Friendly Stinging Nettles
Many gardeners who have suffered through an encounter with Stinging Nettles recall unpleasant memories and wouldn’t dream of planting this weed anywhere near their yard or gardens.
But there are a few good reasons to reconsider those aversions to this unpopular plant.
The Good and Bad of Stinging Nettles
One redeeming quality which you’ve probably already assumed since I’m writing about it, is that Stinging Nettles is a nutritious edible weed that offers many healthful benefits to those brave enough to include it in their diet. In addition this hostile plant actually makes a great companion around the garden and is reputed to improve the growth and flavor of other vegetable and herb plants.
Most of the bad press received by Stinging Nettles is a result of the fact that the plant will literally “sting” anyone that makes the mistake of innocently brushing up against it. While not as painful as a bee sting, the overall experience could be much worse for anyone who accidentally wanders into a patch of Nettles in shorts before realizing what they’ve gotten themselves into.
If you look closely at the plant you’ll notice tiny hair-like bristles extending from the stems and parts of the plants heart-shaped leaves. These fibers release formic acid and are the source of the skin irritation and pain that you’ll experience if you even lightly brush up against this anti-social edible weed.
Brief contact with Stinging Nettles is an irritation that some find more invigorating than painful, unless of course you happen to be especially sensitive or allergic to the plant’s defensive acids. In that case you may receive some relief by applying the crushed stems of Jewelweed, or a poultice made from leaves of Curly Dock or Common Plantain.
Beneficial Uses for Stinging Nettles
As mentioned previously, Stinging Nettles is an edible weed that can be cooked and served as a leafy green vegetable or used as a soup ingredient. Cooking the plant or thoroughly drying it breaks down the stinging fiber strands that would otherwise make eating this plant impossible.
While it is perfectly edible, and some really enjoy the taste of freshly cooked Nettles, I don’t include it in the same company with delectable edible weeds such as my favorite Lambs Quarters. Stinging Nettles are nutritious and high in various vitamins, minerals, and other health promoting compounds.
Stinging Nettles can be dried and used to prepare a medicinal tea, the plant is also used as an ingredient in cosmetics such as hair care products. There’s a significant history of medicinal uses for this plant whether as a tea, ointment, or as a supplement ingested in capsule form. Other uses have included dye production, as a fiber plant for producing paper or clothing, and for beer making.
Stinging Nettles in the Home Garden
Caution should be taken whenever growing or handling Stinging Nettles in the home garden. I’ve never had a problem confining and controlling the spread of Stinging Nettles, but have read complaints from other gardeners that struggled with preventing Nettles from becoming an invasive weed in their gardens.
If you’re interested in growing Stinging Nettles my recommendation would be to plant a patch away from the garden beds or in an area where its growth can be restricted by natural barriers, such as a wide walkway, or by mowing around it. Another safe option would be to grow this edible weed in containers. The easiest way to get started is to transplant a couple of roots or runners from established plants.
While the claims are difficult to verify, Nettles have a reputation as being a great companion plant that promotes higher produce yields and is also reputed to increase the oil content of medicinal and culinary herbs which grown nearby.
Biodynamic Agriculture has long used Stinging Nettles as an ingredient for creating rich healthy compost, and for brewing tea formulations which are sprayed onto crops as a growth enhancer or to control insects. Stinging Nettles are also considered to be a good nurse crop for attracting beneficial insects to the organic garden.
Other Related Vegetable Gardening Posts:
July 24th, 2006 at 3:52 pm
I’ve got those nasty plants around my garden too, never knew what they were called. I would appreciate more information about what to do once you get picked by this plant, I already have and avoid them at all costs, they rule until I get my gloves and shears out. I wish you would talk more like you are dealing with some novice gardeners because I didn’t at all understand which plant can relieve the sting, a crushed stem of “jewelweed” or poultice made of… My big question is… Is there something over-the-counter you can buy instead of using these plants you mentioned? What I got from your article, the only thing, was a deep sense of satifaction knowing we can eat those buggers if we had to.
July 24th, 2006 at 4:23 pm
Lisa, the ironic thing is that you can usually find plants like Jewelweed and Plantain growing in the same area as Stinging Nettles, offering quick and easy relief that’s free for the picking. A good wild plant or common weed field guide will help you to become familiar with these plants. Jewelweed is also used on Poison Ivy and crushed Plantain leaves can be applied to ease the pain from bee stings. I can’t recommend an over-the-counter medication, but the discomfort from an encounter with Stinging Nettles normally disappears within an hour or two in many cases, and I’ve never heard of the irritation lasting longer than a day so.
