Force Of Nature: curing PMS in the hunting field with stinging nettle

So far, it’s been an amazing deer season for 2022. Fox is at the age where he is so aware of what’s happening, that we can truly enjoy getting him out with us into the field and involve him in the experience of hunting. He’s full of curiosity and questions and it has been amazing to watch this little human soke up every detail, hike miles and miles with us without complaint and have such an unwavering willingness to be helpful.

The day after our arrival at the hunting cabin however, Mother Nature decided to pay me a visit. As many of you know I suffer from a condition called Endometriosis. It is a condition in which endometrium (the tissue that lines the uterus) is found in other places in the body. The tissue is still living tissue, and so during menses it inflames causing some serious issues. Symptoms of Endometriosis unfortunately are not only experienced during days of bleeding but, any day. They can be mild or hard. There is probably about 20-30 symptoms but the ones I suffer with most are extreme bloating (gaining water retention of up to 15lbs) brain fog, chronic fatigue. Luckily after I had Fox, the pain that would often render me in the ER subsided.

I didn’t want to be kept out of the field with all of the fatigue and brain fog, so I put herbalism to good use. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it forever - once your eyes are opened to the plant world, to the world that God created to be able to heal your body with, you’ll never go back. You will forever be glancing and gazing at the ground as you walk, rattling off benefits in your head.

Just 6 paces behind the cabin there is a small creek bed that is infested with Nettle.

Stinging Nettle or Urtica dioica; is renown and well known for its powerful sting to whichever unfortunate soul makes the mistake of bare hand grabbing or brushing against it. It’s bite can be so powerful that it will cause your skin to swell, redden and the burning can last several hours if not days depending on the sensitivity of your skin. The good news is that it’s antidote is found in the juices of the stem.

What people may not know about this hidden super food:

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica and the closely related Urtica urens) has a long medicinal history. In medieval Europe, it was used as a diuretic (to rid the body of excess water) and to treat joint pain. Stinging nettle benefits include its ability to detoxify the body, ease seasonal allergies, boost immunity, increase circulation, improve energy levels, manage menstruation, minimize menopausal symptoms-

Stinging nettle roots and leaves contain vitamins A, C, and K as well as B vitamins. The leaves are rich sources of terpenoids, carotenoids, fatty acids, essential amino acids, chlorophyll, and minerals. They also contain important polyphenols, which have antioxidant properties. It’s also exceedingly high in iron.

What does all this mean ?

Well for someone who suffers from iron loss ie; mainly women, the iron you loose causing tiredness and brain fog will be replenished and help boost your energy. B vitamins are also scientifically know for helping boost energy as well as help boost your mood.

I carefully harvested about 2 hand full of the top leaves and shoved them into my kettle. Usually, dried leaves are best for tea and if I was thinking clearer, I would have packed mine from home. I decided fresh is better than nothing and I wouldn’t waist or leave anything to chance - I would just eat the leaves as well. (They put spinach to shame in terms of nutrition).

I boiled the leaves in my kettle for about 10 minutes and then let stand for another 10. I ran out of coffee filters, so I just strained everything through some paper towels. Questionable choice I know. I could see that the water had a green tinge to it, so I knew the water had pulled a good amount of nutrience out of the leaves.

After I filled a few cups, I took the leaves and stuck them into a bowl. I’ve read several peoples articles on how they give the leaves an ice bath after steaming, blanching or cooking, however I’ve never found that necessary. Cooking Nettle in any kind of way all the way through, removes the toxin from the spines and neutralizes their sting.

I drank my cups of nettle tea and ate my leaves and was able to hang in there for hunting. It was still a battle of will, but I got thought it long enough to get skunked by a big ole buck who decided to hide in a gulley of thicket where I couldn’t bring myself to get tangled into. At least not on day one of the full swing of woman hood.

He lives to tell the tale… this time

Until we go back in a few weeks for closing A zone