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April 24, 2025 13 mins
This often-overlooked plant is a nutritional powerhouse and offers a surprising array of benefits for your health, your garden, and even your kitchen. In this episode, we dive deep into the fascinating world of stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), exploring its incredible uses and providing you with practical tips for safely foraging it right in your own backyard.  
The Nutritional Powerhouse of Stinging Nettle:
  • Vitamins & Minerals: It has an impressive profile of vitamins (A, C, K, B vitamins), minerals (iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, silica), and trace elements.
  • Antioxidant Richness: There are potent antioxidants present in nettle, which can help combat free radicals and support overall health.  
  • Protein Source: Surprisingly, nettle leaves contain a significant amount of protein, making them a valuable addition to a plant-based diet. 
Health & Wellness Benefits of Stinging Nettle:
  • Anti-Inflammatory Properties: nettle can help reduce inflammation, potentially easing symptoms of arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.  
  • Allergy Relief: There is traditional and emerging research on nettle's ability to alleviate seasonal allergy symptoms like hay fever.
  • Detoxification Support: nettle can act as a gentle diuretic, supporting kidney function and the body's natural detoxification processes.  
  • Skin & Hair Health: nettle extracts and infusions can benefit your skin (reducing eczema, acne) and hair (promoting growth, reducing dandruff).  
  • Prostate Health: the research surrounding nettle root's potential to support prostate health in men.
  • Blood Sugar Regulation: preliminary studies suggesting nettle's role in helping to stabilize blood sugar levels.  
  • Iron Deficiency Support: the high iron content in nettle can be a natural way to boost iron levels.
Foraging Stinging Nettle Safely in Your Yard:
  • Identification: Learn how to confidently identify stinging nettle, distinguishing it from other similar-looking plants. We'll cover key characteristics like leaf shape, serrated edges, and of course, those tell-tale stinging hairs.
  • Timing is Key: Discover the best times of year to forage nettle for optimal flavor and nutritional content. Younger leaves are generally preferred.
  • Essential Gear: We'll walk you through the necessary protective gear, including gloves (thick gardening gloves are a must!), long sleeves, and potentially even eye protection.
  • Sustainable Harvesting: Learn ethical and sustainable foraging practices to ensure the nettle patch continues to thrive. We'll discuss taking only what you need and leaving enough for the plant to regenerate and for wildlife.
  • Where NOT to Forage: Understand the importance of avoiding areas with potential contamination, such as roadsides with vehicle exhaust, areas treated with pesticides or herbicides, and areas frequented by pets.
  • The Sting & How to Handle It: We'll explain why nettle stings and what to do if you accidentally come into contact with it. We'll also discuss how to safely process nettle to neutralize the stinging compounds.
Delicious & Practical Uses for Foraged Stinging Nettle:
  • Cooking: There are a variety of culinary uses for cooked nettle, including soups, stews, pesto, smoothies, quiches, and even as a spinach substitute. We'll share tips for neutralizing the sting through cooking.  
  • Nettle Tea: easily dry nettle leaves to make a nutritious and flavorful herbal tea. 
  • Nettle Infusions & Broths: create mineral-rich infusions and broths from fresh or dried nettle.
  • Garden Benefits: nettle can be used in your garden as a natural fertilizer (nettle tea fertilizer) and as a compost activator.  
  • Natural Remedies: traditional uses of nettle for various ailments (always consult a healthcare professional for medical advice).

Disclaimer: While stinging nettle offers many potential benefits, it's important to forage responsibly and be aware of any potential allergies or interactions with medications. Always consult with a healthcare professional before using nettle for medicinal purposes.  
Have you ever foraged for stinging nettle? What are your favorite ways to use it? Share your experiences and tips in the comments below! Don't forget to like this episode and subscribe for more content on natural health, foraging, and sustainable living.
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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
You know, I don't think I've ever actually come across
stinging needle in my yard.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
I don't think I have either. I've only ordered it online.
I've never seen it in my yard. We Us here
in Alabama do have something that looks very similar to
stinging needle.

Speaker 3 (00:22):
It's called hogweed, okay.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
But and that it is a bitch to step on
that stuff like it's bad. They have really long thorns,
and I don't think that they're useful at all. But
they look similar and I think they are in the
same family. But they definitely don't get used like stinging
nettle does. So I don't know if it's because of

(00:50):
the thorns or if it's I would think that if
it was as useful, they would probably use it, but.

Speaker 3 (00:57):
They don't have.

Speaker 2 (00:58):
I've not found any use for them other than cussin
when it brust up on them barefooted.

