1. Good Organic Gardening - January-February 2016

A plant with attitude
Stinging nettle / Urtica spp.
Why would you grow something with “sting” in its
name? Because it has a multitude of health benefits,
tastes good and grows like a weed
Words Kerry Boyne
There’s hardly a weed that hasn’t been
used as food by someone, somewhere.
Fennel, which grows in wild profusion
all over Sicily, its bright yellow flowers
a harbinger of spring, is central to Sicilian cuisine.
The Cretans use everything from endives and
beet leaves to wild rocket and dandelion greens
in their cooking. Other weeds commonly used as
food include wild celery, watercress, purslane and
borage. And then there’s nettle.
Familiarly known as stinging nettle — the
fluid in the barb-like hairs on its leaves and stem
can inflict a temporary sting — nettle occurs in
Australia as native scrub nettle (Urtica incisa)
and in introduced European varieties U. dioica
(large leaf) and U. urens (small leaf).
The sting is intense but short-lived and can
be relieved by the application of the juice of the
plant itself, though that may involve more stings.
Calamine lotion or even urine can help. The
stinging hairs, or trichomes, are neutralised by
cooking or drying.
Like any self-respecting weed, nettle will
quickly colonise a fertile area such as a cow
paddock and its presence is a sure indication of
good soil. Livestock won’t eat this nutritious crop,
however, probably because of the sting. They
don’t know what they’re missing.
Nettle attracts moths and butterflies, which
feed on it during the larval stage, and is said to
repel flies as well as have a beneficial effect on
other plants such as fruiting trees.
In northern Europe, nettle — like flax and
hemp — was once widely used as a thread to
make everything from clothes to sails and can
even produce green and yellow dyes. Due to a
cotton shortage, it was used to make uniforms
for the German army during the Great War; more
recently, in some European countries, it’s starting
to make a comeback as a textile.
Culinary uses
Nettle is high in vitamins A, C, D and potassium,
manganese and calcium, with more iron than
spinach, to which it has a similar taste. It can
be used in pesto, soups and purees, added to
polenta and smoothies, decocted as a tea or
cordial and, in parts of rural Britain, even brewed
as beer.
The plant is also used in some cheeses,
such as Gouda and Cornish Yarg, as part of
the filling (along with other greens) in Albanian
börek and in some northern Indian, Kashmiri
and Nepalese dishes.
It’s best to use the young leaves before the
plant flowers and sets seed. By then the leaves
may develop tiny gritty calcium carbonate
particles called cystoliths, which can irritate the
uninary tract and even damage the kidneys.
Medicinal uses
Nettle’s history as a folk medicine is long and
diverse. In ancient Greece it was prescribed as a
laxative and diuretic and even today its roots are
approved by the German Commission E as
a remedy for UTIs and prostate conditions. It may
also assist as a blood, liver and kidney tonic.
Aside from the roots, the parts above ground
have been used to treat kidney stones, urinary
complaints, allergies, hay fever, osteoarthritis,
diabetes and poor circulation. It can be applied
as a poultice for muscle aches or used as a
conditioner to control dandruff.
Nettle Tea
Place about 12 fresh leaves (thoroughly
washed first) or a tablespoon of dried
leaves in 1L of water. Bring to the boil
and simmer for about 15 minutes. Strain
and add honey if desired. Serve hot or
refrigerate and drink cold.
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