Stinging Nettle
Urtica Dioica
Being one of my all time favourite wild foods, I thought it was about time that I dedicated a post to it. Abundant, delicious, versatile, easy to identify and healthy too.
Even the nettle sting itself has been said to ease pain and help treat certain ailments- see Eat Weeds' Robin Harford's video below.
The use of stinging nettles encompasses textiles and fibre, medicine, food and drink and are a larval food plant for many species of butterflies and moths.
Fresh stinging nettle leaves contain about 5.5% protein, which is high for a leafy green and mature leaves contain about 40% alpha-Linolenic acid (an omega 3 acid).
Take some care when eating stinging nettles, as when the nettle reaches it's flowering a seeding stages, the leaves develop particles called cystoliths which can irritate the urinary tract.
Stinging Nettle has been proven in it's ability to aid in the treatment of a range of ailments:
- Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) & Urinary Issues
- Osteoarthritis and Joint Pain
- Hay Fever
- Bleeding
- Eczema
- Cardiovascular
- Burn wounds
- Diabetes
- Anaemia
Not only is the plant beneficial to be eaten as a food stuff, but the sting has been said to have
The components of the sting of a Stinging Nettle are as follows:
- Histamine
- Acetylcholine
- Serotonin
- Formic acid
- Tartaric acid
- Oxalic Acid
Sources:
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