One of my all - prison term favourite herb , sting nettle has been grow and foraged for food , and used in textiles and medicine , for chiliad of years across many region of the world .
You may be cognizant that you could harvest and eat the leave , but did you know the source is also usable ?
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It has specific medicinal properties that are unique from those of the other parts of the industrial plant .
What You’ll Learn
What Is Nettle Root?
Most gardeners are intimate with stinging nettle ( Urtica dioica ) , an herbaceous perennial known for the infamous stinging fuzz that can be found all along its bow and the undersides of its leaves .
Nettle grows and spread out by offset , which form a internet of yellow , lateral , creeping rootstock .
This social organisation is vigorous , and it spreads like mad !
The rhizome are double - layered , consist of an upper layer of immature runners and a deeper layer of heavyset , more unchewable rootage .
These robust roots are easy to harvest and computer memory , and they offer a turn of medicinal uses .
Uses for Nettle Root
Stinging nettle root extract is often used in over - the - counter supplements and herbal remedies , particularly those labeled for “ serviceman ’s wellness . ”
The root extract control genus Beta - sitosterol , a plant phenylic acid that has been bear witness to slenderize urinary tract complications associated with benignant prostate hyperplasia ( BPH ) – the elaboration of the prostate gland .
A double - blindstudy conducted by M. R. Safarinejad , from the Department of Urology , Urology Nephrology Research Center at Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran , conclude that extract ofU. dioicahad beneficial effects in the handling of urinary symptoms of BPH . A modest reduction in prostate size was also noted .
harmonize to expert at theMilton S. Hershey Medical Center at Penn State , Hershey , some studies have point that the effectiveness of nettle root excerption may be corresponding to finasteride , a medicine often prescribe for BPH .
Finasteride is a5 - alpha - reductase inhibitor , which slows the conversion of testosterone to DHT ( dihydrotestosterone ) , a metabolite that can cause firing of the prostate and contribute to fuzz loss .
According to a study by R. W. Hartman , publish in the journal for Phytomedicine , U. dioicaextract conquer 5 - alpha reductase activity in high-pitched absorption . It was evidence to be more in effect when mix with an extract ofPygeum africanum , the African cherry tree .
The American Botanical Councilconcludes that “ the approved modern therapeutic coating for stinging nettle herb , leaf , and ancestor are supportable base on their history of clinical use in well - established system of traditional medicine , on well documented phytochemical investigating , on pharmacologic studies in animals , and on human clinical studies . ”
To discover more about grow , using , and harvesting burn nettle leaves , check out out this comprehensive guide .
A Note of Caution:
Always look for medical advice from your doctor or other healthcare professional before take on any nutritional or herbal postscript . This info is not intended to diagnose , delicacy , or cure any condition and is for informational purposes only .
When to Harvest
project to harvest in belated fall or former spring . This is the time when energy from the plant is take aim toward root production rather than to the leaves , seeds , or flush .
In warmer clime where the reason does n’t freeze , you may be able-bodied to harvest in the winter as well .
If you are harvesting in the springtime , it is best to stab up roots before raw shoots begin to sprout out of the rhizome and make their way up to the surface of the soil . Once this happens , the plant ’ energy will be directed toward above - earth growth instead of root development .
How to Harvest
Nettle rootstock are typically located about six inches deeply underground , in two layers .
The upper layer is comprised of untested runners , which may be watery and narrow-minded , and spark jaundiced or off-white in color .
They will have haircloth along the nodes , and this is where next twelvemonth ’s shoots will burgeon forth . Before wintertime sets in , the blue runner will produce tiny green shoot that will winter underground , gearing up to burgeon forth in the outpouring .
Those in the deep level are thicker in diameter . They are a darker yellowish and will be more juiceless .
In heavier filth , they may be shallow , while sandlike soil may lead to cryptical ontogeny . The thickness may diverge from something thin than a pencil to those that are about the size of a quarter around .
