Stinging Nettles
Wildcrafting Food & Medicine
Nature’s Lesson : Don’t Judge a Book by It’s Cover
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Remember that old adage that adults tried to tell you when you were little? Wildcrafting Stinging Nettles is a perfect reminder. Contrary to their widespread and often misunderstood reputation, nettles are a nutritious wild superfood, an ancient whole-body medicine, a traditional textile plant, food for important pollinators, and a super compost activator and soil nutrient.
An herbaceous perennial with a square stem, luxuriantly dark leaves with pronounced veins that come to a point, little green flowers that droop down the sides, nettles is covered in inconspicuous tiny hairs containing formic acid that gives a nice solid sting to any body parts that come in contact with it. Nettles love water and you can find her growing wildly and naturally alongside streams, valleys, marshes and creeksides in the mountains, sometimes growing to 7 or 8 feet tall!
I truly see this plant as an honored elder who has been here for thousands and thousands of years. A grandmother or great auntie here to support us in our health and balance, and teach us important lessons of strength, stamina, honor, respect and love. A trickster, if you are not in the right way with her she just might pinch you a little. All in love, just as a feisty grandmother might keep you in line when you’ve forgotten your manners.
Her Story
Since ancient times, Stinging Nettles (Urtica Dioica) has been an important source of food, medicine, and fiber for many peoples around the world. Native to Europe, Asia and North America, burial shrouds made of nettle fabric have been found to date back to the Bronze Age in Denmark! In ancient Egypt, nettles were found to be used in the treatment of arthritis. In ancient Greece, Hippocrates reported 61 different herbal remedies using nettles. And during the Middle Ages, according to the Doctrine of Signatures, nettles were used as a hair rinse and tonic.
Here on Turtle Island, Indigenous People have incorporated nettles into all parts of life for centuries. The Makah in northwestern Washington rub fresh nettles on the bodies of whale hunters as they prepare to go out for a hunt, believing nettles bring strength and good fortune. The Hesquiaht and the Miwok peoples use the plant to relieve muscle and joint pain, whipping the affected part of the body bringing on increased circulation with the sting. The Cherokee make a tea from the plant as a stomach tonic. And the Cree consider nettles an important herb for women during childbirth. Additionally, Native Americans have used the fibers to weave sailcloths, bowstrings, fishing nets and cordage for centuries.
Nutrition
Nutritionally, nettles are are one of the most nutrient dense foods around. They contain one of the highest forms of plant-based protein, four times the amount of calcium than kale, and are naturally high in iron, making them an excellent food source for menstruating women and those dealing with anemia. They also have substantial amounts of zinc, magnesium, copper, selenium, potassium, manganese, and vitamins A and C. She can be used fresh or dried, as food or as medicine. When cooking with nettles, think of it similar to spinach. It is great sautéed, steamed, put into pestos, soups or veggie scrambles. The sting from the formic acid goes away when the plant is dried or cooked. A great little tip is to dry nettles and crush into a fine powder that you can then sprinkle on foods throughout the winter when your body is needing the extra nutrients.
Medicine
Medicinally nettles are good for so many things I’m not even sure where to begin. Nettles are what herbalists call a whole-body tonic, meaning that the medicine contained in the plant helps strengthen and support the health of every single body system, including:
immune system
circulatory system
urinary tract
nervous system
respiratory tract
digestive system
endocrine system
Sharol Tilgner writes that “nettles nourish the entire body as well as nourish us in a way that allows receptivity to the natural energetic flow of our spirit.”
Since I can’t write all the amazing benefits of nettle here because this would be 47 pages long, I’ll just add in some of the tidbits I find extra amazing.
Nettles can help alleviate muscle cramps including menstrual cramps due to their high magnesium content. Traditionally fresh nettles have been used to successfully treat arthritis and muscle and joint pain by whipping the fresh nettles over the affected body parts. They’ve even been used to return function to paralyzed parts of the body! The formic acid causes a temporary burning and blistering, but it also creates a rush of circulation in the affected joints and muscles, bringing healing and lasting relief. Nettles have antihistamine properties and can help relieve the symptoms of seasonal allergies. And they are an amazing blood-builder and blood-cleanser. Helping the body to eliminate wastes and pollutants, they are excellent for those that are run-down, depleted, or experiencing any kind of weakness. They are great to incorporate when cleansing your system or rebuilding after a sickness.
I personally use nettles as a main ingredient in my nutritive tea that I drink daily—a sort of multi-vitamin, made from the land that keeps me, that I can make myself.
Heading out for Harvest
As mentioned above, you can find nettles growing in and around water in the mountainous areas of the front range. You’ll often find them sort of hiding in lush little pockets that contain many other wild medicines. Be sure to get a positive ID on them before harvesting, which might happen by way of getting stung if you’re not careful! A cool little tidbit—often times Plantain is growing nearby to nettles. If you do happen to get stung, rubbing the burning skin with the crushed up leaves of plantain can relieve the sting.
You want to wildcraft stinging nettles in early summer before the plant begins to flower. Harvest only what is offered by the plant, and it is generally good to just harvest the top two to four leaves on each stem. Because of the stinging action of the plant, it is helpful to wear gloves and long sleeves when heading out for a nettle harvest.
A Note On Wildcrafting:
It is a beautiful offering to wildcraft herbs and plants. When we do this in a good way we are helping the plant to live out their life purpose, giving us their fruits to feed, nourish and sustain us. This being said, when you head out to harvest there are a couple of things that are good to be aware of.
Always ask permission from the plant to harvest and make an offering. Some people offer tobacco, some a strand of hair. I say, offer whatever it is that is sacred to you. Maybe a song, a prayer, or something you’ve made. It is a way to acknowledge the generosity of the plant and give a little something in gratitude for all that we receive from them.
Only take what you need and have a plan for. Know that what you harvest is food that other animals like the mule deer, squirrels and rabbits will not get. Harvest in gratitude for what you need, and leave what you don’t.
Always leave enough for the plant to reproduce for the coming year. A good rule of thumb is to never take the first, never take the last, only take what is given, and never take more than half.
Once you have your leaves harvested, you’ll want to either use them or dry them right away to maintain the integrity of the plant. I generally like to dry some of the leaves to incorporate into my nutritive tea blend, and cook up the rest of the leaves. Continue to wear the gloves while handling the leaves until they are either cooked or dried.
One of my favorite ways to enjoy nettles is just super simple. Sautéed with olive oil, garlic, salt and a little lemon. Simple, sweet, and connected to the thousands of grandmothers who have cherished this ancient, magical plant through the centuries, keeping her alive and well for me to enjoy.
Or perhaps, she is the one keeping all of us!