Stinging Nettle
~ Stinging Nettle ~
The Spring Nettles in my garden are looking LUSH as. I love it that this amazingly nutritious plant has a Spring & Autumn flush in NZ, and right now it's going crazy...
Nettle is any herbalists all time favorite herbal ally. Trust me, ask any herbalist and they will start raving about Nettle's virtues.
Many people are shocked, as they only associate Nettle with the 'sting' and can't imagine wanting to gather and eat it. However do not fear, wear gloves to harvest and once cooked the hairs which cause a stinging sensation on the skin are neutralised and the nettle will not sting your mouth or insides. The opposite, this is an INCREDIBLY nourishing plant.
Nettle contains one of the highest sources of digestible iron, which is why it's often prescribed to those with iron deficiencies, anaemia or pregnant & breastfeeding mothers.
It's also rich in magnesium, calcium, chromium, zinc, potassium, phosphorus and silicon as well as vitamins A, B2, C, E and K.
For centuries Nettle has been known as a nutritive spring tonic which nourishes and supports the entire body, particularly the endocrine, immune, urinary, respiratory, & circulatory systems and has been used for hundreds of years to treat painful muscles and joints, eczema, arthritis, gout, and anemia.
Nettles have strong diuretic properties & are often consumed when fasting, cleansing or detoxing, they also have alterative properties (balances metabolism), is a circulatory stimulant, a galactagogue (stimulates breastmilk production), has anti-inflammatory properties (when taken internally), is a blood building tonic, has anti allergen properties, antioxidant properties, is good for the heart & liver, & has astringent properties (tightens mucus membranes, making it useful when treating diarrea).
Nettles improve the systems resistance to hayfever, allergies, mold & pollen by increasing the body’s own natural anti-histamine response to allergens. If you suffer from seasonal allergies or hayfever simply make Nettle infusions (herbal tea) and drink daily. You’ll need to do this for a period of weeks to months.
There are many ways to incorporate Nettles into your diet. Herbal tea is easy, as is Nettle soup. I also like to powder the dried nettles and add this powder to salt blends for cooking, my ceremonial cacao blend, and add it to baking, blissballs, or to coat blissballs.
You'll learn a lot more about Nettle, along with recipes in my Wild Edible Weeds Foraging Guide. Available here: