Early Spring is the time that everyone harvests Stinging Nettle. Nettle is one of the earliest plants of Spring.
WHAT IS NETTLE?
Nettle……Nettle is a very nutrient dense green food. It tastes similar to spinach and is often substituted in recipes for spinach. Nettle packs a very potent healing capacity, as well.
I was so delighted to see NETTLE coming up in my herb garden this year… I planted it last year and today was exciting to see that it survived through the winter and is thriving in its little corner of my herb beds… I can’t wait until it starts spreading. Nettle spreads quick in a garden.
The first time I ever tasted nettle was in Romania about 13 years ago. I ate nettle stew while I was there visiting family…Oh, it was delicious!!…. In Romania, the older women sit along the roadsides in wooden ladderback chairs with their long dresses, their homemade, multi-colored, wool, knit socks & all seem to have varied colored scarves tied over their heads with huge baskets of nettle for sale at their feet. They sell stinging nettle during the early Spring months… (Its an amazing site to see because, unlike the older Southern women in the USA, the Romanian women that are from the country could care less about matching scarves, socks, or clothing). Nettle time brings some really wonderful cultural sites along the roads of Romania. Simple times and loving people.
If you have never experienced the herbs, fruits, & garden produce of Europe, you are missing a great surprise…. The markets there are GORGEOUS and the produce is immaculately clean & in organized stacks… I enjoyed walking through the marketplaces and seeing all the herbs & beautiful produce in perfect presentation…
Europeans have MUCH healthier food than we have in the US. I searched ‘high & low’ to find myself a simple little SNICKERS bar…lol. They do NOT fill their shelves with junk foods, foods with preservatives, not many prepackaged foods, snacks, nor foods with tons of additives. Natural whole foods are what you find in their marketplaces.
Fast foods and billboards of food are not clogging the city streets in any European city. It’s an entirely different world there. Europe is just a much healthier continent, overall. You will find Europeans to still know & use many of the natural health secrets used by our ancestors. Whereas, Americans have had them slowly removed from our lifestyles by ‘the powers that be’… SICKNESS fuels TOO MANY industries in America. Its BIG BUSINESS here… ONLY ‘YOU’ can take back your self-healing power by learning ‘natural healing options’ for yourself & your family.
Let’s look at the health benefits of STINGING NETTLE…
There are multiple species of nettle scattered around the planet. In fact, there are well over 40+ types of nettle. It is known for its sting and skin rash that the tiny ‘spikes’ or ‘stinging fuzz‘ cause when an arm or leg is brushed against the leaves. This ‘sting’ causes a histamine reaction in the body. It usually subsides after a day or so, but it hurts when you get stung by nettle. Maw always made baking soda poultices to help the stinging to decrease.
NETTLE CONTAINS SOME GREAT HEALTH BENEFITS :
- PREVENTS DIARRHEA
- REDUCES GINGIVITIS BLEEDING OF GUMS
- STIMULATES HAIR GROWTH
- PROMOTES LACTATION FOR NEW MOTHERS
- CONTROLS BLOOD SUGAR IN DIABETIC PATIENTS
- USED AS AN ASTRINGENT
- GREAT FOR JOINT PAIN
- STIMULATES KIDNEY ‘IRRIGATION TO HELP WITH FLUSHING KIDNEY STONES
- URINARY TRACT TREATMENT
- DIURETIC
- TREATS ACNE
- IMPROVES SKIN
- GREAT FOR ECZEMA
- ALLERGY RELIEF
- BONE HEALTH BY PROVIDING MAGNESIUM
- TREATS ANEMIA
- VITAMIN A,C,D, & B COMPLEX
- PHOSPHORUS, IRON, CALCIUM, PROTEIN, MAGNESIUM, & BETA CAROTENE
Check out the stinging hairs on the stem & on the leaves of this Nettle plant. OUCH!!
Where Can You Find Nettle?
Well, it is often found on the banks of creeks, rivers, lakes, etc… In fact, I found a big area of nettle growing last year near the creek bank on one of my Amish friend’s farms. They used it for their family medicinal salves. Nettle is commonly found in Western North America, United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa.
For Nettle Supplement Capsules……….Click HERE.
