Stinging Nettle — The Most Nutritious Plant On Earth?

Hey everyone, I'm Adam Harriton from Learn Your Land, and in this video, I'm going to be discussing one of my favorite wild plants, which is this one right here, Stinging Nettle Urtica dioica. This is one of my favorite wild plants. It was one of the first ones that I was introduced to early on in my foraging days. And whenever I first discovered this plant in the wild, I brought some of it home and transplanted it into a little wild garden that I was tending outside my home. It was really neat to watch this plant mature season after season, year after year, and really turn into a beautiful colony. And even to this day, whenever I do discover Stinging Nettle in the wild, there's never a time when I see it where I'm not really excited. So needless to say, it still holds a very special place in my heart. And in this video, what we're going to do is talk all things Stinging Nettle, including what causes it to sting you and what can we do to mitigate some of that sting. We're going to talk about the identification, of course, nutritional benefits, medicinal benefits, including brand new research, so you definitely want to pay attention to that. We're going to talk about how to properly process this plant for consumption and a whole lot more. So stay tuned. Without any further introduction on my part, let's dig deeply into the wonderful wild world of Stinging Nettle. So let's address the sting of Stinging Nettle really quickly, because I think the image that comes to mind whenever most people hear the two words Stinging Nettle is a plant that's a nuisance and a plant that's best to be avoided because of the sting. Now that's unfortunate because there is a whole lot of edible value and medicinal value and a lot of useful properties beyond those when it comes to Stinging Nettle. So we shouldn't really avoid the plant entirely if we're looking to optimize nutrition and we're looking to connect with a very medicinal plant in our ecosystem. So there are stinging hairs all throughout the Stinging Nettle plant, mainly on the stem, on the leaf petioles, and on the leaf surfaces, both on the top and the bottom, depending on the species. And botanically, these hairs are known as trichomes, and they act like hypodermic needles. So whenever a human being brushes up against these hairs, whenever they're mature, there's a silica tip that breaks off, and these trichomes almost act like hypodermic needles that pierce the skin. They pierce the skin and actually inject a chemical cocktail of various compounds. And there are various neurotransmitters and acids that are injected into the skin. Neurotransmitters like acetylcholine, histamine, serotonin, yes, that feel-good chemical serotonin is injected into you, and it can cause an irritation. Various acids, like formic acid, tartaric acid, and oxalic acid. Now there are many ways to mitigate these things, and if you harvest a plant at the right time, you probably won't get stung at all, and we are going to address all these concerns as we work our way through the video. Stinging Nettle belongs to the family Erdicaceae. And worldwide, there are about 54 genera and over 2,600 species. Here in North America, we only have about 6 genera. And this family mainly describes plants that are herbaceous, they've got simple leaves, and leaves that are opposite one another. In most cases. Not always. We're going to talk about a look-alike that does not have the oppositely arranged leaves. But at least in the case of stinging nettle and many of the other plants in the family, they've got opposite leaves that are simple. Here in Pennsylvania, we have two species in the genus Erdica. We have stinging nettle, Erdica dioica. We also have Erdica urans. Erdica urans is mainly found in the southeastern portion of the state. That's an annual plant. But here in western Pennsylvania, we really see Erdica dioica. Now what's interesting is that there are two subspecies of Erdica dioica, stinging nettle. We have subspecies dioica, which is native to Europe. So it's non-native here to the United States. And that one has chordate-shaped leaf bases, so heart-shaped leaf bases, and the stinging hairs are both in the top and the bottom of the leaves. The subspecies gracilis is native to the United States. It does not really have prominent chordate leaf-shaped bases, so it doesn't look like it's heart-shaped at the base. And the stinging hairs are mainly confined to the bottom of the leaves. So Erdica dioica, subspecies dioica, native to Europe. Erdica dioica, subspecies gracilis, native to the United States. They're both stinging nettle, though. They're both the same species. We can both use them in the same exact way. Stinging nettle is a perennial plant that can grow to be rather large. So when it's mature, it can reach heights of two meters, which is about six and a half feet. And it can get even larger than that. Now it grows in dense colonies connected by underground rhizomes. And if you look at this specimen right here, you'll see that this is the aerial portion right here. And then here is a portion of the underground rhizome. And these are the roots that are shooting off from the underground rhizome, which is the underground stem. And this is how most of the colonies are connected. When you look at the aerial portion, you'll see that the leaves are opposite one another. They're directly across from each other, almost like a cross. They're not staggered left-right, left-right. They're not alternate, but they're directly opposite one another. And this is a characteristic that is very common for members of the Erdicaaceae family. And the leaves are coarsely toothed, so they're serrated. They're not completely smooth around. You'll see that there are many teeth around here. They're not very fine like you might see in a birch tree, but they're more coarsely toothed all the way around. And you will see shades of green and purple. And the purple is really prominent