04/30/2026
My Nettles are up and growing fast already so yesterday I went out and started harvesting the new shoots. I wear gloves for the initial cutting and then use my fingers to take off the leaves from the stems after washing and drying in the salad spinner.
Stinging Nettles aka Urtica Dioica are a Spring green that is also called 'Nature's Multivitamin' due to its legion nutritional value full of chlorophyll, iron, trace minerals (calcium, magnesium and potassium, Vitamins A, C and K. Used as a potherb, one cup of cooked (blanched) nettle provide only 37 calories but offers a substantial 6 grams of fiber, 2.4 grams of protein and over 400% of the daily allowance of Vitamin K.
Bone and Blood Health: Exceptionally high in Calcium, Magnesium, and Vitamin K, which are vital for bone density, and Iron to support energy levels.
Antioxidants: Contains polyphenols (kaempferol, quercetin) and pigments (beta-carotene, lutein) that protect cells from damage.
Protein: Considered one of the richest plant source of protein.
Amino acids: Contains all essential amino acids.
There are over 80 species ranging worldwide and the annual Nettle (U. urens) is used interchangeably with U. dioica.
Matthew Wood: Various kinds of Nettle are found in waste places and woods throughout the world. They are recognized-even in the dark, as Culpeper notes-by the sting they produce on contact. Little hairs break open and exude an acid which produces stinging welts. This substance quickly breaks down, however so that only the fresh plant stings.
(As a kid I played around a lot of Stinging Nettles and got stung too many times to count. In England we used Dock leaves rubbed directly on the welts and within minutes they subsided....here in North America people swear by Plantain....I have even had people disagree with me about the use of Dock leaves.....each to their own I guess.)
Mature Nettle stalks have fibers running through them which have been used to make cloth, rope and netting. Nettle linen is of the finest quality and lasts for a long time. (During World War 1, the German army used nettle fibers to make uniforms. Due to the Allied blockade, Germany experienced a severe shortage of cotton and used stinging nettles as a substitute. It required roughly 45kg (100lb) of Nettles to produce a single shirt)
The use of Nettles by urtication seems like an old and unwieldy practice, I have known several people who used this method with great success. While I was teaching a class in Canon Falls, Minnesota, several hours south of my place, I met a man who had used urtication. After a serious bac injury as a young man, the doctors told him he would never walk again. Through alternative medicine (acupuncture and herbs) combined with sheer willpower, he managed to get back on his feet. At this point, his legs were still numb. He took walks in Nettle patches and this brought back sensation. Today, he walks like a regular person, though still subject to pain and limitation of some activities.
I knew of another case in Rochester, Minnesota, where a woman used urtication to clear up allergies and irritation of the skin. She had an angry, reddish cast to her skin. I saw her after about four or five summers during which she had romped in Nettle patches and her conditions were completely cleared up; her skin looked very pleasant. Matthew wood - The Book of Herb Wisdom
I have read about using urtication for arthritic joints ~ I have still to persuade my Mother to try it lol😁
Drying or cooking gets rid of the hairs that cause the sting and can be used like Spinach or other greens.
Richo Cech ~ For medicine the entire aerial parts of young plants used fresh or dried. Fresh dormant roots. Seeds.
Practical uses: Legion. Nutritive spring tonic, blood builder and blood cleanser. Use of Nettles bolsters the entire body and improves resistance to allergens, including environmental pollutants, molds and pollen. The tincture of the fresh roots is a specific anti-inflammatory for treating prostatitis.
Hair Tonic: A decoction of the dried herb especially the seeds, stimulates hair growth, helps restore balding hair, and improves the overall texture and tone of the hair. Use the decoction as a wash after shampooing and leave on for at least 3 minutes before rinsing off.
Avoid internal use of Nettle products made of mature (Summer or Fall) leaf, due to the presence of tiny cystoliths (calcium carbonate concretions) that may irritate the kidneys and encourage formation of urinary stone. Richo Cech - Making Plant Medicine
Thomas Easley ~ The Modern Herbal Dispensatory~ Nettles help to build healthy blood, bones, joints and skin. They increase the excretion of uric acid and hep with rheumatism and gout. Nettles have anti-inflammatory and anti-allergenic properties, making them useful for respiratory allergies, asthma, and eruptive skin diseases. A blend of Nettles, Red Raspberry and alfalfa makes a great tonic tea for pregnancy.
Nettle seed can slow, halt or even partially reverse progressive renal failure. Studies show the root to improve benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) symptoms in 81% of men taking the herb (compared with 16% improvement in the placebo group).
Energetics: Neutral and nourishing
Properties: Anti-allergenic, anti-inflammatory, antihistamine, diuretic, kidney tonic, mast cell stabilizer, mineralizer and tonic.
Standard Infusion: 8 oz 1-4 times daily
Tincture (Leaf) Fresh leaf (1:2 95% alcohol) 1-3ml 3 times daily for allergies; dried leaf (1:4 50% alcohol), 2-5ml 3 x daily for kidneys (tea works better)
Tincture (Root) Dried root (1:4 50% alcohol) 1-3ml x 3 times daily for prostate issues
Tincture (Seed): Dried seed (1:4 50% alcohol) 1-2ml x 3 times daily for the kidneys
Glycerite: Dried leaf (1:6) 10-20ml (1-2 tsp) x 3 daily for allergies and minerals.
Michael Tierra ~ Energy and flavours: Bland, slightly bitter, cool
Systems affected: Small intestines, bladder, lungs
Biochemical constituents: High amounts of chlorophyll, indoles including histamine and serotonic, acetylcholine, Vitamins C, A and other important vitamins, silicon, potassium, protein and fiber.
Properties: Diuretic, astringent, tonic, hemostatic, galactagogue, expectorant, nutritive
Taken over a long time period, nettles is a tonic that will benefit the whole body, especially the lungs, stomach and urinary tract. The high concentration of nutrients in nettles makes it ideal for anemia.
Also, by sprinkling the powder on a wound, it helps to stop bleeding.
Another treatment for internal, as well as external, bleeding is to heat nettles over low heat for thirty minutes and squeeze them through cloth; a tbsp of this juice is taken every hour to stop bleeding. Nettles is useful for asthma, chronic and acute urinary complaints, urinary stones, nephritis and cystitis. It is also taken for diarrhea, dysentery, hemorrhoids and chronic arthritic and rheumatic problems.
A clinical study of nettle roots has found them to be highly effective for the treatment of enlarged prostate. The root contains high amounts of sterols, especially sitosterol and isolectins, which stimulate the production of white blood cells that counteract infections and inflammations. Michael Tierra - The Way of Herbs
