Stinging nettles – the power behind Greenleaf
Anybody that lives near the countryside will appreciate what a nuisance nettles can be! Not only is their sting uncomfortable and just so itchy, but they are also really hard to get rid of when they appear in the garden; the roots just seem to go on forever-that’s what seems to happen in my garden anyway. There is however a more practical use to this itchy, irritating herb. It has been used by medicinal herbalists for many years to treat a whole range of health problems. It is one of the herbs that I use most often in my surgery as it is just so versatile.
One of its main applications is in helping with arthritis as it is a natural anti-inflammatory. It is also a blood cleanser, leaching out toxins (so it can help with kidney and bladder problems) as well as helping with itchy, allergic based eczema and dermatitis; in fact it seems to help a bit with just about any long-term skin condition.
Buster Lloyd Jones, the founder of Denes, was one of the very first people to recognise how beneficial this plant could be in helping his animal patients. He introduced nettles into his range of herbal remedies (he called his product Greenleaf) well over 50 years ago. Today Greenleaf remains one of the most popular Denes products and is still used to help with stiff arthritic joints, itchy skin and kidney problems. So as Spring arrives and the nettles start to grow again, why not consider putting a bit of a “spring” back into your pets life with Greenleaf Tablets.
If you have any experiences of how Greenleaf or stinging nettles have helped solve a problem, I’d love to hear your comments. You can also read or download our fact sheet on some of the most commonly used medicinal herbs and essential oils or we have one just on nettles.
Posted: January 21st, 2010 under Tim The Vet says....
Comments
Comment from Brenda on May 27, 2010 at 12:17 pm
Hi,had good results when I gave my dog greenleaf,it helped her itchy skin and her creaky joints.
Comment from Lisa on May 27, 2010 at 3:28 pm
Reference your artical about nettles and Greenleaf tablets. I have a 5 year old lurcher that has a recurrent problem with allergies that causes the skin around both eyes to become red and itchy. My vet did a skin scrape which was fine and spoke to a specilist vet that confirmed it was an allergy and recommened a diferent antihistamine tablet that my dog takes one a day, but about every six weeks it would flair up and my dog would be back on steriods. I was not happy about this as she is a young dog and healthy in every other way. I then remembered that a white lurcher i’d had several years ok use to have occasional skin problems, but I never took her to a vet. I was told by some else that greenleaf tablets for the problem and sulphur for the itching might work and it did. I now use this regime for my lurcher, keeping her on a regular low dose of sulphur and the antihistamine, just giving her the greenleaf as and when it flairs up, which touch wood it hasn’t done for a few months now. It worked for my dog and has to be better for her than steriods.
Comment from Fiona Jenks on May 27, 2010 at 12:01 pm
Hi Tim
We have used the green leaf for our rottweiller who suffered with wet eczema itdried the patch and really helped him with his itching. It was a good send to see his suffering ease.