Magick and Symbolism of Nettle
Scientific Name: Urtica Dioica. Folk Name: Ortiga Ancha, Stinging Nettle. Gender: Masculine. Planet: Mars. Element: Fire. Diety: Thor. Magick: Protection, Healing, Lust. Use nettle herb or incense to return all negative energy back to the sender. sprinkle nettle around the house to keep evil out and to send it back. Nettle is also thrown onto a fire to avert danger, held in the hand to ward off ghosts, carried with yarrow to allay fear, and worn as an amulet to keep negativity far away.
A pot of freshly cut nettles placed beneath a sick bed will aid in the person’s recovery. Nettle has sometimes been used as a lust-inducing herb, and contemporary Mexican spiritualists recommend its use in purification baths—because it is “more carnivorous” than other herbs, and so will work more efficiently.
Our textile fiber comes from wild nettle (Urtica dioica), a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Urticaceae family. Thanks to its high resistance to pathogens and stinging properties, its cultivation does not require the use of herbicides and anti-parasites.
Nothing is lost from the nettle: the textile fiber is obtained from the bark, the inner part is used to produce cellulose for extremely fine paper, the fresh ends and leaves provide a highly nutritious product for zoo technical use.
Long, shiny and uniform, the nettle fiber is much sought after: shiny and resistant like twisted silk, it generates yarns that are very thin and robust at the same time.
Nettle fiber can have different functions depending on how you twist it. If it is tightly twisted on itself, completely closing the hollow part which retains the air, the fiber takes on characteristics similar to cotton. If twisted to a lesser extent, the air remains inside the fiber and the fabric obtained from it protects from the cold like wool, it also has antistatic properties. It is a 100% biodegradable fiber and its characteristics improve over time.
There are various testimonies on the use of nettle for textile purposes since the Bronze Age. From ancient Rome to the Napoleonic era, many fabrics were made with nettle. This vegetable textile fiber was therefore neglected for a rather long period, only to be rediscovered in the first post-war period. Before the great marketing of cotton fabrics, nettle was widely used as a textile fiber both in Germany and Finland, but also in Austria and Italy.
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