FLOWERING ✽ 20
love stings
One of my favourite first signs of Spring is nettle. Every year, right around this time, my mom and I grab some paper bags and snippers and head over to the nettle patch out in my parent’s field. What a gift to have a personal nettle patch! We harvest the tops of the nettle, always getting stung once or twice, and then walk back with bags full, ready to be dried for tea, made into pesto, or even applied to the skin(?!). More on that later. I can’t pick a favourite herb, so I won’t even try, but perhaps if I could only have one herb for the rest of time I would go with the mighty stinging nettle. It’s the workhorse of the herbal world and I adore it.
It might be a little secret dream of mine to one day hold a yearly nettle fest, like they do in Dorset, England (and yes, I am still on my Escape to the Country bs). The festival there involves a fresh nettle eating contest, which sounds a bit extreme (the championship winner ate 104 feet of stinging nettles..), but I’m here for it! I love the idea of having a day to celebrate the magic of nettles and showcase their versatility by making different nettle recipes. Pestos, soups, frittatas, and yes, even cakes can all be made more delicious (and nutritious) with nettle. I can see the festival t-shirts in my mind’s eye now. “Vancouver Island Nettle Fest 2025”. Comment below to reserve your spot ; )
Urtica dioica is our dear stinging nettle’s name in latin, meaning “to burn”. And burn it does when you get stung by their little dagger-like hairs on the leaves and stems. When touched, the hairs release chemicals like histamine, acetylcholine, formic acid, oxalic acid, and serotonin. The result is a burning or tingling sensation in the area that came in contact with the sting that can last up to 12 hours. Every year I both intentionally and accidentally get stung when harvesting nettles. Intentionally because I like to remind myself how it feels, and accidentally because even with gloves on, I usually find myself getting pricked. This year I took it to a new level and intuitively decided to brush my face with some fresh leaves. Ok, now before you stop reading because you think I’m loco, this is actually an ancient practice called urtication. The concept behind it is that when stung by the nettle, you experience an increase in blood flow to that area which can reduce inflammation. This has long been used as a treatment for arthritis and cases of chronic pain in numerous cultures around the world.
I had been thinking of trying microneedling for my skin, a process that uses tiny needles to prick the surface of the face to help boost collagen production and circulation to treat issues like acne scarring and uneven skin tone. So, when I was harvesting the stinging nettle last week I thought, hmm, maybe a nettle facial wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Call me a masochist, but I actually really enjoyed the process. So much so that I tried it out for three nights in a row (much to the horror of those around me watching me do it). The initial pain subsided quickly and I was left with a nice icy-tingly feeling for a few hours. The small injection of serotonin probably helped make me do it repeatedly, hehe. Is this nature’s botox? Hard to say, but I do think it helped reduce some redness I’d been experiencing and it’s fun to experiment. Added bonus: in celtic folklore it is believed that the sting from nettles will protect you against fairy mischief and black magic. Huzzah! It is listed in the 10th century Anglo-Saxon Nine Herbs Charm, where it is said to have a strengthening effect on the body and mind. It also lists one of the uses of nettle as a form of protection against "elf-shot", which is apparently mysterious body pains that are caused by getting shot with an elf’s arrow. Sometimes I feel like I was born in the wrong century lol.
Aside from their topical benefits, nettles are one of the ultimate springtime tonics when consumed internally. They are one of our most nutritive herbs and are suitable for nearly every situation (safe even in pregnancy and postpartum - and they boost milk production!). Nettles are classified as an alterative, a group of herbs known to help restore the body’s natural elimination processes. I like to think of it as a little spring cleaner, going into the body and sweeping out all the gunk and stagnation that accumulated over the winter. Nettles specifically have an affinity for the blood, meaning that they help to cleanse the blood of toxins and metabolic waste, and they help build and strengthen the blood (hello anemia!). This is a perfect herb for arthritis, asthma, gout, kidney stones, seasonal allergies and chronic skin diseases, like eczema. Energetically, nettles are cool and dry, so they are an excellent remedy for conditions involving damp heat, such as the ones listed above.
I like to make a big batch of tea and then keep it in the fridge for a couple of days to slam a few cups daily. It also pairs so well with more moistening herbs like marshmallow or linden if you find it to be too drying for your constitution. Or warming herbs like ginger or cinnamon if you run cold. Or, if you’re expecting or just want an insanely nourishing drink (who doesn’t?) try a traditional pregnancy tonic made up of nettle, raspberry leaf, oat straw and alfalfa.
Stinging nettle is abundant around where I live and can be found pretty much anywhere around the globe. If you find some, harvest the leaves soon before the plant starts to flower. You can then dry your harvest or use the nettles fresh in a variety of ways. I tend to favour the leaves and stem of the plant, but I would be remiss to not mention the root and seeds as well. The root is most commonly used in prostate related issues, while the seeds have an affinity for the kidneys and adrenal glands.
I seriously want to shout from the mountain tops “I LOVE NETTLE!!!” after writing this. I wish everyone on the planet could be given a daily cup of nettle tea. With our modern diets and our depleted soil, we all could benefit from the incredible nutritional value of nettles. I kinda hate the term “superfood” but feel compelled to use it in this case because nettles are indeed that! Also, if alll that wasn’t enough, nettles make an amazing hair rinse and stimulate hair growth. I’m telling you guys, don’t sleep on this herb! To bring it back full circle, nettles = spring magic. We just entered aries season, and guess what? Nettles are an aries plant, ruled by mars and the element of fire. What the hell does this mean? Well, we are moving out of the yin of winter and towards the yang of summer, so things are heating up, figuratively and literally. Nettles match the springtime energy of getting reenergized after the slow days of winter.
To throw a different spice into the mix, I will leave you with an outfit pic. I wore this to the Bob Marley movie, as one would lol. I mean, how could I not? This is my dad’s shirt that he used to wear when I was a kid. I had low expectations for the movie but it was actually pretty fun and I got introduced to this previously unreleased song, which is something special. Okay friends, that’s all for now. Thank you so much for reading and sharing <3
Nettle Fest 2025 lets gooo