Nettles have Zing in their Sting

I recently wrote an article about this herb because it is one of my favorite wild medicinal herbs. Stinging Nettles became a close friend to me and my spouse Cephas while we were foraging for edible plants in the mountain forests. My previous article touched on the uses, qualities and some precautions regarding picking wild plants. Now I would like to cover some of the places these nutrient rich edibles grow. Stinging Nettles are considered by many folks to be an invasive weed. If only they would harvest them and utilize these powerful vitamin and mineral rich foods!

As for the zing in their sting, it is the high content of iron and vitamin K which feeds the blood system and regulates the blood clotting factor. The taste is full bodied and earthy rich, hence, the zing. The sting comes from those tiny hairs on the stems and protruding from the cascading seed blossoms. If you are tempted to touch to admire this pretty plants flowers, think twice. The sting will make a grown man cry! Always use gloves whenever handling fresh stinging nettles. My preference is to always dry it before using it for tea or nettle soup, which is a great nourishing wilderness food if you are ever stranded out there in the woods with few supplies. Satiate your hunger with nettles and gain lots of energy from it in the sun soaked tea form. I recommend cooking it into a soup if you are using it fresh and raw. Otherwise, dry it first then sun brew some of the most satisfying herbal tea that you will ever drink.

Where are nettles to be found? Just about anywhere in the forests near water because they grow best where there is moisture. Check along streams, rivers, ponds and in the woods between patches of trees. In the city, stinging nettles grow in vacant lots and unattended fields or your own backyard if you are lucky to have some seeds blow your way. Get a field guide for wild plants and follow the trail on a stinging nettles quest. You will have a blast, I promise you. The energy you gain from walking outdoors in search of edible plants is an invigorating one. I believe it is because the body is moving in fresher outdoor air with the essence of all sorts of plants being breathed in. Then add a concoction of nettle tea and see how stamina you will have. It is an amazing herb!