How Do I Harvest Nettle?
VERY CAREFULLY…LOL. Timing is EVERYTHING. You must harvest the leaves when they first pop up in early Spring. Use gloves to pick the top 4 leaves of the plant. Place those leaves in a brown paper bag for transport. Make sure you respect the plant because you can continue to harvest this plant year after year. I will add some recipes for various medicinal projects and also a Nettle Soup recipe at the end of this blog post. When gathering for tea, it takes about a cup’s worth of leaves to use for steeping a cup of tea.
This nettle plant is a more mature plant and although the leaves can be used medicinally, the early SPRING leaves are best for making nettle soup. The older the plant is in the growing season, the more chances of getting stung. The more mature plants have stronger hairs. So be very careful when near stinging needle after early Spring
What Substances Are In The Sting From Nettle?
Well, I’m glad you ask….:) Nettle stings pack a sharp cruel sting and they inject FORMIC ACID, TARTARIC ACID, OXALIC ACID, HISTAMINE, SEROTONIN (5-HYDROXYTRIPTAMINE (monoamine neurotransmitter)), & ACETYLCHOLINE with their tiny little hollow hairs called TRICHOMES….Being stung by nettle is a rather nasty, painful little event, to say the least… The HISTAMINE is the ‘villain’ that causes the skin reaction to be so drastic. It usually takes about 24 hours for the pain to subside completely.
How To Treat Nettle Stings?
- Baking Soda & Water Paste Poultice
- Plantain Paste Poultice
- Antihistamine Creams
- Calamine Lotion
- Burdock Leaves
Keep this bit of information ‘under your hat’. In many countries, the women that go out into the fields to pick Nettle DO NOT use gloves. Instead, they pick with their hands and feel that the ‘stings’ are just ‘medicine’ and that the stings help them with their arthritis pain. They do not complain of ‘injury’ from the stings. It’s their ‘way of life’ to pick Nettle with no gloves.
For NETTLE SEEDS to plant in your herb garden or farm ….Click HERE.
NETTLE RECIPES
NETTLE IS A SUPERFOOD!!! Vitamins A, C, IRON, MANGANESE, CALCIUM, & IRON
- Nettle Tea
- Nettle Pesto
- Nettle Soup
- Nettle Salves
- Nettle Tincture
- Nettle Infused Oil
- Nettle Infused lemonade
YOU WILL NOTICE THAT I HAVE LINKED MANY OF THE INGREDIENT OR EQUIPMENT ITEMS NEEDED TO COMPLETE EACH RECIPE BELOW. I DID NOT LINK GROCERY ITEMS THAT YOU CAN PICK UP EASILY IN A LOCAL GROCERY STORE. I DID LINK THE ITEMS THAT YOU MAY BE NEEDING A SOURCE TO COMPLETE THE RECIPE.
Nettle Tea
- Fresh Nettle Leaves…(Pick 1 cup of fresh Nettle leaves for each cup of tea that you want to prepare.)…………….
- OR
- 2 heaping tablespoons of dried nettle packed into a stainless steel tea infusion ball………………For dried Nettle……. Click HERE
- 1 cup Spring Water
- Organic Powdered Stevia………………..Click HERE
- Stainless Steel Tea Infusion Ball…….Click HERE
Boil Distilled or Spring Water. Once boiled, hang infusion ball with nettle inside a cup of boiled water. Let this steep for 10 minutes, remove, add stevia, stir, & drink.
Nettle Pesto
- 1/2 lb Nettle leaves………………Click HERE
- 3/4 cup Roasted Pine Nuts……Click HERE
- 1/3 c. COLD PRESSED EV Olive Oil…..Click HERE
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 2 1/2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- Salt/Pepper to taste
- 1/2 c. Parmesan Cheese
Prepare a pan of boiling water. Once the water is boiling well, add fresh nettle leaves. Only allow nettle leaves in the boiling water for about 60 seconds… Remove & drain very well.
After nettles are drained well, add them to your blender.
Add pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, parmesan cheese, sea salt or Himalayan salt, & lemon juice.
Blend, refrigerate, & its ready to serve when chilled.
