Nettle, otherwise known as “Stinging Nettle”, grows all over the Okanagan Valley! This wide-ranging plant, best known for how it makes your skin feel if you accidentally brush past it, has an amazing array of beneficial uses in human daily life. It is best harvested while wearing long-sleeves and long pants or jeans, fully-enclosed footwear and gloves. Garden sheers can help trim only the parts of the plant you want. If you are in a zone where someone absolutely wants the plant gone, taking the entire plant roots and all will help both you and the property owner. Side note: take care with root intake however, that you are aware it will increase testosterone levels. This is generally not a good thing for women of any age, and men with certain conditions one can learn about by visiting their doctor.
Doing a quick google search will reveal various uses for nettle covering everything from shampoo and conditioner ingredients for those who suffer dandruff problems (think of it like a natural Head & Shoulders treatment), to beauty regimens, food recipes and more.
The seeds of the nettle plant are very similar to fennel both in flavour and in usage in foods, smoothies, teas, you name it. The leaves of the nettle plant get used in not just food and tea, but all the uses mentioned in the google search as well.
This versatile plant has a number of nutritional components:
Minerals – iron, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, boron, strontium
Vitamins – A, C, K, and B vitamins
Phytonutrients – chlorophyll, beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, quercetin, rutin
(as compiled by motherearthnews.com, see their sources at the end of the article listed below)
Some people like to take dried leaves and steep them overnight to make a thick, creamy infusion that many say has a texture similar to milk. One person actually calls it their “green milk” drink that they have every morning. With a list of nutritional data such as above, it’s no wonder many treat it as a daily suppliment.
We include it in our tea precisely because of the many nutritional benefits this plant has, as well as for the flavour and texture it lends to the teas we add it to.
See the links below for examples of uses and benefits mentioned here:
http://firstways.com/2013/01/07/stinging-nettle-is-dandruff-shampoo/
http://hungerandthirstforlife.blogspot.ca/2013/02/dried-nettle-pasta.html
https://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-health/nettle-tea-benefits-zbcz1506
