Stinging Nettle

Urtica dioica

A stinging spring green that, once gathered, becomes one of the most mineral-rich, deeply nourishing plants in the herbal repertoire.

At a glance

Deep vegetal aroma — wet earth, spinach, mossy stone. The infusion is a dark forest green and tastes savory and surprisingly meaty, almost like a clear broth.

  • Spring tonic infusion
  • Hay fever and seasonal allergy support
  • Iron-supportive tea in pregnancy (with clinician)
  • Joint inflammation

Modern research

Tradition

Nettle was textile, food, and medicine in pre-Roman Europe and remains a hungry-gap spring green across the Celtic world. Rural Italians still gather it before Easter; Russians make shchi; the Scots make 'nettle kail.' The medicine and the meal are the same plant.

Modern evidence

Good evidence for hay fever symptom reduction (multiple small RCTs), benign prostatic hyperplasia (root, not leaf), and modest joint inflammation benefit. Genuinely high in iron, calcium, magnesium, and protein for a leafy green — the traditional 'spring tonic' reputation has some real nutritional basis.

How to brew

For nutrition, long infusion is the method: a generous quantity of dried leaf, just-boiled water, covered, steeped four to eight hours. For a quick cup, one tablespoon in a covered cup for ten minutes — pleasant, savory, surprisingly drinkable.

Garden note

Welcome a small patch in a corner of the garden. It feeds caterpillars (peacock, red admiral, small tortoiseshell), mineralizes the compost heap, and rewards you with the first cut of spring greens. Cut hard for tender regrowth.