal and Other Uses:

Because of the sad fact there are many children surfing the Net unsupervised, I will not list the usage of this plant because Nightshade is extremely poisonous. ALL parts of the true Belladonna are poisonous and narcotic (it affects the nervous system). **WC** The twigs and bark of the root (to be used in Magickal workings) should be gathered after its foliage has fallen off. Warning: The alkaloid content of the plant is higher in sunny locations (even though the plants are often smaller). Antidote: Atropine. **GT** Atropa Belladonna will grow back from it's thick, fleshy, branching, whitish perennial roots, so if you wish to "get rid of it", you'll have to do some extensive digging.



Nightshade, Woody-

Woody Nightshade (Solanum Dulcamara, also called Climbing Nightshade, Scarlet Berry, Fevertwig, Violet-bloom, Blue Bindweed, Felonwort, Dulcamara, Bittersweet Nightshade, Snakeberry, Wolfgrape, and Felonwood) was called the Woody Nightshade by the old herbalists to distinguish it from the Deadly Nightshade. Its generic name Solanum is derived from "Solor" meaning "I ease", and testifies to the medicinal lore of this plant. Its second name, Dulcamara, used to be more correctly written in the Middle Ages, "Amaradulcis", signifying literally "bittersweet", the name given to it in reference to the fact that the root and stem, if chewed, taste first bitter and then sweet. Shepherds used to hang it as a charm round the necks of those of their beasts whom they suspected to be under the "evil eye".


Magickal Uses:

Woody Nightshade is an herb of protection ruled by Mercury and Uranus. As its cousin Belladonna (Deadly Nightshade) became associated with dark energy, the more common Nightshade, Bittersweet, became associated with the balancing energy. The benevolent properties of Woody Nightshade remain known today. Collected and hung in bunches, it protects one's home and those who dwell within it (whether human or animal) from negative energies and misfortune. For its Magick to work, however, no one else must ever know where it has been placed.



Medicinal and Other Uses:

Woody Nightshade has been used in folk remedies for warts and tumors. It has been confirmed to show significant anti-cancer activity. It is used as a starting material for steroids and formally used as a narcotic, diuretic, sweat inducer, for skin eruptions, rheumatism, gout, bronchitis and whooping cough. Caution:Use only under the supervision of a qualified herbalist/homeopath practitioner! Woody Nightshade in small doses is not fatal, but can cause poisoning if eaten in sufficient quantity. Solanine acts narcotically; in large doses it paralyzes the central nervous system, without affecting the peripheral nerves or voluntary muscles. It slows the heart and respiration, lessens sensibility, lowers the temperature and causes vertigo and delirium, and if too much is ingested-terminating in death with convulsions. **WC** Harvest the young branches from plants only 1 or 2 years old, collected after the leaves have fallen.



The Os Are Next...









Credits:

A Compendium of Herbal Magick by Paul Beyerl

A Modern Herbal by Maud Grieve (Vol 1 & 2)

Magickal Herbalism by Scott Cunningham

Edible Wild Plants by Thomas S. Elias & Peter A. Dykeman

Indian Herbalogy by Alma R. Hutchens

Sacred Plant Medicine by Stephen Harrod Buhner

Coyote Medicine by Lewis Mehl-Madrona, M.D.

Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants by "Wildman" Steve Brill

The Complete Illustrated Holistic Herbal by David Hoffman

The Complete Medicinal Herbal by Penelope Ody

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham

Magic and Medicine of Plants by Inge N. Dobelis

Information given on this site is not intended to be taken as a replacement for medical advice. Any person with a condition requiring medical attention should consult a medical doctor. This information is given as reference only.