Stinging Nettle

One hot summer day during summer camp at "Indian Village" somewhere in the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California, a group of children were taking a hike through the forest. It was a typical California wilderness, pretty dry but green from pine trees and other botanicals. Through the trees ran a stream that trickled with the water of melted ice from the mountain above. A little girl, about 9 years old, noticed her sunburnt leg started stinging just a little bit more. The pain continued to grow so she mentioned it to one of the camp counselors. They told her she had been stung by Nettle and the pain would go away pretty quickly. The girl had no idea that 20 years later this would become her favorite herb.

Urticia Diocia (Nettle) is a very common plant that can be harvested from the wild in the fall or spring. (For more information on where to find it in the wild click here). In some nutrition savvy cities it can be purchased at the supermarket in the bulk herb section, or from most herb stores. The sting is caused by the tiny hairs on the leaf that contain formic acid, the same acid that ants inject when they bite. This is denatured when the leaves are dried or cooked.

Nettle has one of the highest nutrient profiles I have ever seen. When asked for a vitamin and mineral rich green, most people would think spinach or kale. Nettle has almost 30x the amount of calcium compared to spinach, and 20x the amount of iron (see below). Nettle is also considered an adaptogen, meaning it will balance the adrenals - promoting more energy through the day and better rest at night. Some herbalist believe daily infusions of nettle will cure ANYTHING, including growing parts of the body or organs back.

Nettle is easy to use and tastes delicious! I use to replace a multi-vitamin, as the vitamins and minerals are more easily absorbed than in pill form. To use as a daily infusion: 1 Tablespoon of nettle to 1 cup of cold water. Let sit overnight. Strain in the morning and drink throughout the day. For best results, drink 2-4 (or more) cups per day. Nettle is also delicious in any recipe that would call for cooked spinach such as soufflé, baked into some lasagna or my personal favorite, creamy nettle soup. If you can't get it in your area, Mountain Rose Herbs has a great organic supply.

	RDA	Spinach	Kale	Nettle
Calcium	800	102	206	2900
Magnesium	300	96.8	37.4	860
Iron	18	2.96	1.8	41.8
Potassium	1875-5225	518	244	1750
Vitamin A	4,000 IU	8,920 IU	9,130 IU	15,700 IU
Vitamin C	60	56	102	83
Thiamine	1	.116	.11	.54
Riboflavin	1.2	.22	.2	.43
Niacin	13	.6	1.8	5.2
Chromium	.05-.20			3.9
Cobalt				13.2
Phosphorus	800			447
Zinc	15	.618	.78	4.7
Copper	2-3			+
Manganese	2.5-5	96.8	37.4	860
Selenium	.05-.2			2.2
Sodium	1100-3300	98	47	4.9
Protein	3.6%	5%	10.2%	16.5%