Stinging nettle

The binomial name for stinging nettle is Urtica dioica. Urtica comes from the Latin urare, which means "to burn", referring to the unforgettable sting of the nettle plant.

Dioica comes from the Greek and means "two houses". This refers to the fact that there are separate male and female plants.

It is conjectured that the English name "nettle" may come from the word "noedel", which meant needle, again referring to the sting of the plant.

The leaves of the stinging nettle are pointed with a serrated edge and little bumps on the surface.

The stems are covered with hairs. There are hairs on the leaves also, but sometimes they are harder to see.





I've never broken a nettle stem and looked at it myself, but the stem is hollow inside.





The flowers on the nettle are round and hang on the plant in clusters.





But all sources agree on the best way to identify the stinging nettle: Touch it!!

What causes the nettle's sting?

The culprits are the hairs on the stems and leaves of the nettle plant. Each one is hollow and contains a mixture of chemicals sitting at the base of the hair. When you touch the hair, you break it. When the hair is broken, it exposes a sharp point that gets beneath your skin and injects you with the chemicals, which include histamine, acetylcholine, serotonin, and formic acid. Ouch!

Some herbal books say that if you touch the nettle carelessly it will sting you but if you touch it mindfully it won't. The reason for that is that if you touch the plant firmly, you tend to crush the hairs flat, in which case they are less likely to penetrate the skin. If you touch it lightly, they'll get you for sure.

I have experienced this firsthand! The first time I saw a stinging nettle in real life was in Long Beach. It looked just like the drawings and photos I had seen. I got on my knees and examined it closely. I felt almost certain that it was indeed a nettle plant, but I couldn't be completely certain unless I confirmed the sting. I was ready to sacrifice myself in the name of science. I took a deep breath, extended my hand, and grasped it. Nothing happened. I tried it two times, three times, intentionally making full contact each time. Still nothing. I decided that it must be some other plant that looks just like nettle and got up to walk away. As I was getting up, my hand accidentally brushed against the plant again. YOWIE!!!

That was how I made my first positive identification of a stinging nettle. We've had a great relationship ever since, but whenever we get together, I always use protection.

Nettles are high in iron, potassium, manganese, calcium, and vitamins A, C, and D.

The leaves and roots of the stinging nettle are edible. Cooking takes the sting out of the plant. The stalks are very fibrous and tough and don't make good eating.

In making all of these web pages on weeds, I have discovered that spinach is the "chicken" of the vegetable world. Every time you look up an edible wild plant, you'll see someone saying that the leaves "taste like spinach." I disagree with them in general, and strongly disagree when it comes to nettles, because nettles are the one weed that I always eat cooked. I don't like cooked spinach at all, but cooked nettles are delicious!

The first nettle recipe I want to share is my own. My favorite way to use nettles is as greens to go with chicken. Ready for a Joan recipe?

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Crockpot Chicken and Greens

• One whole chicken (I always get chickens with the giblets included; they add flavor and they're very nutritious).


• As many nettle plants as I can gather from the backyard. I always wear gloves.


• Garlic salt


• Powdered sage

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Here are some recipes other people have for nettles:

• Nettle leaf tea is one of the most popular of all herbal teas. Put an ounce of dried nettle leaves into a quart jar, fill with boiling water, and steep for four hours or overnight. Strain and drink. Nettle infusion has an earthy taste with an undertone that's almost milk-like. Try it.




• Green Goddess Soup




• Nettle-Yogurt Dip




• Green Nettle Gnocchi with Cream and Herbs




• And a collection of nettle recipes from FoodDownUnder.com




• Nettles can also be used in cheese making! Here's a description.
  

There are many superstitions surrounding nettles. It was believed that:

• Nettles could bestow protection. They were carried in a pocket to protect an individual or kept in a room to protect the people in the room.




• Pulling up a nettle by the roots while reciting the names of a sick person and their family would to cure a fever.




• Nettles would increase male fertility

Nettles are featured in the Andersen's fairy tale The Wild Swans, in which a princess has to weave coats out of nettles (the fibrous stalks of the nettle are indeed used in clothmaking).

Nettle Leaf Wildcrafted Cut & Sifted
Urtica dioica, 1 lb.,
(Starwest Botanicals)

Nettle Root Organic Cut & Sifted
Urtica dioica, 1 lb.,
(Starwest Botanicals)

Because of its high iron content, nettle is recommended for treating anemia and fatigue.

Nettle is also high in vitamin K and other nutrients that make it a desirable tonic during pregnancy (I drank lots of nettle infusion during my pregnancies). It is also reputed to increase milk production in nursing mothers.

Nettle has been used both internally and externally to ease symptoms of arthritis.

Nettle root is used by many to treat enlargement of the prostate gland.