Speed date with nettles; you will either love them or hate them but the more you know, the more you will fall for this one! As an herb:
- Nettles is an excellent diuretic helping to flush the kidneys.
- Being hemostatic and astringent, it helps to tighten and tone tissues and stop bleeding.
- Nettles is an awesome antihistamine, especially when taken long term. It can help eliminate the runny nose and itchy eye symptoms.
- It is a super food loaded with potassium, magnesium, calcium as well as B vitamins making it an ideal tonic. Here are a few of my favorite recipes https://rosebarlowsprodigalgarden.wordpress.com/2015/12/29/nettle-recipes/ The nettles yogurt tonic is so good!
If that isn’t enough to get you interested, nettles have a host of other uses that make it even more alluring.
- Nettles fibers were used to make German uniforms. It takes approximately 40 kg/88 lbs of nettles to produce 1 shirt!
- Nettles fibers can also be used make paper! The fibers are boiled and soaked to clean, soften and separate before they were laid in papermaking frames.
- Flies have a special distaste for nettle. Hang a bunch to keep flying pests away.
- Nettles is great for swollen, achy arthritic joints. Take fresh plant and slap yourself! The formic acid in the nettle sting helps to decrease inflammation.
- Nettles, due to its high mineral content, are a great fertilizer! Mix a bunch of plants in a 5-gallon bucket with a good scoop of horse or cow dung and some water! Let it ferment a week or so, strain and spread on your garden. Works wonders on houseplants too!
- In Great Britain, they hold a Stinging Nettles Eating Competition each year usually in early May. In 2002 Simon Sleigh stuffed 76 feet of stinging nettles down his throat! Here is a link to the actual contest in 2017! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=by0212pJmzg
With some many marvelous qualities in nettles, you can’t help but fall in love with this beauty! Happy Spring!

References:
101 Uses for Stinging Nettles By Piers Warren
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/5gk9p3/english-idiots-hold-annual-stinging-nettle-eating-contest