Stinging Nettle
Stinging Nettle, also known as
European Nettle, Stinging Nettle, Common Nettle , is native to Europe, Asia, northern Africa, and North America.
Stinging Nettle is commonly used in the manufacturing of cloth and eaten as food. Medicinally, is has been used as a folk remedy for rheumatism, providing temporary relief from pain. In medieval Europe, it was used as a diuretic and to treat joint pain.
Stinging Nettle leaf has a long tradition of use as an adjuvant remedy in the treatment of arthritis in Germany.
Stinging Nettle has fine hairs on the leaves and stems that contain irritating chemicals that are released when the plant comes in contact with the skin. The hairs, or spines, of the
stinging nettle are normally very painful to the touch however, when they come into contact with a painful area of the body, they can actually decrease the original pain! Scientists think
nettle does this by reducing levels of inflammatory chemicals in the body, and by interfering with the way the body transmits pain signals.
You can cook the young shoots of
Stinging Nettle, which has a flavor similar to spinach and is rich in vitamins A, C, D, iron, potassium, manganese, and calcium.
Stinging Nettle makes a great pasta sauce with peanut butter and lots of garlic. Nettles are sometimes used in cheese making, for example in the production of Yarg and as a flavoring in varieties of Gouda.
Nettle helps break down humus in the compost pile.
Also available:
Dried Nettle Leaf
Calendula Seeds
