Nettle

The plant is dioecious and grows to 0.9 to 2 metres (3 to 7 feet) tall in the summer, dying down to the ground in winter. It was originally native to Europe, much of temperate Asia and western North Africa, and is now found worldwide. It grows wild in meadows, backyard gardens, forests, fields and roadside ditches. It has widely spreading rhizomes and stolons, which are bright yellow, as are the roots. The soft, green leaves appear in opposite pairs.

The tips of the stinging hairs come off when touched, turning each hair into a needle that can inject several chemicals causing a painful sting or paresthesia. The sting comes both from the spicules impaling the skin and from biochemical irritants such as histamine, serotonin, and acetylcholine, among other chemicals.

Over eighty volatile compounds were identified in a representative stinging nettle hydrolate. Oxygenated compounds (85.5%) were the principal group of volatile constituents, and among them alcohols were dominant (73.9%). The alcohols include (Z)-hex-3-en-1-ol (27.9%), carvacrol (10.5%), (E)-hex-3-en-1-ol (5.7%), and α-cadinol (4.7%). During distillation the content of (E)- and (Z)-hex-3-en-1-ol decreased, whereas the percentage of some monoterpene alcohols such as carvacrol and α-terpineol increased. Carvacrol was the main constituent (32.8%) in the essential oil of the Turkish herb.

The young leaves are edible and can be used as a leaf vegetable. When cooked, the plant has a flavour similar to spinach. Stinging nettle contains calcium, iron, protein, phosphorus, and vitamins A and C. Nettles may be used as a dye, producing yellow from the roots and yellowish green from the leaves. The plant has a long history of use as a source for traditional medicine, food, tea, and textile raw material.

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