Early Spring is the time that everyone harvests Stinging Nettle.
Nettle is one of the earliest plants of Spring.
WHAT IS 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 quickly 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 socks, and scarves tied over their heads with huge baskets of nettle for sale at their feet. They sell stinging nettle during the early spring months. It’s an amazing sight to see — so simple and beautiful.
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 & organized in perfect stacks.
Europeans have MUCH healthier food than we have in the U.S. They do NOT fill their shelves with junk foods, preservatives, or snacks with tons of additives. Natural whole foods are what you find in their marketplaces.
Let’s look at the health benefits of STINGING NETTLE.
NETTLE CONTAINS SOME GREAT HEALTH BENEFITS:
- PREVENTS DIARRHEA
- REDUCES GINGIVITIS & BLEEDING 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 FLUSH STONES
- URINARY TRACT TREATMENT
- DIURETIC
- TREATS ACNE
- IMPROVES SKIN
- GREAT FOR ECZEMA
- ALLERGY RELIEF
- SUPPORTS BONE HEALTH BY PROVIDING MAGNESIUM
- TREATS ANEMIA
- CONTAINS VITAMINS A, C, D, AND B COMPLEX
- PHOSPHORUS, IRON, CALCIUM, PROTEIN, MAGNESIUM, & BETA CAROTENE
Check out the stinging hairs on the stem & leaves of this Nettle plant — OUCH!
WHERE CAN YOU FIND NETTLE?
It is often found on the banks of creeks, rivers, and lakes. I found a big area of nettle growing near a creek bank on one of my Amish friend’s farms. They used it for family medicinal salves. Nettle is commonly found in Western North America, the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa.
HOW DO I HARVEST NETTLE?
VERY CAREFULLY! Timing is everything. Harvest the top 4 leaves of each plant in early Spring when they first appear. Use gloves and place the leaves in a paper bag.
Older plants have stronger hairs, so be careful! The younger leaves are best for soups and teas.
WHAT’S IN THE STING?
Nettle stings inject formic acid, tartaric acid, oxalic acid, histamine, serotonin, and acetylcholine through tiny hollow hairs called trichomes. The histamine is what causes the skin reaction. The pain usually subsides within 24 hours.
HOW TO TREAT NETTLE STINGS
- Baking soda & water paste
- Plantain poultice
- Antihistamine creams
- Calamine lotion
- Burdock leaves