Speaker 1 (01:05):
Now I'm convinced that it's been a whole conspiracy. Uh
like weeds, the war against weeds, and uh lawns needing
to be weed free, and especially like we're gonna do
dandylions next. I really feel like that with dandy lions.

(01:26):
So but trying to stay focused on dead. No, sorry,
stinging nettle, tell us tell us, tell us what you know,
and then I'll fill in what geminas is.

Speaker 2 (01:40):
Okay, all right, So first of all, you don't ever
want to touch them. We kind of talked about this
in the last episode, but if you're coming in on
this episode and missed the last one, you never want
to touch stinging netle without gloves and long sleeves because
they have tiny little spines on them that have a
chemical in them. When the spines touch you, when they

(02:03):
break off and that it releases the chemical and it
can cause like a rash and blisters and stuff like that,
so it's pretty painful.

Speaker 3 (02:12):
Let's see.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
They are good for allergies like the nasal stuff like
hay fever, itchy eyes, ready nose, sneezing, so they're an antihistamine. Uh.
They are good for a joint pain like some people.

(02:35):
Research will say that some people will like actually rub
the plant on their skin. I personally wouldn't do that.
I would dry and infuse an oil and make a
salve or just use the oil the infused ail as
a muscle rub. I wouldn't. I wouldn't go rubbing on
my skin. Personally, But I guess it really depends on

(03:01):
the person and their tolerance.

Speaker 1 (03:03):
But yeah, because drying it neutralizes the stinging.

Speaker 2 (03:11):
Yes, drying, drying or cooking well neutralize the spines and
the stinging. I don't know if it breaks down the
chemical compounds or if it just I don't know what happens,
but there's some kind of magic that happens when you
either dry it or cook it. It makes it not
so mean to us.

Speaker 3 (03:31):
So this is one that you don't want to use raw.

Speaker 2 (03:34):
Yes, very correct research says that it can help with diabetes.
Of course, that's one of those. Diabetes is something that
I think that you know, you have to be careful
with and definitely work with a doctor in herbal things

(03:55):
can support it. But well, I shouldn't say any of
that stuff. I don't want to disclaimer disclaimer. Yeah, yeah,
like personally for myself, I would say that I would
definitely still be working with a doctor if I had diabetes,
but I would definitely also be looking for herbal things
to help support me through those symptoms.

Speaker 3 (04:18):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (04:20):
Yes, it can help with high blood pressure. Let's see
in my notes, what else do I have?

Speaker 3 (04:34):
I'm reduced?

Speaker 2 (04:36):
It can reduce bleeding and help promote wound healing. So
another thing, another herb that's good for saves, you know,
save is just the infused oil where you take and
soak the dried herb in an oil for four to

(04:58):
six weeks in a dark cabinet. You can do quick confusions.
I don't like to because I feel like the quick
confusion infusions you heat the oil up and you keep
it at a low temperature, of course, but you still
heat the oil up and you let it the dried
herb sit in the oil like in a double boiler

(05:18):
for a couple of hours, and you can make it
quick all that way. I just prefer not to because
I try to use as little heat as possible when
I'm making any of my herbal stuff. Cuts are not
always the best, right, Yeah, definitely. So I think that
it just makes a better medicinal product if you can

(05:42):
stay away from high temperatures for long periods of time.

Speaker 3 (05:48):
Patience is to success and whatnot. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (05:53):
Yes, So I make a tea because it can it.
It has a lot of vitamins and minerals in it
that can help support hormone health for women. So I
make a tea with it. I'll take dried or a
stinging needle and red raspberry leaf, oat straw and alf

(06:21):
alpha grass, and I mix those herbs together and I
make what.

Speaker 3 (06:30):
Alf alfha I know, I know alpha.

Speaker 2 (06:38):
Yes, And every time I think of alf alpha grass. Okay,
first of all, I think of alf aalpha from the
little rascals. But I also think, you know, like, am
I a horse? I'm sitting here because I think, is
it alf alpha grass that they feed horses?

Speaker 3 (06:54):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (06:55):
I don't know, but it's it's literally, but all of
those herbs together make a really good hormone support. So
like for me, I'm into perimenopause and uh so I
try to do as much as I can to support
my hormones. So that's one of the things. I make

(07:16):
a tea with the stinging nettle and raspberry leaf, alfalfa
and oatstraw.

Speaker 3 (07:23):
You can pronounce things however you want to pronounce things.
I just reserve the right to laugh exactly.

Speaker 2 (07:31):
Yeah, you're my friends. You're allowed to because you know
I'm gonna laugh at you too. So it's okay. We
have a mutual we have a mutual agreement.

Speaker 1 (07:40):
I can't help but wonder which one of us is
more country.

