Nettles

One of the most incredible wild medicinal plants is the stinging nettle. As you’ll see this week, that could be one of a few different species but whichever you end up finding you are sure to hit a nutritional jackpot.

Let’s check it out!

Plant Profile:

Scientific Name: Urtica dioica, U. urens, U. gracilis, Boehmeria cylindrica, Laportea canadensis

Preferred Habitat: Moist woodlands, riverbanks and edges of streams, shady areas.

Edible Parts: Leaves, young shoots, and the seeds in the fall (similar to flax seed)

Distribution: Most of the above species are prevalent all-over North America

Harvest Season: Spring through mid-summer.

Key Identifiers: Toothed ovate leaves with hairs or spines along the stem and undersides of leaves, with leaves arranged oppositely along the stem.

Toxic Look-Alikes: White snakeroot is poisonous and bears a vague resemblance to nettle species at a glance. Snakeroot does have small hairs, however the leaves are broader and arranged alternately rather than opposite along the stem. The white flowers are also very different from the subtle and delicate nettle flowers.

False nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica) is technically a look-alike, but since it is both edible and closely related to other nettle species, I am choosing to list it along with the rest. 

Nutrition:

The European Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) thankfully has a lot of research to back up the nutrient content. Here’s what the Botanical Institute lists for nutrition facts:

• Minerals: includes minerals such as calcium (853–1050mg/100g dry material), iron (2–200mg/100g), magnesium (175mg/100g), phosphorus (50–265mg/100g), potassium (532–613mg/100g), and sodium (16–58mg/100g)

• Vitamins: Vitamins C (20–60mg/100g of dry material), vitamin K (0.16–0.64mg), and the B group of vitamins.

• Amino acids: Stinging nettle contains all of the essential amino acids

• Fatty Acids: includes both linolenic acid, linoleic acid, palmitic acid, steric acid, and oleic acid. Linolenic acid is predominantly found in the leaves, while the seeds are richer in linoleic acid.

• Flavonoids: Quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin

• Exceptionally high in iron and potassium

It should be noted that while I list several species, most should have a very similar nutrient content since they are closely related (although that isn’t necessarily the case).

It may be of no surprise that nettles are among the most nutrient-dense plants on the planet!

As I mentioned above, there are multiple species in the nettle family, most of which are very closely related. I want to go over a few here just to make sure you are familiar with each, although they all look very similar.

• Urtica dioica - European stinging nettle. Most supplements and teas you get will use this species. It has a long history of usage and a ton of research to back up its health benefits but originates from Europe.

• Urtica urens - Dwarf nettle (also called “small nettle”) some reports say that the sting is more intense than other nettles. Dwarf nettle is also native to the Old-World continents but has been introduced worldwide.

• Urtica gracilis - Slender nettle (also called “American Stinging Nettle”) is native to North America, has nearly all of the same properties as the European stinging nettle, and is slightly taller with thinner leaves.

• Laportea canadensis - Canadian nettle (also called “the wood nettle”) This species is reported to be much more palatable, has most of the same benefits as stinging nettle, and is native to North America. Sam Thayer calls this the superior nettle species by a wide margin.

• Boehmeria cylindrica - The False nettle is very commonly mistaken for stinging nettle, but it doesn’t actually sting. The plant is also edible, but the nutrient content is probably a bit less similar to the other nettle species. This is the one I find most commonly so I tend to include it since it is used much the same way. The main difference is that the leaves are arranged alternately rather than opposite.

  This is not a comprehensive list since there are other species worldwide, however these should be the bulk of the species you’ll find in North America.

Foraging

First and foremost, stinging nettle stings! 

It has these small hair-like stingers under the leaves and on the stems that sting when they touch the skin. That said, I always recommend gloves when foraging them!

You might be wondering how nettles are edible if they sting. That is because the little stingers go are no longer capable of stinging once nettles are cooked or dried.

Uses

Nettle is best used by either cooking like spinach, drying and using in teas, or taking as a tincture.

I may have to do a whole article just on tincture-making, but the basic gist of it is that you are soaking an ingredient in a high strength alcohol (we use vodka for our tinctures) to extract and concentrate the most beneficial compounds.

On a side note, there is actually a raw nettle eating competition in Dorset County England. Why someone would want to be subjected to this pain I can’t tell you but the contestants are probably very healthy!

Cultivation

Nettle generally grows in large patches and is abundant year after year, however you can easily cultivate them by mimicking their preferred habitat as closely as possible.

While there are not any named nettle varieties that I could find, you can get seeds from Mountain Rose Herbs if you don’t have any in your area!

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