Nettle Leaf-Why I drink it daily!
As I hit Luke’s first birthday two things started to happen-the 7 months of sleep deprivation began to seriously take it’s toll, and yet simultaneously I began fighting the urge to get pregnant again. I say “fighting the urge’ because logically it seems completely insane for me to get pregnant when I am not sleeping, when I am depleted of all energy, and when I am only JUST starting to feel like myself. The urge, however, cannot be quelled and so it became imperative for me to get my body feeling nurtured and nourished as I continue to care for Luke and breastfeed, and prepare for another pregnancy.
For the sake of nobody having time to read the most insanely long post on all the things I’m doing to replenish my body so I can continue to breastfeed Luke AND prepare myself for a second pregnancy-I’ll break things up in smaller bites.
This one is all about Nettle Leaf, and why if you’re wanting to get pregnant, or have had a baby-you should drink it daily.
Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), also known as common nettle, is a dark, leafy green plant that is high in iron and considered to be very nutritious.
Nettle has traditionally been used by women to strengthen their systems. Historically, Nettle has been particularly prized by women who wanted to restore and replenish themselves after giving birth-women have used this herb after childbirth to treat anemia and as a galactagogue to help make more breast milk! You’ll often see nettle as an ingredient in supplements that help increase milk supply. Why it didn’t occur to me to just get the herb separate until recently…let’s blame it on the lack of sleep shall we :)
So here is all the good stuff that’s in Stinging Nettle:
Vitamins: Vitamins A, C and K, as well as several B vitamins
Minerals: Calcium, iron (very high in iron which for me is extremely important), magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium
Fats: Linoleic acid, linolenic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid and oleic acid
Amino acids: All of the essential amino acids
Polyphenols: Kaempferol, quercetin, caffeic acid, coumarins and other flavonoids
Pigments: Beta-carotene, lutein, luteoxanthin and other carotenoids
What’s more, many of these nutrients act as antioxidants once they’re inside your body!!
ON TOP of all that-Stinging nettle is known to reduce inflammation and as a health coach I cannot begin to explain how detrimental systemic inflammation is to our bodies, whether we are trying to get pregnant, or not: We ALL suffer from systemic inflammation due to the industrialized world we live in so it is very important to do what we can to reduce and eliminate that. Why? Because inflammation is your body’s way of healing itself and fighting infections. Bug bite? Inflammation keeps the poison from surging through your body. Cold? Inflammation keeps the virus from attacking your system. Inflammation is an immune system response BUT when it’s overloaded (as it is from our food/air/stressful way of life) it ends up being unable to do it’s job properly as a virus can be seen the same way as gluten, or a pregnancy. Before getting pregnant with Luke I did my 30 Day Program to flush all inflammation out of my system and have been living a low inflammatory lifestyle now that I want to get pregnant again. Nettle also cleanses and detoxifies to clear the system of harmful toxins that may be affecting fertility because it is high in calcium and magnesium.
I ordered a HUGE bag from Amazon and have it 1-2x a day: Usually I have it in the morning and evening with my Arbonne Detox Tea as that tea helps to support my eliminating organs and I am obsessed with how quickly it eliminates any bloat or stomach discomfort I’m having. I also got these super cute tea diffusers from Amazon because after the bag arrived I realized I got rid of my original diffuser thinking I’d never use it, and Anth accidentally threw out a crummy pug one I had from a friend.
So, if you’re considering getting pregnant, or you’re looking into how to best support yourself postpartum: Nettle Leaf is definitely something I suggest you look into adding to your daily routine!