Speaker 2 (07:45):
I don't know. I don't know either, And you know
the bad thing is, I really try to clean it
up for podcasts, so do I.

Speaker 1 (07:56):
Okay, now he yes, might I have a distract behind
me because he's really interested in herbs and foraging and.

Speaker 3 (08:08):
Things like that. So we called his upon his attention.

Speaker 1 (08:12):
Just by all of that, I do need you to
sit down and hill up and stop being distracting. Okay, Well,
he always wants to go forage, and we don't have
a whole lot to forage around here, but like wild onions,
so that's pretty much like all he knows.

Speaker 3 (08:31):
But he is fixing a.

Speaker 1 (08:32):
Turn tin, and he's got a bike that he can
ride up and down the road. And we have a
creek at one end of the road and we have
another creek at the other end of the road. So
I've told him that he can start exploring a little
bit further away from just the yard and see what
he can find out there. So maybe he'll be a
co conspirator in a few years with herbal stuff with us.

Speaker 3 (08:57):
I can't wait. That would be so much which fun.
I agree, I love it. I love that he loves
some of the same things that I love. Yeah, okay,
so what I have over here.

Speaker 1 (09:13):
It says, Uh, historically, stinging nettle has been used to
treat various elements, including authritis, allergies, and urinary track infections.
Modern research suggests that stinging needle may have anti inflammatory, diuretic,
and antihistamine properties.

Speaker 3 (09:30):
You covered all of that.

Speaker 1 (09:33):
Allergy, relieve, joint pain, prostate health. So prostate health was
one that was mentioned over here. Yeah, of course, always
crucial to consult a healthcare professional. And what's funny though,
is that a lot of health care professionals don't know

(09:54):
anything about herbs, and so to save their own skin
and just cover their own bases, they'll tell you to
stay away from everything, just to be on the safe side.

Speaker 3 (10:06):
Yeah, that's the catch twenty two that you get with
all of that.

Speaker 1 (10:10):
Yes, it says you can also process the fibers to
make durable textiles. So again, if society collapses, you might
can use it to make closer roper something.

Speaker 3 (10:24):
I'm not sure.

Speaker 1 (10:25):
I've never actually encountered a plant, so it's funny that
it's considered a weed and you've actually ordered it to
like plant in your garden. But then like I actually
ordered dandelion seeds to plant in my garden, which is
funny because none of them have ever took. There's do
you know you get pink dandelions?

Speaker 2 (10:47):
Yes, I remember seeing I've seen it in a Baker's
Creek catalog. And I remember one of your little videos
that you had done. I say little videos. I don't
mean that in a demeaning way.

Speaker 3 (10:58):
I mean a short.

Speaker 2 (11:00):
I am. I am so terrible with a short, not
a little video.

Speaker 3 (11:07):
It's okay.

Speaker 2 (11:11):
So I saw where you had planet or had ordered them.
I saw, I saw the evidence of the pink dandelions
and one of your videos.

Speaker 3 (11:19):
Yeah, none of them took.

Speaker 1 (11:20):
But I think I think I tried too hard. You
know how dandylions want you to just kind of like
drop them and leave them alone.

Speaker 3 (11:29):
And yeah, I.

Speaker 1 (11:30):
Think I tried too more and too hard. I think
I cared too much. But that's for next next episode. Yeah, fertilizer.
It says that you can make stinging nettle into a
nutrient nutrient rich liquid fertilizer for plants.

Speaker 3 (11:46):
So that's cool.

Speaker 2 (11:48):
I remember now that you bring that up. I remember
seeing some people do that on I think it was TikTok.

Speaker 1 (12:00):
Some people can be allergic, so you know just which
I mean. I imagine that we could be allergic to anything. Yeah,
the ongoing disclaimer for all the videos, you could totally
be allergic to whatever.

Speaker 3 (12:14):
Yeah, that's all I have over here.

Speaker 1 (12:17):
It's not a whole lot of information for me, which
is weird because stinging needle is one of those that
a lot of people use for a lot of things.

Speaker 3 (12:25):
Oh, it's got.

Speaker 1 (12:26):
Iron, calcium, potassium, and vitamins A and C so also
very nutrient dent nutrient dentse nutrient ridge. It has a
earthy flavor, okay, And you can add it to soups
or stews.

Speaker 3 (12:47):
And even pisto. You can make a pesto out of it.

Speaker 2 (12:51):
Hum, that would be different.

Speaker 3 (12:56):
Costa. Yes, alright, that's all I got. You got anything
else I do not? Alright?

Speaker 1 (13:04):
Cool. Well, well we'll go talk about dandylions now, okay,
all right bye,
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