July 24th, 2006 at 5:19 pm
Thanks for your info. , I know there are many plants out there that we consider as weeds but can and are beneficial to us. Unfortunately, in my garden, I have to pull out everything that I didn’t plant. I am currently living with a major infestation of mint, which has started taking over my garden, thanks to my neighbour who started growing the mint without any barriers. We’ve got a fence between our gardens but the mint is a major problem if you don’t start growing it properly. I also have a groundhog who moved into the neighbours’ and my garden. I was standing in my neighbour’s garden the other day, admiring how big their bean plants were compared to mine. I looked around the corner towards their lettuce patch, and not two feet from me was a groundhog sitting comfortably, it had a bunch of my neighbours lettuce hanging out of his mouth, he looked like he was really enjoying munching his meal
Groundhogs are stubborn, he will not leave as long as there is food in both our gardens. We’ll have to try to cage him and bring him far, far away. This animal doesn’t belong living in town. But he did try to make a home in one of the best gardens in town……
May 11th, 2007 at 4:20 pm
I deliberately moved some stinging nettles into my garden, after 2 months last year of walking to the woods and coming home with bags full. I felt great! And the soup tasted good.
Picking: wear gloves (leather, not permeable) and bring a knife. I chopped off the top 4-8″ and let it fall into the pail. Back home, I rinsed it and removed stray grasses and leaves (not too many). Then I threw it into a soup pot with water. After cooking I blendered it.
Any soup designed for greens will probably work. My two:
Soup A: features cheese – use any leftover chunks and bits – also some onions or wild onions, and salt/tamari/Bragg’s.
Soup B: main addition is nutritional yeast; onions or other flavors are good, something salty essential.
Sometimes I added cooked potatoes (to either)before blendering; they make the soup creamier.
I did write these recipes down but they are not at home.
This is not an “if necessary” it is one of the most desirable foods you can find.
Soup
February 17th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
According to books I’ve read, Nettles are beneficial to the liver. As the liver has multiple effects the whole body, one might use this plant for a wide variety of ailments. I used a different variant of nettles while in the caribbean. I found them useful for my health.
February 28th, 2008 at 9:52 am
Wow that is amazing, I have never read about such interesting plants. I have seen some fairly interesting plants at fumigate.ca but nothing like I have seen here. How common are those plants?
February 28th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Jasmine, it’s not easy to say how common these plants such as stinging nettles, watercress, asparagus, horsetail, etc. are, and how often they can be found growing wild. It partly depends on where you live but once you develop an eye for spotting them and become familiar with wild plants and edible weeds you will find them popping up in places that you never would have expected.
June 2nd, 2008 at 1:48 am
Hello from New Zealand, I have just read the article on stinging nettles. I love them to bits for eating… I have to have a big helping every day. I also love them in smoothies, but I do wonder… will they be stinging my insides as they are taken in the raw state???!! Can anyone tell me???!!!
June 2nd, 2008 at 1:57 am
This is siberianwolf again! I forgot to tick the box allowing me to be notified when there is a comment posted.
June 2nd, 2008 at 3:02 am
Hmmm, that’s a good question… never heard that one before and I never would have considered eating stinging nettles in their raw state. Sounds like you haven’t noticed any irritation from consuming your nettle smoothies, so it could be that the blending and crushing of the plant fibers breaks down the stinging properties just like cooking does… but that’s just a guess on my part, I can’t say for certain! Anyone else with any information regarding consuming raw stinging nettles? I think I’ll stick with cooking this wild edible plant!
June 3rd, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Hi Kenny from a chilly but sunny wintery (straight off Antarctica!) morning. Many thanks for your reply! No! I have not noticed any internal irritation at all. I just rinse the nettles and throw them in with whatever else I am smoothying! They are delicious with pineapple and or pear….whatever takes your fancy. I use a very big hanful of nettles. I must say that I love the nettles steamed with mushrooms, steamed chestnuts and mandarins… its to die for. In fact you have just talked me into making that for lunch today! Come on Kenny…I challenge you to down a nettle smoothie and I’d like to hear your comments! Are you up for it???????
June 28th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Do stinging nettles lose their ability to sting?
I ask because this year I have been going to the same old yearly patch of stinging needles in my woods. I wanted to pick them to make my own homemade hair rinse but they seem to have lost their stinging abilities this year so I figure something is wrong with them so I leave them be.