Stinging Nettles

BENEFITS OF STINGING NETTLE
The leaves, stems and roots of the stinging nettle plant all have medicinal value. In this post we’ll be focusing on how to harvest and store the leaves.

Stinging nettle is rich in vitamins A, C, D, K, as well as B complex vitamins, and it’s also rich in many minerals including iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, iodine, sulfur, silicon and silica.

Nettle has been used for centuries to treat a wide variety of conditions. Some uses include: To detoxify the body, boost immune health, improve energy levels, increase circulation, improve metabolic efficiency, treat anemia, relieve arthritis, rheumatism, and muscular pain, manage menstruation, minimize menopausal symptoms, regulate hormonal activity, promote lactation, stimulate hair growth, treat bladder infections, treat enlarged prostates, regulate blood sugar in diabetics, protect gallbladder and kidney health, treat gingivitis, provide asthma relief, treat hemorrhoids, relieve water retention, increase muscle mass, lower inflammation, prevent hay fever symptoms, heal skin conditions (e.g., acne and prevent bacterial infections), improve respiratory conditions, and lower blood pressure. That’s a long list!

Compresses made with nettle tea or powdered dried nettles are also used to treat wounds, burns, warts and stings.

Stinging nettle is also an herb commonly found in skin and hair products because of its high silica and sulfur content; nettle is known to make your skin clearer and your hair shinier.

Stinging nettle is also exceptionally high in protein, more than any other vegetable! And as a direct comparison between nettle and spinach, 10 grams of raw nettle contains 290 milligrams of calcium and 86 milligrams of magnesium whereas 10 grams of raw spinach has 10 milligrams of calcium and 8 milligrams of magnesium. Convinced yet? For a high-protein, low-calorie food source that’s packed full of nutrients, vitamins and minerals, stinging nettle is virtually unbeatable.

Frankly, if it weren’t for the fact that they sting and thus make harvesting more challenging than other leafy greens, stinging nettle would be available in every grocery store’s produce aisle (you can find them now at some farmer’s markets). And it would probably be far more popular among health nuts than kale is for its superior nutritional value.