when the plant is young. So it's late March right now, approaching early April, and you'll usually see some of these purple tints, especially on the underside of the leaves. So notice on the top, it's dark green. But in the bottom, if you can see it right here, you'll see some of those purple-reddish hues. Now you'll typically find stinging nettle almost anywhere in North America. Usually you'll see it in sunny openings, frequently along streams, creeks, and in other wet places. But you'll also see it in fields and farms, along fence rows, and in disturbed areas like empty lots. And one of the key identifying features that I just mentioned is that it does typically grow in sunny openings. Because one of its lookalikes is the wood nettle, Laportia canadensis. And honestly, whenever people will talk about stinging nettle, I get the feeling that a lot of them are referring to wood nettle, Laportia canadensis, because that plant typically grows in the understory. It likes partial shade or shaded areas. So if you're walking through the woods and it's a shaded area and you're getting stung by a plant, it could be the wood nettle, Laportia canadensis. Also that plant has alternately arranged leaves. So left, right, left, right, all the way up the stalk. It doesn't have opposite leaves like you would see in stinging nettle. This one has opposite leaves. But wood nettle has alternately arranged leaves. Regardless, that one is edible. There's another lookalike, which is the false nettle, Boumeria cylindrica. That one does not have stinging hairs, but it superficially resembles stinging nettle. So that one has opposite leaves as well, but does not have stinging hairs. The wood nettle has stinging hairs. That one will sting you. It's got a pretty potent sting as well. But that one has alternately arranged leaves. So let's talk about the nutritional and medicinal profile of stinging nettle. Stinging nettle is one of the most nutritious plants in the habitats where it grows. One of the reasons that I first got introduced to stinging nettle and why I became obsessed with it early on was because I discovered how nutritious this plant could be. And according to authors like Sam Thayer, without the stinging hairs, this plant would be obliterated by herbivores almost immediately. That's how nutritious it is, and that's why it does have these trichomes, perhaps to defend off herbivores that know how nutritious this plant is. So nutritionally speaking, this plant is very high in protein. About 30% dry mass of the leaves, some people say up to 40%, is protein. So very high in protein. Also minerals, we're looking at non-heme iron, very high source of non-heme iron, calcium and magnesium, carotenoids, so we're talking about the vitamins now, and vitamin C, one of the richest sources of vitamin C that we have out here in the wild. About 238 milligrams of vitamin C per 100 grams of tissue. And that's pretty high. Let's compare that to the orange. So the orange, about 100 grams of tissue, which is about a medium-sized orange, has about 53.2 milligrams of vitamin C. That's pretty good, but it's not as high as 238 milligrams of vitamin C. So that's over four times the amount of vitamin C gram per gram in stinging nettle. And vitamin C is an absolutely essential nutrient that we all need. We cannot manufacture it ourselves, and one of the easiest ways to acquire vitamin C is to nibble on some wild plants from time to time, including the very nutritious stinging nettle. Now we're going to move into some of the medical research on stinging nettle, and there's a lot of research on this plant in human health, and we're only going to focus on three particular areas of human health in this video, three particular areas that have been heavily researched when it comes to stinging nettle. And the first is benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH. So BPH is non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland. This is a pretty serious condition. 50% of men by the age of 60 experience symptoms of BPH, and 90% of men by the age of 85 experience symptoms of BPH. And there are at least three, if not more, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials showing that stinging nettle helps to alleviate symptoms of BPH. So this is the gold standard when you look at double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials on human participants. We're not talking about test tubes, we're not talking about rats, we're talking about real living, breathing men experiencing the benefits of stinging nettle. Now in these studies, and in most of the research, it's the rhizome of the plant, so these underground stem structures that provide the benefits for BPH. Not necessarily the aerial portions, though it may help to some degree, but if you're looking to use this, definitely look into the rhizome, which is the underground stem. You can make effective decoctions, so teas, you can also make alcohol extractions as well. Another area where we see stinging nettle shine is when it comes to allergies, or allergic rhinitis, seasonal allergies. And there was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial utilizing 69 human participants showing that a freeze-dried extract of the aerial portions of stinging nettle fared better than placebo at treating seasonal allergies. And I can attest to this, I've experimented with stinging nettle and allergies myself in the past, and I've found that it works. Just an alcohol extract, a simple alcohol extract of the aerial portions, so meaning the leaves and maybe some of the above-ground stems, it works successfully in treating some seasonal allergies. Not just me, but it's also worked in other people that I've talked to and other people that I've administered stinging nettle to. And last, but certainly not least, let's briefly talk about stinging nettle and diabetes. Over the years, there have been various double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials. For example, one showing