Immune Boosting Nettle - Whats not to Love?

It’s that time of the year when almost everywhere you look there are green shoots and new plants pushing up through the soil. One of the very first to show up is the humble nettle (urtica dioica). Most of us will know the nettle on sight as we’ve probably had lots of experience with it down through the years, as we learned to avoid its, sometimes nasty, sting. I know myself I was aware of it from a very young age.

In Celtic lore, thick stands of nettles indicate that there are fairy dwellings close by, and the sting of the nettle protects against fairy mischief, black magic, and other forms of sorcery.

Most herbalists and foragers get very excited at the first sign of the nettle as it is such a fantastic herb to have in your kitchen. It has a variety of culinary uses, which I’ll discuss later, but as nettle stems are fibrous they have been used for making fabric, cord, baskets, rugs, fish nets, and paper. I use it in my business for dyeing my silk ribbons that I wrap my gift boxes and soap stacks with.

Why is nettle good for you?

Nettle is an amazing superfood! It’s high in protein, calcium, magnesium, iron, selenium, zinc, potassium, boron, vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K, bioflavonoids, antioxidants, essential fatty acids, and chlorophyll.
Nettle is an incredible tonic for the liver and kidneys and the digestive system as a whole. It’s a great way to kick start your body in Spring after a long Winter.
Some studies have suggested that stinging nettles may reduce hay fever symptoms. Test-tube research shows that stinging nettle extracts can inhibit inflammation that can trigger seasonal allergies This includes blocking histamine receptors and stopping immune cells from releasing chemicals that trigger allergy symptoms. More studies are needed however in this area.
Used it in times of depletion, it can help restore vitality or when extra nourishment is called for such as during pregnancy and breast feeding.
Nettle has been used down through the centuries by our ancestors to relieve the symptoms of all sorts of ailments but one thing is for sure and that is that including nettle regularly in your diet, especially at this time of year, can help support your immune system and keep your body healthy.

Nettle growing alongside other early Spring arrivals, cleavers and bind weed, under a hedge

Picking & Harvesting nettle Safely

You will find nettle growing in just about all kinds of environments. In fact, you possibly have a patch growing in your own garden. I have a big patch growing just over the back wall of my garden so have an endless supply. Its important when picking any wild plants to make sure you are picking from an area you know has not been sprayed with chemicals. Also, make sure not to pick all the plants from one area. Pick a few stalks from a plant and move on to another area. You should leave as much for the bees and the plant itself, to grow & reproduce, as you pick for yourself.

I think most of us will know a nettle when we see it but if not, nettles grow in dense clusters, and stalks can reach 5-8 feet at maturity. Leaves are about 2-5 inches long with jagged edges, found in opposing pairs along the upper half of the stalk. Leaves are pointed at the tips, with a heart-shaped base and indented veins. The plant will have small “hairs” up the stalk and stems. (This is where the sting comes from!)Young plants will have smaller, heart-shaped leaves with a purple hue, while mature plants have longer, pointed leaves that appear very green.

Leaves are pointed at the tips, with a heart-shaped base and indented veins.

The best time to harvest nettles is the first few weeks after they come up in the spring, before they grow to be a foot tall. Wearing gloves, pick the first two or three pairs of leaves from the tops of plants. Carefully place nettles into a paper bag or basket for transport. Nettles can still be harvested into summer, but keep in mind the top few pairs of leaves will be most tender, and stalks and stems will be very fibrous. Wash well before using. Once nettle is cooked or dried the sting is no longer active.

What can I make using Nettle?

You can use nettle as you would any green such as spinach or kale. It can be used in a soup or stew or sautéed with some garlic and onion to serve as a side dish. You can check out my favourite nettle soup recipe over on my Instagram page. You’ll find it on my Highlights, under Foraging.
One of the easiest ways to use nettle is as a tea. Dry your nettle leaves, after you’ve washed them, until bone dry. I put them in a tray in my hotpress for a few days. Once dried you can store them in a jar. Use 1 to 2 tsps of dried nettle per mug of hot water. Not only will you get all the vitamins & minerals straight into your mug but you will get the astringent and diuretic benefits too.
Make a nettle infused vinegar. Fill a jar to half full with dried nettle (make sure the leaves are bone dry or your vinegar will turn rancid) and top up with a good organic cider vinegar. If your jar has a metal lid put a couple of squares of greaseproof paper on top before putting the lid on. Leave for 4-6 weeks, strain and bottle. Use as a salad dressing or take a tbsp every day in hot water as a health tonic.
Make a pesto. I’m not one for measurements when making things like pesto. Take a good handful of washed nettle (some dandelion leaves or wild garlic would be a good addition here too) and blanch them for about 60 seconds in lightly boiling water. Put them straight into cold water and then pat dry on a tea towel. Put into your food processor with some toasted pine nuts, grated Parmesan, a splash of good extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice and blitz. Will keep in the fridge for a week or also freezes well.

One of my favourite ways to use nettle is to make a syrup. I’m going to share my basic recipe with you below. Give it a go, its super easy and delicious.

My own mother swears by this nettle syrup to help ease her allergies and she finds that if she takes it as soon as the first symptoms appear, it knocks them on the head completely. Taking nettle daily before the beginning of the ‘allergy season’ is long believed to help reduce the symptoms of hay fever and seasonal allergies.

Nettle Syrup (makes approx. 750ml)

800ml water, 200g nettle tops, 800g soft brown sugat, 2-4 tbsps lemon juice

Put the water and nettle in a saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer for 40 mins. Take off the heat and strain through a sieve or muslin cloth, squeezing all the liquid out. Measure the liquid and for every millimeter adds one gram of sugar (eg 500g of sugar for 500ml liquid). Place the liquid and sugar back in the saucepan, bring almost to the boil (liquid should be steaming), reduce the heat and leave for a half an hour, giving an odd stir. Do not let it boil at this stage. Take off the heat, add one tbsp. of lemon juice for every 200ml of syrup. Allow to cool and store in sterilised bottles. I’ve found this keeps well for at least a year, stored in a dark cupboard. Once opened, store in the fridge and use within a couple of weeks. You can take a spoonful every day as a tonic, use to make a cordial by diluting with sparkling water, drizzle on your porridge/pancakes or use as the base for a spring inspired cocktail!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this introduction to the humble nettle and you will give at least one of these suggestions a try while they are so abundantly available.