STINGING NETTLES

Anyone who knows me well knows I suffer madly from seasonal allergies. Not just a runny nose and some itchy eyes but symptoms to the point of being unbearable. Antihistamines simply do not work for me, I have tried every brand and prescription going.
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From a point of view of natural solutions, there are a few things which can alleviate symptoms which I thought I would write about this year. Fresh nettles is one of them. 
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At the weekend I went foraging for fresh nettles which grow pretty much everywhere! This is the best time of year to get them with their spring shoots. A few rules for foraging nettles: 
1. Pick the young leaves from top which are the most potent 🌿
2. Try and forage from the centre of the bush (to avoid potential for dog wee 🐕)
3. Wear gloves! 
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You’ll need around 1 cup fresh nettles with two cups of water. Bring to the boil, simmer for two minutes then leave (covered) for 5. Strain out the leaves and enjoy! Like any herbal remedies being introduced to the body best to start slowly and increase dosage. Start with one cup of nettle tea daily and increase to x3 a day. There are tons of other uses for nettle tea too including arthritic pain, skin conditions and UTI’s.
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Other lovely recipes to try are nettle soup and nettle pesto and nettle gnocchi - recipe to follow! If using in cooking it can be treated as a leafy green vegetable - absolutely no difference. 

P.s. As I’m sure someone will want to know - no they don’t sting once they are cooked...!
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