Nettles - Mini Episode

Hi, this is Rita Hogan and welcome to the Dogs are Individuals podcast. I'm a clinical canine herbalist and I've been practicing for over 20 years. This podcast is all about your dog through an herbal lens. So let's get to it and dive right in. Hi everyone, this is Rita Hogan with the Dogs are Individuals podcast. I am here to talk about nettles today in our mini episode of this lovely podcast. So nettles, a lot of people have like issues with them and that's because if you touch them, they'll sting. But in their dried form they do not put off the acid that interferes with. Well, that basically stings you, so you don't have to worry about that. Nettles are really good for dogs and people. Its Latin name is urtica diocea. Not really sure how to pronounce the back part. As you all know. Pronunciation is not my jam, but I do attempt it. So you're gonna use the leaves and the seeds and I recommend using the young leaves of the nettles and also the dried out seed if you're going to use that. And we'll talk about that in a minute. But nettles are really an effective kidney remedy and they have like a varying degree of usage depending if you're using the leaf or the seed. And in the dog as ecosystem, we really concern ourselves with balancing the water element, especially in the wintertime. And water in herbalism isn't just H2O. It's water, it's blood, it's plasma, it's fats and oils inside the body. And balancing that water element can be a bit tricky, especially between the months of, I would say late, you know, well, middle November to end of February. You, you know, dogs and people really have a hard time with their kidneys. And this is where you're going to see kidney, kidney conditions kind of show up and, but this is also a really great time to be therapeutic with the kidneys, to treat the kidneys. And that's why I want to do this mini short today about nettles because I don't think there's a better herb out there to help balance out the kidneys. And elimination of waste is a really big part of the kidney's job. And, and water soluble wastes are as well as minerals like potassium, which is excreted through the urine. Water soluble wastes are basically what the kidneys filter and they also filter the blood. And the cool thing is about herbals, especially herbal diuretics, which help moisture go through the kidneys, is they, they, a lot of them have high levels of potassium and nettles definitely does. And it helps replenish what's being lost by the, by the kidneys filtering this water soluble toxins and water, basically water in general. And so you don't want to deplete that potassium. And a lot of prescription drugs definitely deplete potassium. And then you get things like muscle cramps. And also prescription diuretics are also very hard on the kidneys because they make the kidneys work so basically so hard over time. So nettle leaves are high in minerals, as I just said, and they act as a tonic or in herbalism called an alterative, which basically slowly makes changes in the elimination organs as well as helps increase nutrition. So nettles help the body's kind of the body wake up and it helps the dog as ecosystem function better, it helps clean the blood better, it helps, you know, again a diuretic and it helps remove kind of stagnant energy in the body. The kidneys rule the bones and you're gonna see dogs with a lot more arthritic kind of upsets in the wintertime. And since nettles improve kidney function, they also have an effect on the musculoskeletal system and they help strengthen connective tissues and tendons and ligaments. Some cofactors of nettles and cofactors are what I call kind of symptoms in your dog. And the more cofactors your dog has, the more well indicated the herb is. So some cofactors of nettles are, you know, depletion, weakness, inflamed tissues, hypothyroidism, dogs who can't break down proteins very well. Wet skin conditions, arthritis, leaky gut, chronic skin conditions, food intolerances, food sensitivities, anal gland issues, dogs who cry out during urination, environmental allergies, and definitely all types of kidney weakness. When nettles are used over the long term, they're good for dampness, they have an astringent nature. Again they're diuretic, they're alterative, which means they slowly make changes in the body. But a lot of winter energy is stagnant and stagnation causes a buildup of toxins due to the inability to detoxify and then you know, waste accumulate. And that's why working with the liver is so important in the springtime. But in the winter we really need help with elimination. We, we need help with assimilation. Our dogs definitely need help there. And nettles can help increase elimination. They help cleanse the cellular Matrix, which is the interstitial tissues between the cells. They support lymphatic function and also increase immune function. I love nettles because they do so much to support the dog's ecosystem, especially with the inflammation response. And remember, in herbalism, the body is always trying to balance itself. And when stagnancy happens, the immune system responds with heat and this response can cause dampness along with heat, which is called damp heat. And nettles