When you are ready to reap , put on your long sleevesand baseball mitt , grab a basket or cup of tea , and gather yourdigging tool of choice .
First , cut off the elevation of the plant as you harvest them , to avoid engender sting and to keep any plant debris out of your harvested crop .
you’re able to throw these off to the side for now , but move them back to the disturbed area when you are done to reserve them to moulder back into the soil . This will help better the nutrient contentedness and heighten future ground ontogenesis .
Tip : you could also separate and keep start the fibrous stems to make R-2 !
Next , carefully dig a wide circuit around the foot of your plants , leaving a few feet of squirm room around the edges to avoid make damage . As you travail down towards the lower horizontal surface , you may gently deplume up the mesh of runners that are revealed .
Gently lug up the smuggler , and use a hand putz to serve you call back the deeper bed .
bulge up your harvest , check that the expanse you disturbed is restored and address back up with vegetation , leaf litter , organic matter , or mulch to protect the soil and aid it to resurrect more quickly .
recollect , always give some behind to re - sprout and re - colonise if you require to keep your crop going .
As a general formula , endeavor to only dig up a third of ascendant at one time .
It will take about three years for a harvested area to get hold of maturity again , but if you only take a third at a time , you should still have some that ’s ready to enjoy every year !
Processing and Preserving
Start by give way the rhizomes a undecomposed tremble to tap off as much dirt as you may . Using pruning shears or scissors , nip off any leaves or stems that remain attached , and cut any longer spell down to a achievable size of it .
Next , it ’s time to wash off them . I like to apply a three - bin system .
Set up three turgid tub of water , and place the roots in the first tub . Gently scratch and swoosh them around to clean them , then move them over to the next bin .
Clean them again , then move them once more . By the sentence you finish the third scrub , they should be totally clean and costless of shite .
Lay the freshly washed roots out in the refinement or in a dry elbow room on a cloth to drain and dry on the Earth’s surface , turning them every so often to aid the process .
Now they should be ready to use fresh , or prepped to dry .
Drying
veer them into very small pieces with pruners or scissors hold . The thicker the piece are , the modest you should cut them .
objet d’art that are around equal in size will dry at the same rate , and this makes them easy to process .
They should dry out in about 24 hours in a dehydrator set to 100 ° F .
To air dry , lay the prepped pieces out on a mesh blind or rack in a dark-skinned and dry emplacement . They should dry in approximately five to seven twenty-four hours .
Four pound of fresh stem will yield about one pound dried .
Get more info on drying herb in our complete guide .
Tincturing
To make a medicative tincture , place exquisitely chopped fresh or dried ascendent in a glass jar and cover with a strong alcohol , such as 100 - proof vodka . Seal tightly with a lid and berth in a dark fix , such as a pantry .
Shake daily for about a month to agitate , and then deform .
The root can also be powdered , brew as a tea leaf , or even applied locally as a ointment or rinsing .
It is available for leverage in pill conformation in many health food stores .
The Root of the Matter
twinge nettles are one of those exceptional herbaceous plant for which all role of the plant life can be used .
This year , after you harvest the young leaves in the spring and the seeds in the tardy summer , why not hear digging up some roots in the fall ? Who get it on , they might just make out in handy one sidereal day !
For more information aboutgrowing medicinal plantsin your garden , try on the keep abreast guidebook next :
© enquire the Experts , LLC . ALL right RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . earlier published April 30th , 2020 . Last update May 21st , 2023 . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock . With extra writing and redaction by Clare Groom and Allison Sidhu .
The staff at Gardener ’s Path are not aesculapian professionals and this article should not be construed as aesculapian advice mean to measure , diagnose , prescribe , or foretell cure . Gardener ’s Path and demand the expert , LLC assume no liability for the use or abuse of the stuff present above . Always consult with a medical professional before changing your diet or using plant - based remedy or supplements for wellness and health .
About
Heather Buckner
