If you get this unfortunate joke I love you
Vitamin nettle~~ Urtica dioica
I remember hearing about a hay bale on a friends property acting as the perfect accidental host for a thriving nettle patch. Since nettles sting it’s nice to have them set aside somewhere where you won’t have to walk through them regularly, and for easy pickins. Sometime in early Spring a handful of years ago a faerie brought some sad looking nettle transplants for possible salvaging to the breakroom at an old job (some jobs have donuts in the breakroom but this was the downtown health food store), so I took one home and nestled it into some busted pallets and wood scraps near the tree stump where I split firewood (a work area where I am likely to be found wearing shoes and work gloves rather than a grassy area where we would picnic or hang out barefoot), covered it up with fingers crossed. Sure enough by the summer I was finding a handful here and there, and by the time the first hard frosts would come around in late October/November, I had enough to harvest and make a jar full of infused apple cider vinegar.
What can we do with nettles and why are they a staple for many?
Which is a good time to mention, I’m not an herbalist! I’m a health coach and kitchen witch, I’m allergic to a lot of antibiotics so I try to avoid them using preventative measures like keeping my immune system strong via herbs. I’ve also spent many hours slinging in the supplement department of health food stores, where I learned A LOT about what all of those little mysterious bottles of supplements are for, and ultimately where I learned some ways to actually avoid having to take tons of supplements on the regular, and one of those ways is nettle infusions a few times per week.
Generally I feel I can “get” most of what I need nutrition wise from food, and I don’t take a multi-vitamin. There are a few alternative habits I invest in to help fill in the gaps, and nettle/herb infusions have become indispensable as a source of minerals (particularly iron), with enough vitamins and chlorophyll for me to not think very much about taking a multi-vitamin. Vitamins and minerals can be hard for the body to absorb in supplement form, so the idea of getting so many in liquid form, immediately absorbable by the bloodstream, practically for spare change, is quite ideal.
If you’ve ever gone down the rabbit hole of “which multi-vitamin should I take”, you may notice that they all have a basic formula but some very specifically go out of their way to exclude iron because it is hard to absorb and can cause constipation. Folks who are deficient in iron generally choose a separate “liquid” iron formula, and it tastes about as attractive as it sounds. Nettle infusions aren’t yummy per se, but there are ways to add some other flavors, and at the end of the day it is just a big cup of tea that can keep you alive, like coffee but think more long term. And accordingly, I really enjoy my infusions mid-day, when I want to feel a pick me up but not drink caffeine, for me the infusions really are so powerful that it feels like drinking vitality as its going down.
Getting water from a stone~
Based on recent studies and the state of our currently deficient topsoil, our food doesn’t contain nearly enough minerals as it used to pre-industrial farming, and we are not getting enough minerals from food. We know from basic geology that minerals come from the ground and feed the soil, we grow food in the soil and it absorbs the minerals, we eat the food. Well, you need some pretty healthy topsoil for this process, and farming the same plots for years and years without properly caring for the soil might give farmers the quantity of food they need for each season, it could be at the expense of the quality, flavor, and nutrient density of the product. Try a side by side comparison sometime, getting some carrots from a small organic farm, and compare to one from the store that was grown on a mass scale and travelled far to find you. Start a conversation with a farmer at the market about compost and topsoil and prepare yourself for a nerd fest! People are doing good work with compost these days.
In addition to a regular dose of vitamins and minerals, I’ve also recommended them for their histamine properties, for those who are plagued by seasonal allergies, sinus infections, or trying to build a histamine resistance. Nettles actually contain histamines and without trying to get too clinical, can act similarly to the histamine blockers and inhibitors found in common allergy medications.
My two favorite ways to use nettles in the kitchen are:
- Infusing them with apple cider vinegar: stuff a jar full of fresh clean nettles to the top, and then add apple cider vinegar, also to the top. Cover, shake, and set aside in a cool dark place, but find it and shake it every couple of days. After 4 weeks or so strain the nettles and enjoy the vinegar as an amazing salad dressing base and so on.
- Infusing them as a tea by putting about 1 tablespoon of dried nettles or a big handful of fresh, in a 20-32 oz container and pouring hot water over (be careful if using a glass jar!), and letting them infuse for 6-12 hours. I usually add two other herbs based on what season it is and what’s around, I will add a teaspoon of either dried lemon balm, or tulsi holy basil, both of which have many medicinal properties but in this case they make the drink taste better as well. They both have strong flavors that don’t go well together (imo) so choose one or the other if trying this option.
