Nettle
Urtica dioica
We wanted to start a series about the benefits of some of our favorite herbs. We want to tell you a bit about them and their history, as well as how we personally use them. We will start the series with Nettle, because it is one of the three things we would take with us if we were to be stranded on a deserted island…yeah, it’s that good.
Nettle, otherwise known as Stinging Nettle, is a perennial plant commonly found worldwide. It’s square, bristly stems can grow from two to seven feet tall and its vibrant green leaves grow opposite one another, with deeply serrate, pointed tips. Most Americans consider Nettle an invasive weed as it naturally grows along roadsides, fences, creeks, or in our case - right in the middle of our yard and garden.
My earliest run-ins with Nettle were not seen as positive at the time. As a child roaming through the Sierra Mountains of California, Nettle was just a nuisance to me. It was something I had to try and avoid while playing barefoot in the creek, or roaming through the hills…with little luck. We learned from a very young age to “rub some mud on it” if we ever were unlucky enough to become a victim of Stinging Nettles wrath…. Which let’s face it, happened nearly every single day. It was a common scene for us to wander into the house after a day of playing, slathered in dried mud.
As an adult, I have fallen in love with Nettle and its extensive list of benefits. It is an herb that will always have a place in my pantry for many reasons. So let me tell you a bit about my favorite herb;
The Benefits
- Nettle is a remarkable super food, boasting high levels of protein, calcium, magnesium, iron, selenium, zinc, potassium, boron, vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K, bioflavonoids, antioxidants, essential fatty acids, and chlorophyll.
- Nettle is known as one of the highest sources of plant based absorbable iron, and because of this it has been used to cure anemia for centuries.
- It can be used safely during pregnancy to help nourish and increase overall health of mother and child. Plus, its high levels of Vitamin K help to assure proper blood clotting, decreasing the risk of hemorrhaging during childbirth.
- Because of its high levels of vitamins, minerals and nutrients it helps to nourish and rejuvenate our whole bodies after illness or prolonged stress. While supporting healthy kidney, liver, and digestive tract function.
- Nettle is a natural Antihistamine that truly works. During the spring the Ponderosa Pines on our homestead release their pollen, and they are not playing around. As a person who has never struggled with allergies, the swollen itchy eyes and constant sneezing were beyond aggravating. I made myself a cup of Nettle Leaf tea and was relieved of my symptoms within thirty minutes. I now know to start drinking Nettle tea before the Ponderosas start pollinating and have had no symptoms.
- Has been used as a natural material dye turning wool a dark green and giving silk a cream coloring. We have personally used it to dye Easter eggs and hope to experiment with dying our own wool in the future.
Nettle Uses
Nettle has been used for centuries by our ancestors for food, making fabric and rope, as a natural material dye and as medicine. Many historians believe that they brought the plant with them as they migrated, and is the reason that Nettle can be found on every continent except Antarctica.
The Latin name for Stinging Nettle is Urtica dioica. Dioica, from the Latin word dioecious, meaning two dwellings or houses - Nettle has both female and male plants with separate flowers. Urtica meaning to burn or sting…that one is pretty self explanatory. Nettle has hypodermic needle like hairs along the stem and leaves that releases its poison when touched.
Now, I know what you are thinking…the benefits sound great but how do I harvest and consume a plant that stings me when I touch it? Well, some people can harvest Nettle barehanded by simply positioning their fingers on top of the hairs and not against, I myself use gloves. I simply cut the young plants as close to the ground as possible, and secure a group of them with a string. I let them hang upside down until dry. Once dried they no longer have the ability to sting. I then simply separate the leaves from the stems, saving the stems for rope making later. I chop up the dried leaves, and store in a large mason jar out of direct sunlight
Nettle is actually amazing in culinary uses as well and has a taste similar to spinach. To use in cooking I gather plants and separate leaves from stems. I then place the leaves in a colander and pour boiling water over them (all while wearing gloves). After they have been blanched, the leaves will no longer have their stinging effect and can be used in soups, vegetable sautés, lasagna, or any other dish you would use spinach.
****VERY IMPORTANT- Only the young plants should be consumed, mature plants have a higher level of uratica acid and can cause kidney damage. If a plant has gone to flower, it is too mature and should never be consumed. ****
I could go on for a few more pages about Nettle, but I will stop there for now. I encourage you to take a look at the “weeds” growing in your area and learn about their amazing benefits. We personally use Nettle topically in ointments, salves and other products, while consuming it in a cup of tea or thrown into our favorite dishes.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about my favorite herb, and to encourage you to give it a try… We want to do a small giveaway. We would like to send someone a bag of our dried nettle! Just simply comment below and we will add you to the giveaway. Once this post has closed (seven days after publishing) we will randomly draw a winner. That winner will receive a bag of dried Nettle harvested on our homestead to add to their herbal pantry.
Thank you for reading,
Happy Homesteading!
