Nettle

NETTLE

Urtica dioica

Common Name

Nettle, common nettle, stinging nettle

Family

Urticaceae 

Chinese Medicine Name

Hsieh-tzu-ts’ao

Ayurvedic Name

Vrishchikali 

Parts Used

Leaves and stalks, rhizomes, seeds 

Actions

Alterative, anti-inflammatory, antihistamine, astringent, diuretic, galatogogue, hemostatic, nutritive, rubefacient

Energetics

Cooling and drying

Edible Uses

Nettle is edible and, when cooked, have a flavor similar to spinach. They may also be eaten raw however to avoid the sting it is best to first remove the sting by blanching them in water or by folding the leaves over. Dried nettle leaves and their flowers make a nice herbal tea however it is best not to eat the flowers, raw or cooked, as the silica on the plant is known to irritate the urinary tract (including the kidneys). 

Native To

Europe, Asia

Geographic Distribution

Temperate regions throughout world  

 

 

Botanical Description & Identification 

Stinging nettle is perennial plant which can grow anywhere from 3 to 8 feet tall. It dies back in the winter as a dioecious and herbaceous plant. Nettle leaves can be oval or heart-shaped and can grow to be 1-4 inches in length. The leaves are soft, green, and have a serrated margin. The leaves are arranged oppositely on a square stem. Both the leaves and the stems are covered with tiny hairs (which can 'sting', hence the name) tipped with silica. Each pant can have multiple stems as it spreads by rhizomes and therefore grows in dense groups, or colonies. The plant grows small green flowers which come in bunches from the leaf axils. Nettle is found mostly in rich soil where the environment is often moist. 

Key Constituents

Vitamins A, C, E, and K, riboflavin, thiamine, calcium, chromium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, silica, iron, zinc, protein, formic acid, histamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin, and chlorophyll

Sustainability Issues

None known.  

Harvesting Guidelines

It is best to wear gloves, long sleeves, and pants while harvesting nettle as its tiny hairs are known to sting and cause discomfort upon contact. When cutting this plant it should be from the top 6 inches to allow future growth to easily return. It is best to harvest this plant in spring and early summer before it flowers as the silica in the flowers may irritate the kidneys. Seeds may be harvested as well just as they begin to droop and are still green. The rhizomes are best harvested in the spring or after the first frost in autumn as the ground is usually easier for digging during this time. 

Uses

* Full of nutrition including: vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and chlorophyll
  content, as well as formic acid.

* A plant with fiber that is suitable for clothing items, similar to cotton. 

* A plant which may sting although ironically, one of the best remedies is the juice of
  the nettle or nettle infusion to ease the symptoms of stinging. 

* Known to been used for green dye in the camouflage for WWII; children were
   encouraged to find it and harvest it for this purposed. 

*  Is known to attract red admiral and painted lady butterflies, who depend on nettle
   for their survival. 

*  Known to almost always grow near the dock plant in nature, an herb often used
   to remedy the stinging of stinging nettle.

*  One of the first plants to begin growing in wastelands, remediating the soil where
   it can. 

*  A plant often used to flavor a wine called, oddly enough, nettle wine.