Nettle (Urtica dioica)

Stinging Nettle

Stinging Nettle has a vigorous creeping rhizome, serrated leaves covered in stinging hairs, and tiny flowers in summer. Its a perennial. The nettles stout stem is densely covered with stinging hairs that contain a venom of formic acid. Serrated, opposite, gray-green leaves are heart shaped and downy underneath. Small, greenish flowers appear in branched clusters from July to September. It can grow to a height of 8 feet.

To Harvest:

Use kitchen shears or pruning shears and cut 3 inches from the top. Do harvest flowering tops. When handling or harvesting nettle plants, be sure to wear gloves, long pants and sleeves in order to prevent severe stinging, itching, and blistering where the plant touches the skin. You can use leather gloves or I used my dish washing gloves.

Uses:

Stinging Nettle young leaves and shoots are rich in vitamins and minerals, are cooked as greens and brewed for beer or an iron-rich tonic tea for anemia. The leaves are a valuable fertilizer. The plant is diuretic, digestive, and astringent, stimulate circulation, and clears uric acid, relieving arthritis, gout, and eczema. A poultice treats eczema, burns, cuts, and hemorrhoids.  Used as a tonic for astringent for hemorrhage of the uterus. The tea is believed to stimulate the digestive system and increase lactation in nursing mothers. The seeds were given for tuberculosis and to treat the lungs after bronchitis. Heating or drying removes the leaves sting.  Once the greens are cooked or dried they lose their poisonous quality, but never use old leaves uncooked, for they induce symptoms of poisoning and can cause kidney damage.

The stems can be used as a fiber for fish line or for clothing. Used in shampoos, dried nettles make the hair healthier.

Storing and Drying:

Dry fresh nettle leaves in a paper bag, fold the top down and store in a cool dry place, out of the reach of children. Drying will destroy the sting.

How to brew:

By infusion: Use 2 teaspoons of dried, crumbles nettle leaves per cut pf water. Steep 10 minute to up to 4 hours for stronger tea/infusion.

Interested in making nettle beer click here for a simple recipe.

Nettle soup

Nettle Soup Ingredients

• 1 quart rich chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons oil of choice (chicken fat is tasty in this soup)
• 4 cups nettle leaves, well washed
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

For Cream Soup (optional)

• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons thickener of choice, like tapioca flour

Nettle Soup Steps

1. Heat the broth to a simmer in a large soup pot.
2. While the broth is heating, saute the onion and garlic in the oil using a medium skillet.
3. When the broth comes to a simmer, add the sauteed vegetables and the nettle leaves.
4. Gently stir the soup for about two minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the soup to rest for 10 minutes before serving it. Puree for a smoother soup, or leave the leafs whole. 
5. Taste for salt and pepper. Make necessary adjustments.
6. If you want a cream soup, mix the thickener with the cream and beat it with a whisk to break down any lumps.
7. Bring the soup back to a simmer and slowly stir in the thickening mixture. If the soup is too thick, add more broth or water.

Dandruff Rinse

Restoring the hair to its mildly acid pH can help to clear up dandruff. See a physician if you don't start to see results in 1 to 2 weeks.

Ingredients

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup water

2 TBS fresh lemongrass

2 TBS fresh nettle

2 TBS fresh peppermint

To make:

1. In a saucepan bring the apple cider vinegar and water to boil.

2. Place the herbs in a wide mouth jar.

3. Pour the boiling vinegar and water over the herbs.

4. Cover and steep for 1 week, shaking daily.

5. Strain out the herbs and decant the liquid.

To Use:

1. Dilute 1/4 cup herbal vinegar mixture with 1 cup water.

2. After shampooing and rinsing hair thoroughly, rinse with diluted vinegar.

3. Let the vinegar sit on the scalp for 1 minute.

4. Rinse thoroughly with cool water.

5. Pat hair dry.

Yield: 7 treatments ( 1 week)

Folklore 

In Scandinavian mythology, nettles were sacred to the god Thor, so families threw these plants on the fire during thunderstorms to keep  their homes from being destroyed by his lightening. Gather nettles before sunrise and feed them to cattle to drive evil spirits from them. In many nations exists the belief, that stinging nettles have magic powers. People would put some nettles leaves into pockets to be safe from lighting, or some dry leaves into shoes – that evil power would not be able to lead them to vicious places. Some nettles would put under the door, preventing evil to enter or would make brooms of nettles – to sweep evils from the rooms.

The belief is, that most powerful are adult, but not old nettles, gathered at the night of young moon, better in Tuesday. And please don‘t take the whole plant with roots – if the plant loose relation with the land , it loose part of their powers as well.


Breedlove, Greta. 1998. The Herbal Home Spa. Storey Publishing. Pownal, Vermont. 

Bremness, Lesley. 2002. Herbs. Dorling Kindersley. New York, NY.

Marcin, Marietta Marshall. 1993. The Herbal Tea Garden. Storey Pub. Pownal, Vermont. 

Rose, Jeanne. 1983. Herbs & Things. Putman Publishing. New York, NY