Nettle 101
Don’t let nettle’s feisty sting scare you! Nettle, or Urtica dioica, has been used for over 2,000 years as a powerful spring tonic, to promote joint health and overall wellness....
To many, nettle–also known as “stinging nettle”– might seem like a pesky weed with a needless sting. In reality, this small inconvenience yields big benefits. An herbalist favorite, nettle is used to support the kidneys and joints.
In herbalism, nettle leaf is the mother of all spring tonics. Incorporating the nettle tea benefits of whole body support and joint health,* our nettle tea can help kick-start your body when you’re feeling stagnant. Some of our favorite nettle hails from the wild meadows of Eastern Europe, where collectors harvest it by hand.
Shop NowUnderneath this fierce exterior is a nourishing tonic that works best when used consistently over time. In traditional herbal medicine, nettle leaf tea is often consumed during the spring when fresh stalks shoot up from the earth, just in time to support joints and fortify bodies as our limbs awaken from more sedentary winter months.* Herbalists also use the root and leafy top of nettle to help reduce difficulty in urination.
Containing vitamins and minerals, namely vitamin C, K, the B group, calcium and magnesium, nettle is a robust herb found in many traditional recipes. The dark leafy greens can be used fresh in foods, juices or preserved in vinegar. As a medicinal herbal remedy, it is often prepared as a tea or tincture to support overall health throughout the year.* When touched fresh, its stinging needles may seem feisty, but fortunately the leaves lose their sting when dried, blanched, or cooked into foods and other herbal preparations.
Nettle has been used for over 2,000 years, with a well-documented history from some of the famous early Greek physicians, like Dioscorides and Galen. In Europe, the Middle East, and amongst some Native American tribes, the leaves are used to create various forms of nettle soup.
Nettle pesto, pasta, soup and bread are just a few of the many herbaceous dishes you can create with this multi-faceted herb. The ritual of bringing seasonal herbs into your kitchen brings an even deeper meaning to Hippocrates’ sage words to “let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
Beyond its herbal power, this strong plant is relied on across many cultures for its fiber, used in textiles, rope making and in jewelry making to string adornments onto necklaces.