An Ode to Nettles

Or why I became a Nettle Witch

After reading the title, you may be wondering, “what’s the deal with the nettles?” I love misunderstood plants in general, but nettles foremost among them. Nettles are a powerhouse of nutrition, medicine (even the sting is medicinal!), practical uses, spiritual messages, and folklore. 

Nettle became one of my favorite plants when it helped me solve a problem. I breastfed my daughters for quite a long time, so when I returned to running postpartum, my nutrient supplies hadn’t caught up. I found myself repeatedly struggling with leg cramps. Nettles came to my rescue. I would take about ¼ cup of nettle leaves, pour 1 quart of boiling water over it and let this steep for 4 to 8 hours. In herbalism, this is called an infusion. It’s incredibly nutritious, and solved my cramp problems quite quickly. Some like to add some lemon and honey or maple syrup to make the earthiness more palatable, but I think it’s pretty tasty straight up. I also loved this drink during my second pregnancy when I was tired of drinking plain water all the time. 

Nutritional Benefits

Nettles are one of the best plant sources of protein. They also contain calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, a wide variety of B vitamins, and vitamin A. 

That being said, they’re not a fit for all populations. People who take warfarin to thin their blood will need to exercise caution and avoid nettles or consume a consistent amount each day, because nettles contain vitamin K, which can interfere with warfarin’s effectiveness. 

Fear not, you won’t get stung eating cooked nettles, and I have found that thoroughly blending nettles in smoothies can neutralize the sting of nettles too (though be sure it’s thoroughly blended—stings of the mouth are even more unpleasant than those on the hands). I’ll be including some favorite nettle related recipes in the notes section of my Substack coming up, but some light Googling will find recipes for nettle pesto, nettle pasta, nettle beer, and sauteed mixed greens with nettles. I also enjoy a Persian-inspired frittata with nettle greens. 

Medicinal Effects

Medicinally, nettles are proven to lower blood sugar, reduce inflammation, reduce the risk of cancer, fight infection, reduce pain, reduce cholesterol, and prevent Alzheimer’s. All of these effects have been found in research studies involving extracts from the leaves and roots of nettles. Stinging nettle has been shown to slow prostate growth associated with prostate enlargement and prostate cancer. Nettles stimulate insulin secretion resulting in decreased blood sugar. Nettles are useful for arthritis and chronic muscle pains. Nettle tea has also been shown to effectively treat gout, in fact, an extract from the root behaves very similarly to a medication called indomethacin, which is one of the most common medications used to treat acute gout flares. Regularly drinking nettle tea lowers blood pressure. Nettles have been found to treat pain in mice and rats. They also have potent antiviral effects, including on HIV, RSV, and CMV. Nettle leaf tea also improves breast milk supply, reduces cramps and bloating during menstruation, and can act as a restorative for women approaching menopause. 

I can personally attest to the benefit of stinging nettle tincture (stinging nettle leaves soaked in alcohol for weeks to extract their medicinal compounds) for seasonal allergies (and there is medical evidence to back this up). After a recent car accident, the most effective anti-inflammatory for my neck pain was stinging my neck with stinging nettle, by picking fresh nettle and rubbing it on my neck. The sting contains formic acid, acetylcholine, serotonin, and histamine. I was inspired to try this after hearing ethnobotanist Linda Black Elk describe the traditional practice for the Dakota is to pick nettle by hand, both as an offering of reciprocity to the plant and because it can prevent arthritis in the hands. 

Cultural Uses

In addition to its food and medicinal uses, nettles are also used to make fiber and rope, and play a role in food production and pest control. Where I live, the Dakota have traditionally used nettle fibers to craft fishing nets. This is not unique to North America, in fact, nettle is native to Europe and Asia. There, people have used nettles to weave fibers for more thant 2,000 years. Nettle cloth is known to be extremely durable. To make these fibers, individuals harvest nettle stalks in late autumn (usually in November, in Minnesota and Wisconsin) after several freezes because the sting is no longer present and the plant is dormant for the winter. According to Margaret Baker in Discovering the Folklore of Plants, "Nettle oil preceded paraffin; the juice curdled milk and helped to make Cheshire cheese; nettle juice seals leaky barrels; nettles drive frogs from beehives and flies from larders; nettle compost encourages ailing plants; and fruits packed in nettle leaves retain their bloom and freshness.”

Nettle plays an important role in stories both in Europe and in North America. In the Pacific Northwest, there is a indigenous story of using nettle tea and nettle stings to become “strong for the ancestors, strong for the people, and strong for those yet to come.” (Check out this video for more.)

Nettles in Story and Spirituality

In Hans Christian Anderson’s literary fairy tale “The Wild Swans,” the heroine’s brothers have been turned into swans by their stepmother. She must weave shirts for her brothers out of nettles to turn them back to humans, but if she utters a word, they will all die. She completes all but the final sleeve for the final brother before she runs out of time, so they all return to human form, except that the youngest brother has a swan’s wing instead of one arm. In Norse mythology, Thor’s fishing nets are made from nettle fiber. For the Celts, stands of nettle indicate that fairies are nearby and the nettle sting protects against fairy mischief and black magic. 

Folk tales around the world show nettles in use in women’s domestic magic for strength, protection, and healing—for people and the earth. That resonates with my experience with the spirit of this plant too. As a doctor, this is obviously not science-based, but as an animist, I believe that plants, stones, winds, waters have their own spirits, and if we listen to them, we can appreciate the world on different time frames, receive inspiration or healing messages, and feel a deep connection to the life all around us. When I recently reached out to nettle more formally (this involves a sort of imaginative meditation/visualization), they gave me a warm welcome along the lines of, “Welcome, we’ve been expecting for you.” Within those meditations a clear, fully formed idea of how to conduct the ritual I mentioned last week arrived in my mind. Oftentimes, in my meditations with plants I have more of a feeling than a clear idea. Nettle offered a deep reassurance that I am on the right path and operating with right timing and encouraged me to be patient and not rush things (Nothing extraordinary, or is it? Don’t we all need that reassurance from time to time). Those who work with flower essences use nettle flower essence to bolster our ability to stand tall and speak our truth in heated situations without holding onto resentment. They also use it to aid transformation as we remember who we truly are and our connection to all of life. 

Nettle is a potent ally in healing, both physically and emotionally. Its sting prompts us to slow down, observe, and proceed with caution. At the same time, it reminds us that sometimes the poison contains potent medicine as well. Nettle has been studied well enough that we know its healing powers are proven, and beyond science, nettle can provide powerful spiritual and cultural healing, too.