It is most appropriate that nature has given this plant the protection of stinging exterior. Without it, we would probably never have the opportunity to benefit from its healing power. Animals, with their instinctive knowledge of what is good for them, would not leave us even one leaf.
The stinging nettle is rich in calcium, phosphorus, iron and other important minerals. It also belongs to the small category of plants that contain vitamin D. We already know that this vitamin is important in the development of the bones as well as for the assimilation of calcium. That is why eating raw nettles, either pulped or in the form of nettle juice, has a quick and reliable effect on rickets.
Many years ago I gave a lecture in Winterthur and mentioned that the stinging nettle was a wonderful help to those suffering from tuberculosis or weak lungs. A year later, I again delivered a lecture in that same hall. This time, a man from the audience stood up and announced in front of everybody that he had heard me describe the marvellous healing powers of the stinging nettle the previous year. His wife was then at home ill with tuberculosis of the lungs. Since her doctors could hold out no real hope of a cure, he began giving his wife food that was rich in calcium.
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