that taking stinging nettle extract was able to decrease certain inflammatory molecules associated with diabetes. And these inflammatory molecules would be interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor. Another more recent study found that ingestion of stinging nettle was able to successfully decrease fasting blood glucose levels, decrease 2-hour postprandial glucose levels, and also decrease hemoglobin A1c numbers. And the most recent study from 2016 found that ingestion of stinging nettle in women for 8 weeks, this was an alcohol-slash-water extract, ingestion of stinging nettle was able to successfully decrease fasting blood glucose levels, decrease triglyceride levels, increase HDL, which is the good cholesterol, and also increase SOD, or superoxide dismutase activity inside of our bodies. And SOD, superoxide dismutase, is a group of antioxidant enzymes that is absolutely essential to combat excessive oxidation inside of our bodies. And excessive oxidation is responsible for a host of degenerative conditions. So as you can see, stinging nettle is a very medicinal plant. These aren't the only studies showing that stinging nettle may benefit human health. There are other areas as well besides benign prostatic hyperplasia, besides allergies, besides diabetes, and I encourage you to look into them. And if any of these illnesses that I mention are relevant to you, do more research on stinging nettle and see what this plant may or may not be able to do for you. So now let's talk about how to properly harvest this plant so that you do not get stung. And you're probably wondering how I'm not getting stung right now. You know, I'm handling this plant and I'm not feeling any stinging sensation whatsoever. It's because this plant is very, very young. The best time to harvest stinging nettle so that it tastes great, so that the texture is great, and so that you do not get stung is early in the season. So late winter, early spring. It's about a six week window whenever this plant is about two inches tall or less. So here in Pennsylvania that's about late March all the way through April. Once late April approaches, the plants are getting much taller and those trichomes are maturing and they're going to sting you much more readily. You can see the trichomes right now. If I look really close I can see them, but they're not going to sting me because they're not mature. Now once this plant does mature in July, it's August, it's September, you can still harvest portions of this plant. What I would recommend is to harvest the tender tops, these young growing tips right here. You can still eat those raw, but I would probably cook them. You can harvest the bigger leaves in the summertime, but they're going to be much more mature. They're going to sting you much more readily, so you might need to wear gloves. You can use scissors to snip them off. What I like to do is harvest those leaves in the summertime and dry them out so that I can save them to make teas out of them. So earlier in the season I'm usually harvesting stinging nettles so that I can eat the plant. Later on throughout the summer months whenever the plant's a little too mature, I'll harvest some of the tender tips to eat, I'll cook that up, I'll steam it up like spinach. But I'll usually harvest some of the bigger leaves, and they can get to be pretty big, and I will dehydrate those and put those in a jar and save them for tea. I'll drink that tea pretty much throughout winter until the jar runs empty. It's almost like a soup whenever you're drinking it. It's more like food than it is a tea because it's so nourishing and it's so medicinal as well. It feels really good consuming that broth throughout the winter months. But again, whenever you harvest this plant in the springtime, it's okay to harvest it without any gloves because you probably won't get stung. Once this plant matures though throughout the summer months, you're going to want to harvest the tender tops or use scissors or gloves and cook this plant later on. Earlier in the year you're not going to get stung, but later in the year you definitely will. Then there's a resurgence again in October, November when everything's dying back and you might see some of these plants sprout up again. You might be able to harvest plants raw without getting stung. But once the summer months hit, definitely just harvest the top portions or just cut off the leaves and dehydrate those so that you can make a tea out of them. And cook this plant up, it basically can be substituted for anything that you would use spinach for. So it kind of has a nice, rich, hearty, brothy kind of flavor to it. It's very hard to describe. You can't really compare it to spinach, but whatever you would use spinach for, you can definitely use stinging nettle for as well. Alright, so there we have it. A lot of information on the beautiful stinging nettle, Urtica dioica, but of course only a small fraction of everything that we could ever possibly discuss. And I encourage you to get out there and introduce yourself to this plant if you haven't already. Learn more information on it and don't just stop there, but then personally connect with this plant. One of the best ways to connect with any plant that's edible or medicinal is to personally ingest it. Make it part of your dietary strategy and perhaps even your medicinal strategy. And if it is already a part of your dietary or medicinal strategy, leave a comment down below. I'd love to hear how it's been working for you. You know, I've been a big, big fan of stinging nettle for many years and I don't see myself stopping anytime soon. Thanks so much for watching this video. As always, I truly appreciate it. I encourage you to head on over to LearnYourLand.com, sign up for the email newsletter, follow me on social media, subscribe to my YouTube channel if you're into that kind of thing so that we can stay in touch. I'd greatly appreciate that. Thanks again. I'll see you on the next video.