Did I mention I’m not an herbalist? Please talk to an herbalist for more prescriptive recommendations. Since I am not one, here are some nettle facts I found in some of my herbalism books:
Sajah Popham goes deep into discussing herbs as celestial beings in his inspired book “Evolutionary Herbalism”. He discusses nettles and their relationship with the planet Mars:
“The leaves have sharp, serrated margins and can develop a reddish-purple coloration, indicating an affinity for the blood and remedial action upon fluid stagnation. The most distinct Mars signature in Nettles is the sharp, formic acid needles that stud the entire plant. When touched, these glass-like needles shatter, spilling formic-acid onto the skin and leading to the classic urticaria response of the Nettle sting. The skin becomes red, inflamed, irritated, and itchy. While some see this as a toxic response, herbalists across the world view it as a unique therapeutic property, using it to stimulate blood circulation, relieve fluid stagnation, and treat dull, achy muscular pain.
Biomechanically, Nettles is rich in iron, the metal of Mars. This mineral is highly concentrated in the blood, which is one of the primary affinities of Nettle leaf, which cleanses the blood through its alterative action and nourishes it through its nutritive properties.” (pgs 343-344, Evolutionary Herbalism)
He goes on to discuss the other parts of the plant and how they correspond to different astrological seasons and other properties of Mars. Its anti-histaminic properties correspond to Spring, Aries season (ruled by Mars), when pollen is in the Air and the upper body & respiratory tract experience damp inflammation in the head and chest, when Nettles and other bitter greens pop up, “Just as Nettles creates this response when you touch it, internally it treats the same pattern. It drains fluids, astringes leaky mucosal membranes (i.e. a runny nose) and reduces local inflammation….” (pg344, Evolutionary Herbalism). The seeds are ready to harvest during Aires opposing season, the Fall in Libra season, and rule the kidneys and adrenals which are ruled by Mars. The roots of the nettle plant aid the male reproductive system and are harvested during Scorpio season which is associated with Mars as well.
Dina Falconi’s, Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook, has several nettle recipes- Falconi recommends Nettles in omelets, on grilled cheese, and infused with ginger soda. My favorite recipe is for Southeast Asian Mung Bean Soup, in which lots of onions and garlic, ginger and a jalapeno are simmered in fat with coriander seeds, tamari and coconut milk- equal parts cooked mung beans and broth/stock are added to the base with a big bunch of greens and simmered with salt and pepper.
The Earthwise Herbal by Matthew Wood is a more traditional sort of encyclopedia of herbs with Woods own wisdom and anecdotal takes- Woods materia medica on nettles affirms my odd choice of placement in the yard, multi-vitamin level of benefits, and helps me make a connection which I appreciated for the first time, while I’ve certainly referenced this book several times. He writes: “Urtica is native to the Old World, but widely naturalized throughout the world…Nettle grows around septic systems, outhouses, and manure piles, demonstrating its utility in dealing with protein waste products. It is one of the plants highest in protein and helps all protein pathways in the body- digestion, immune response, liver metabolism, skin reactions, and kidney elimination. It contains chlorophyll, indoles (including histamine and serotonin), acetylcholine, flavonoids, vitamins (including C), proteins, and dietary fiber”. (Wood, The Earthwise Herbal, Materia Medica, pg 496-497)
He goes on to say: “In addition to general, nutritive effects and specific effects along protein pathways, nettle also has a specific action as a tropho-restorative, bringing back function to parts that have become paralyzed, atrophied, or functionally inactive”(Wood, The Earthwise Herbal, p497).
To that, I can add and end with my own anecdotal way of relating to the bringing back function to inactive pathways- usually if I slip into a funk where I get out of the rhythm of self-care in general, a Nettle infusion is often the first thing I know I can do right in the moment when I get overwhelmed, make a big pot of tea, drink it. Letting it work its way down I can feel myself coming back to life.
Consider learning more about this potential staple from your favorite herbalist- I hope this has given you some basic and interesting ways to consider this powerful leafy green gem growing possibly growing near a murky creek or outhouse near you.