Stinging Nettle-Ade Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you make stinging nettles safe to eat? ›

Safe gathering practices can protect you from stings. Dry or blanch nettles before use to make them safe to eat. Wear long sleeves, long pants and long rubber kitchen gloves when gathering nettles. Use sharp scissors to clip stems and leaves.

Studies in people suggest that stinging nettle, in combination with other herbs (especially saw palmetto), may be effective at relieving symptoms such as reduced urinary flow, incomplete emptying of the bladder, post urination dripping, and the constant urge to urinate.

Avoid if you're pregnant or breastfeeding because there isn't enough information on its safety. Use with caution if you're elderly because of the potential of causing low blood pressure. And use stinging nettle with caution if you have diabetes because of the potential that it may lower or raise blood sugar levels.

Additionally, there are no official safety guidelines for using this remedy in children or pregnant people. For this reason, both groups should avoid using stinging nettle. It is also always important to consult a doctor before using any herbal remedy to treat a medical condition.

There are several ways to prepare the leaves once you've taken them home. You can wash and dry them by leaving them in the open air, or you can freeze-dry them for long-term storage. If you freeze the leaves, blanch them first. Boil them in water for 2 minutes, then soak them in ice water for 2 more minutes.

Herbal teas steep for a shorter period of time (usually 5 minutes) and use smaller amounts of herbs. Herbal infusions steep for several hours and use a higher volume of herbs. Therefore, they're more nutrient-dense. By infusing the nettles, you develop a deeper flavor and a much higher micronutrient content.

Nettle leaf tea tastes quite similar to green tea. It features a mellow body with rich grassy and earthy flavors. The tea boasts a hay-like flavor that can be evened out with the addition of a dash of honey or agave.

Packed with a variety of polyphenolic compounds and pigments, nettle leaf detox drinks reduce liver inflammation. A regular cleanse with nettle leaf detox drinks can help lower blood pressure and improve the heart's antioxidant defenses.

Avoid nettles if you have severe kidney disease, are on dialysis, or have fluid retention due to congestive heart failure. Nettles may interfere with blood pressure medication. Do not eat the raw leaves. A rash may occur if you are allergic to nettles.

Is it OK to drink nettle tea everyday? ›

Whether you forage for your own leaves or buy it in a more convenient teabag form, having a cup of nettle tea every day offers a range of health and nutritional benefits, from reducing blood pressure to offering protective anti-inflammatories and antioxidants.

These compounds can cause rashes, bumps, hives and itchiness. It might seem a bit scary, but fresh nettles can be eaten raw. But be cautious and be sure to neutralize the formic acid that can sting you.

Young leaves can be used to make curries, herb soups, and sour soups. The root of the stinging nettle is used to treat mictional difficulties associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia, while the leaves are used to treat arthritis, rheumatism, and allergic rhinitis.

What Does Nettle 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.

At this point, it's best to think of stinging nettles in a similar fashion to spinach in terms of cooking the leaves. Quickly blanching them in a pot of boiling water will deaden the sting.

It's the simplest way of getting nettle into your body, but you can also cook it into larger dishes or even apply it topically if you have a skin irritation. Because the stings have to remain firm to cause the irritation, cooking the leaf instantly makes them safe – don't try to eat the leaf raw in a salad or anything.

A 'sting' is when the nettle's acid filled barb penetrates the skin, and breaks off, releasing the acid that causes the pain. You can't become immune to this kind of injury any more that becoming immune to the pain of a cut.