Good Medicine and Healthy Eating: Stinging Nettle
Otherwise known as Urtica dioica the stinging nettle is originally a Eurasian plant. It is also a fitting name as the plant has formic acid in its leaf hairs – giving anyone who touches them with bare skin an uncomfortable burning sting. Stinging nettles are now found throughout the world and are abundant in Coast Salish territory and all over Vancouver Island. Look for it at trail edges, near ponds and in open meadows where there has been some rainfall and a splash of sun.
Stinging nettles are full of vitamins and minerals, and were a key fresh food source for Coast Salish people. They have long been used as medicine too – the leaves can be used to treat acne, eczema, diarrhea, intestinal worms and urinary tract infections.
Nettles were also boiled into a tea and drank as a childbirth aid by increasing milk production, hastening labour and relaxing the muscles. The plant’s long fibres were transformed into cord and fishing line.
Springtime is the recommended time to harvest, when the plants are still small and tender. The leaves, stems, and roots can all be harvested. Be sure to wear gloves and long sleeves when harvesting to avoid injury and keep your gloves on when it comes to preparing the nettles too! Use scissors to snip off the top 4 inches of the nettle plant as this will allow the plant to continue growing for later harvesting.
Cooking with Nettles
They taste a bit like spinach and are packed with the vitamins and minerals that are so good for the body. Boiling or steaming stinging nettles removes the sting. Steam the leaves for 4 minutes and enjoy with butter and lemon as a side dish or use to stuff pasta (ricotta nettle ravioli is wonderful!).
They can also be dried (on a rack, or in the oven on very low heat) and then used to make tea – just cover 4-5 dried leaves with boiling water and steep for a few minutes.