really support the flushing in the body. They support, again, balancing that water element, supporting the lymphatic system, which transports fats and oils and also assimilation throughout the body. And they help clear fluids if there's any type of edema which is holding onto water, which is also another form of stagnation. Nettles help with detoxification and nutrition and they drain down towards the kidneys. They are drying and they. But they're also filling it, meaning that they can help with membranes at best, especially ones that are too permeable, which they can play a key role in helping with dogs with leaky gut. And for those dogs with like, lots of heat and stagnation. And they also help with dogs that are food sensitive and suffer from food and environmental allergies, because these, all those things are cofactors of nettles, which we discussed earlier. So nettles really help restore kidney function and they definitely strengthen the kidneys, they help support the bones and the bone marrow. And this action isn't quick, but it's definitely slow and steady wins the race. And the main function happening here is kind of bringing up the kidney's filtering capacity and repairing damaged kidney cells, which are called nephrons. So how do we use nettles? I like infusions. So basically you take a tablespoon of nettles. I like to make stronger infusions in the wintertime. So a tablespoon of nettles, two, four to six ounces of water, you can do one to two tablespoons if you want, make a nice strong tea. I would steep for like 30 to 45 minutes. And then put that over your dog's food and just a dog size appropriate bowl and fill it up to about a quarter inch up the bowl and that is a good nettle infusion. You can also, if your dogs have, you know, considerable kidney weakness, you can do an overnight infusion of nettles. It lasts for about three days in the refrigerator and you can add that to your dog's food twice a day. And again, we're talking about between 2 and 6 ounces of water. Really great way to help support kidney health in the winter. And then you can also use a tincture of nettle leaf. I would definitely say the dosage for that is. I'd say for an extra small dog that's like a teacup, I would do maybe three drops. No, two. Two drops twice a day in the mouth. A small dog, like a pug, three to four drops twice a day in the mouth. A medium dog, like a corgi, five to six drops twice a day in the mouth. And then like a golden retriever, six to eight drops. And then an extra large dog, 10 to 12 drops twice a day in the mouth. You can dilute in the water a little bit for taste, but tinctures really are good for going in the mouth and getting absorbed by the mucosa in the mouth. So another thing that I like to use is nettle seed. And for people and dogs, nettle seed can help make dogs and people feel better during the winter months, especially people that are suffering from seasonal like that, seasonal kind of depression or kind of feeling kind of low. Nettle seed is really good for that. You can use a tincture. The dosage is a lot smaller. For an extra small dog, we've got one drop twice a day, small dogs, two drops twice a day, medium dogs, three drops twice a day, large dogs, four drops twice a day, extra large dogs, between four and five drops twice a day. I usually use nettles for about, about six to 12 weeks and then I discontinue. But that depends on the condition, the dog and the progress. So any herbal protocol you want to move forward. One thing I didn't cover is nettle seed, dried nettle seed. You can use a pinch of dried nettle seed on your dog. Pinch appropriate, size appropriate. So you know, you don't want a big pinch for an extra small dog, but maybe like a sixteenth of a teaspoon for an extra small to small dog. And then go up to an eighth and then a quarter, and then a half is as much as I would give per day. You can split that up. Nettle seeds are highly nutritious. They're filled with vitamins and minerals, amino acids. They're just, oh, my God, they're a powerhouse of nutrition. They're also very stimulating. So keep that in mind, but give it a try. And if you have any questions, write into the podcast, go to k9herbalist.com, click the dropdown menu. You'll see podcast communication. Don't be afraid to send me an email or send in a question if you have it. I really enjoyed making this short on Nettles today and I hope you enjoyed it too. I will see you in the next podcast. Bye. Thanks for listening to this episode of Dogs Are Individuals. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in your podcast app. And don't forget, sharing is caring. So if you love Dogs Are Individuals Podcast, share it with your friends and family who love dogs. This will help me so much. And remember, as a listener, I personally appreciate you much. Thanks to Resonant Media, my podcast production team. This podcast is produced by Drake Peterson and edited by Mike Fry. Any questions, email the show, go to k9herbalist.com Click podcast contact in the menu and then fill out that form and I'll answer any questions here online. Okay, so thank you so much for listening to this episode of Dogs Are Individuals Podcast and I'm going to talk to you in our next episode.