Nettle Pesto can be used as a dip, mixed with fettucini noodles to make a great dinner and served with toasted garlic bread, or just spread on toast. You’ll LOVE it and so will your family. 
Gherghina’s Romanian Nettle Soup
- 4 qt pan full of clean Nettle leaves…….Click HERE
- Water for boiling Nettle leaves
- Salt to taste
- 2 onions minced
- 3 carrots shredded
- 1/2 c. rice
- 1/2 oz. Cold Pressed Olive Oil……………Click HERE
Boil until nettles, rice, & vegetables are all tender. Serve in soup bowls. (Can add apple cider vinegar to taste, if you like.) In Romania, they serve this soup with Mamaliga (Romanian version of cornmeal). I’ll include a quick recipe for the Mamaliga from my husband’s recipes. He is Romanian and this is a STAPLE for that man!!! Lawd, he loves Mamaliga …. I am quite fond of it myself. It was an ‘acquired taste’ for me. However, I am ‘sold’ on it now.
ROMANIAN Mamaliga
(Romanian version of ‘cornbread’ or more like ‘cornmeal mush’ as I call it….lol.. It compliments any soup, stew, or broth very well.)
- 1 cup Polenta………..Click HERE
- 3.5 cups of water
- 3 Tbsp butter (Preferably Grass Fed Cow’s Butter)
- 1 Tsp Himalayan Salt
- Sour Cream
- Extra Cow’s Butter
Boil water, add salt, 1 Tbsp butter, and 1 cup of polenta. Lower heat and stir constantly until complete mixture thickens and is boiling. Cover and continue to boil for about 12 minutes. The mixture will thicken so that you can test it with a wooden spoon. Wet the spoon and slide it into the mixture. If it comes out clean, then the Mamaliga is FINITO!!!
My husband is a Romanian Chef and he pours his Mamaliga into glass bowls BEFORE it sets completely in the pan and lets it cool in the bowls. The Mamaliga sets when cooled and he keeps the bowls in the refrigerator. It is great to eat warm, but we often eat it cold, as well. I LOVE it!!! We slice ours and serve on the plate in cold slices sometimes. When we serve warm, we often add butter & sour cream to the top of each slice served…
NOTE!!! I said not to discard the water that the nettles were boiled in when making the soup. This is EXCELLENT water to drink for vitamins/minerals OR to use to rinse your hair in after shampooing. I do the 2nd rinsing of my hair in nettle water during the Spring.
Nettle Salve
You can make your own salve or if you prefer to buy Nettle Salve………Click HERE
- 1 cup COLD PRESSED Olive Oil …….Click HERE
- 1.5 oz dried Nettle leaves ……………….Click HERE
You can make the salve in multiple ways, but first, you must decide the way that best suits your availability to the infused oil that you will need to mix with the other items to make the salve.
If you want to do a quick infusion of oil, then the above ingredients is how you will start this step. Put 1 cup of cold pressed olive oil and 1.5 oz of nettle leaves in a baking dish in the oven on 200 degrees for about 3 hrs, 15 minutes. This will result in the oil being infused with all the wellness components of the nettle leaves.
OR
If you don’t want to infuse the oils at the last minute, you may use infused oil that you have already made via allowing the leaves to sit in oil for several weeks. I will add a recipe for making a slow infused nettle oil in this section.
Once you have your oil infused, then you will need: I have included a link to a source for some items. You may not need these sources, but if you do, I included a link to them. By adding the link to the ingredient list at the top of each recipe that keeps me from having to add an entire source page at the end of this post.
- .75 oz grated beeswax…….Click HERE
- Tins…………………………………..Click HERE
- Labels……………………………….Click HERE
- 5 capsules VITAMIN E for preservation purposes………….Click HERE
- Glass bowl
- Cheesecloth ………………………Click HERE
Prepare your individual tins for pouring. Set them out on the counter for easy access.
