Stinging Nettle, aka Urtica dioica, has been used for food, medicine, and fiber dating back to the Bronze Age!
Growth:
Nettle can grow up to 8 feet tall and has a square, fibrous stem with deep grooves running down it. The dark green leaves are ovate and sharply toothed with a heart-shaped base and a pointy tip. Both leaves and stems are covered with tiny hollow hairs that contain formic acid and silica. It is advised to use gloves when harvesting unless you enjoy the thrill, like me 🙃
Food:
This plant is jam-packed with nutrients. What does it taste like? Nettle is similar to spinach but has a more savory, mineral flavor kind of like mild seaweed without the salt content. It makes a delicious addition or soups and pestos. You can drink nettle tea on its own, or pair it with peppermint, tulsi, anise hyssop or other tasty herbs.
Medicine:
Here are just some examples of what stinging nettle has been used for medicinally:
-Reduces most forms of inflammation in the body
-Nourishes and tones veins, and improves vein elasticity
-Allergies: Improves your body’s resistance to pollens, molds, and environmental pollutants, and prevents mucous membrane hyperactivity
-Urinary and prostate issues
-Promotes healthy blood clotting
-Anemia, eczema, dandruff, edema, and hives
Being a diuretic, Nettles can be a bit drying for some. They are generally considered safe for most individuals, even over an extended period of time.
Fiber:
The use of stinging nettle for fiber and food predates medieval times. Along with flax and hemp, nettle was the most important plant-based textile material in Europe since it grows even in northern climates, unlike cotton.
I make Nigel Palmer's fermented plant juice. It's not original with him, but his instructions are very good. It's also found in Korean natural Jadam farming. It's a deep-rooted bio-accumulator of minerals not found in most plants with shallower roots. It's deeply concentrated and I dilute it in water 500:1 to use as a foliar spray or a soil drench.
I don't understand how you could handle this plant with your bare hands. I cannot come in ANY contact with it (it even gets through my gloves) without a severe reaction which lasts all day. First the burning sensation which lasts two or three hours and then the whole area goes numb for the rest of the day. I don't recover til the next morning. I am starting to think different people have different sensitivities. Though I have heard many times about the benefits of stinging nettle–I'll be staying away!
I cut it wearing gloves and toss the bag into the freezer. It's lovely in a spring greens soup, soft and mild, and once frozen, the leaves are easy to remove for that preparation. So yummy!
anyone around WNC actually extracted good strong fiber from stinging nettle? if so I'd love to hear how you did it. I've gotten really nice fiber from the native woods nettle, but have had trouble with european stinging nettle. I'm curious if there's something about the growing season or properties of stinging nettle grown here which makes the fiber develop less strongly here, or if it's some retting/processing nuance. Thanks!