Scientific name: Urtica dioica
Higher classification: Nettles
Rank: Species
Family: Urticaceae
Order: Rosales
Common name: stinging nettle
What is Nettles?
Urticaceae, the nettle family (order Rosales) comprising about 54 genera and 2,625 species of herbs, shrubs, small trees, and a few vines, distributed primarily in tropical regions. The stems and leaves of many species have stinging trichomes (plant hairs) that cause a painful rash upon contact. The long fibres in the stems of some species, such as ramie (Boehmeria nivea), are used in the textile industry.
Members of the family Urticaceae have varied leaves and sap that is usually watery. The small greenish flowers often form clusters in the leaf axils. Both male flowers and female flowers may be borne on the same plant, though some species are dioecious (producing male flowers on one individual and female on another). The curled stamens of the male flowers straighten quickly as the flowers open, releasing the pollen. The dry one-seeded fruit often is enclosed by the outer whorl of the flower cluster.
What does Nettles taste like?
Nettle tastes like spinach, but a bit punchier.
“It's a distinctive taste, characteristic of edible wild plants in general: a bright green note that makes you sit up and pay attention, with a peppery zing. Imagine an untamed spinach,” Nettles have a rich, earthy, spinach-like flavor with a slight tang.
How to Eat Them:
Luckily, cooking nettles or soaking them in water gets rid of the stinging chemicals in the plant.
What are the culinary uses for Nettles?
Since it tastes so similar to spinach, cooked nettle is used in many of the same ways: in pastas, in sauces, in soups, or sauteed and served as a side. One of the most common ways to consume the plant is drinking nettle tea.
Make the most of foraged wild nettles in your cooking. Similar in taste to spinach, nettles make a great addition to soups, pesto and pie fillings, and are also a tasty toast topping
What are the Health benefits of Nettles?
Here are 6 evidence-based benefits of stinging nettle:
1. Contains Many Nutrients
Vitamins: Vitamins A, C
and K, as well as several B vitamins
Minerals: Calcium, iron,
magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium
Fats: Linoleic acid,
linolenic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid and oleic acid
Amino acids: All of the essential amino acids
Polyphenols: Kaempferol,
quercetin, caffeic acid, coumarins and other flavonoids
Pigments: Beta-carotene, lutein,
luteoxanthin and other carotenoids
2. May Reduce Inflammation:
Stinging nettle may help suppress inflammation, which in turn could aid inflammatory
conditions, including arthritis, but more research is needed.
3. May Treat Enlarged Prostate Symptoms
Stinging nettle may help reduce prostate size and treat symptoms of an enlarged prostate gland in men with BPH.
4. May Lower Blood Pressure
Stinging nettle may help lower blood pressure by allowing your blood vessels to relax and reducing the force of your heart’s contractions. Yet, more human studies are needed to confirm these effects.
Arthritis and pain
Nettle has historically been used to treat pain and sore muscles, especially related to arthritis. The Arthritis Foundation suggests that nettle tea may also reduce the inflammation and pain association with osteoarthritis.