Strain nettles from infused oil. Add your Vitamin E capsules and stir well. The oil will be very warm. Make sure to work quickly so that the oil stays warm while you are mixing the beeswax and Vitamin E into it. Make sure to get the Vitamin E spread throughout oil consistently. Add the shredded beeswax. Stir well as the beeswax melts into the oils. Pour into tins….LABEL. Make sure you label well. I use PicMonkey to design my labels. I like having nice pretty labels. Click HERE for info on PicMonkey for a graphics tool to design your labels…..I LOVE PicMonkey!!! It’s EASY to use. I buy a year subscription…
Nettle Tincture
- 1 pint jar/lid………………Click HERE
- 6 oz Nettle Leaves (Washed & Drained if Fresh….You can use DRIED NETTLE)…..Click HERE
- Dark Dropper Bottles (1 oz bottles)………..Click HERE
- Wooden Spoon………………………………………….Click HERE
- 90 Proof Vodka OR Apple Cider Vinegar if you want alcohol free tincture
- Cheesecloth for straining…………………………Click HERE
- Bowl for straining
- Masking Tape/Marker……………………………….Click HERE
- Tiny Stainless Steel Funnels for pouring into 1 oz. dark glass dropper bottles…………CLICK HERE
Place pint jar half full of nettle leaves (Pack tight if fresh leaves OR you can use Dried Nettle). Pour 90 proof to top of jar, place lid on the jar, put a piece of masking tape on the front of the jar and label with a marker, store for 3 weeks in a dark, cool area. Remember to shake at least once per day. This will force the constituents out of the leaves and into the vodka, making the INFUSION that you need to occur, to be more potent.
By using a piece of masking tape for this step of labeling, it makes it easy to remove the tape from the jar when the tincture is ready to bottle in the dropper bottles.
After 3 weeks, take a bowl with a piece of cheesecloth draped over the top of it and pour the vodka and nettles from the pint jar onto the cheesecloth, allowing it to separate and filter the tincture away from the nettle leaves. Squeeze the nettle leaves to make sure all the vodka filters through the cloth. I wrap the leaves up into the cheesecloth and squeeze it firmly to release all the liquid into the lower bowl. Discard the leaves and wash your cheesecloth. I have small stainless steel funnels that I use to pour tincture into the 1 oz. dark glass dropper bottles. Label with your permanent labels on each dropper bottle. I make my labels on PicMonkey. If you want to visit the PicMonkey site, click HERE. They have a super platform to design your graphics. I get my dark dropper bottles HERE. I order my labels HERE. Oh, and if you are wondering what the ‘tiny funnels look like for pouring essential oils and tinctures, then you can click HERE to see the ones that I use.
Nettle Infused Oil
- COLD PRESSED Olive Oil…Click HERE
- 1 pint Mason Jars……………Click HERE
- 1 oz. dark glass dropper bottles………Click HERE
- 1.5 – 2 oz Fresh Nettle Leaves OR Dried Nettle Leaves…………..Click HERE
- Vitamin E Capsules………….Click HERE
Fill sanitized 1 pt Mason Jars halfway full with 1.5 – 2 0z Nettle (Dried or Fresh) If fresh, make sure to pack the jar well. Add COLD PRESSED Olive Oil to the top of the jar. Put Lids on and store in a dark, cool area for 3 weeks. You must shake daily.
OR
To save time, you can make a quicker oil infusion by placing a baking dish in the oven with a ratio of 1:2 oil to nettle. Preheat oven to 200 degrees and leave in the oven for 3.5 hrs. The heat will force the components inside the Nettle leaves to dissolve into the oil. Keep a close eye on the dish while in the oven.
Remove dish from oven, break 5 vitamin E capsules into the oil and stir. Store in 1 oz. bottles for personal use. You may store in pint size Mason jars or an Olive Oil glass jar used for topping salads…..Click HERE for a really nice oil jar for serving at guest events. Keep in a dark, cool area. Make sure to label well. I make my design my labels on PicMonkey… Click HERE to check out PicMonkey. Also, for convenience sake, I buy my labels HERE.
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Nettle Infused Lemonade
- Fresh Washed Nettle Leaves OR Dried Nettle Leaves……Click HERE
- 1 Gallon Water
- 5 lemons
- Clear Glass Container…………Click HERE
Boil water and Nettle leaves into a tea. Add the juice of 3 lemons. Add Organic powdered Stevia to taste. Stir well while warm. Add 2 lemons sliced to the Nettle Lemonade. Refrigerate. Serve on Ice…