Nettle: A favorite plant ally

I always look forward to the Spring season not only because it signals the end of winter, but also because of all the new growth which occurs; that bright new green, those early-season blossoms in myriad colors, and those wild edibles, of which nettle is favorite.

I credit Susun Weed with instigating my profound appreciation of Nettle though, in truth, I had discovered her years before encountering Susun's Wisewoman works.

Originally, the piece which follows was written at the request of a woman who was starting a magazine and had asked me to write a series about plants. The mag withered on the vine before its time, but the articles, all eight of them, still exist. So, without further ado, I bring you...

Nifty Nettle
(c)2003, Jessica North-O’Connell

Tall and elegant in her woodland settings, her serrated leaves and tiny flowers dancing in the winds, Nettle (Urtica dioica, Urtica urens), also called Stinging Nettle, is a perennial plant which grows in many places around the world. According to author Nelson Coon, she is native to Eurasia. She was first introduced to North America by English settlers who brought her along with their cattle. By 1672, she was already commonplace on this continent.

She is often found in areas of devastation, along roadsides as well as in gardens and beside fences and walls. Her square, bristle-covered stalks grow from two to seven feet in height and her leaves are serrated and pointed with a hairy underside (it is these bristles and hairs which earn her the “stinging” title, as most people develop small slightly raised and tender welts on coming into contact with them, skin to plant). Where I live, she begins to flower as early as mid-to-late May. The flowers are small, greenish and rather unremarkable but a harvester must know when to leave the plant alone. Once she begins to flower, let her be. She will reward you the following spring with a hearty new growth.

I first discovered Nettle years ago when I came across a reference to her hair-strengthening ability in a herb book I was reading, though its title is now lost in the annals of my memory. I’ve since learned of a variety of other uses for this fabulous plant.

The young leaves of the Nettle are tender and succulent, steamed and served with a little butter or lemon juice, Celtic sea salt and fresh-ground black pepper. All traces of the stinging quality disappear upon cooking. This is one plant you can’t really eat raw (though I did once attend a workshop where I learned how to eat raw leaves individually without getting stung! It's all in how you fold them).

Nettle has many uses other than as one of our most remarkable tonics - the Scots and some of the European mainlanders used Nettle in much the same way as flax was used, making a cloth from her fibres which is similar to linen. During World War 1, Germans used her stalks for weaving, in place of cotton. Her fibre has also been used in the manufacture of fishing line. Her use as a “textile plant,” (and it is believed that this is the meaning of her name) dates back to the Bronze Age.

However, it is as a tonic that many of us have come to ally with Nettle. She is astringent, diuretic (although I haven’t noticed this effect), hemostatic and a galactagogue, according to John Lust. Susun Weed states that Nettle is a uterine tonic with the ability to strengthen and rebuild the kidneys and adrenals and I agree with her, from personal experience. Nettle has a high mineral content, including boron, calcium, chromium, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. She is also rich in vitamins: thiamine, riboflavin, folic acid, niacin, carotenes, and Vitamins C, E and. K. She is rich in chlorophyll which, along with the above-mentioned minerals, is beneficial to the hormonal system and is an excellent deodorant.

Menopausal women benefit from Nettle’s ability to prevent and re-hydrate vaginal tissues, maintain strong bones, stabilize the blood sugar, reduce fatigue, prevent or eliminate headaches and nourish a variety of body systems, including the digestive, immune, nervous and cardiovascular systems. She is beneficial to the endocrine system as well, which is the producer of the hormones that regulate body functions. As a menopausal ally, and as a fertility promoter, it is advised that one drink one or more cups of Nettle infusion daily.

When wildcrafting Nettle, be certain to stay away from polluted areas. Harvest away from roadsides or areas in which chemical fertilizers have been used.

How to prepare a Nettle infusion: Place 1 oz (30 gm) of the dried leaf in a quart-size canning jar. Fill the jar with boiling water and immediately close tightly. Steep at room temperature for four hours. Transfer the liquid to another jar, squeezing out the plant material to obtain all the infusion possible. Store in fridge, drink liberally. A jar lasts me 1-2 days, at slightly more than one cup daily. (I have a "Green Goddess" mug for drinking Nettle infusion.)

The benefit of this method, according to Susun Weed, is the the “wonder water” effect, which prevents the gas molecules present in water and released during boiling from being reabsorbed into the water from the air while cooling. (It is thought that the gas intereferes with the the process of extraction of nutrients from the plant matter.)

A hearty Beltane cocktail: Not everyone appreciates the strong “green” flavor of Nettle infusion, however, my husband among them! You can use the infusion as a diluter for fresh-squeezed vegetable juices, such as carrot/beet/ginger, one of my favorite blends. Cut half and half with Nettle infusion, it makes a potent but pleasant health drink. You can also add Nettle infusion to plain tomato juice for a flavor reminiscent of V-8.

Another method is to make ice cubes of your Nettle infusion and add them to everything, or to use the infusion as a base for vegetarian soup or stew.

Nettle Hair Rinse Supreme: To a 6-cup size teapot add 6 tsp of Nettle leaves and fill the pot with boiling water. Allow to cool. After washing the hair, pour the tepid tea through the hair and over the scalp, catching the tea in a bowl (I kneel in the tub with the bowl in front of me). Use a small receptacle (such as a plastic measuring cup) to scoop the tea from the bowl and pour over the scalp and hair a few times. Gently squeeze excess tea from the hair and towel-dry hair.

For “smelly feet”(from having your feet in those rubber boots while gardening all day!): Prepare a pot of Nettle tea as above and add to a footbath. Soak feet for 10 minutes. Towel dry and allow feet to “air-dry” for a few minutes before putting on fresh footwear.

Bibliography

Nelson Coon: Using Plants for Healing
Margaret Dinsdale: Skin Deep: Natural Recipes for Healthy Skin and Hair
John Lust: The Herb Book
Jeanne Rose: Herbs & Things: Jeanne Rose’s Herbal
Susun S. Weed: Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way: Alternative Approaches for Women 30-90