The Miracle Plant known as the stinging nettles

With all this pollen floating around, the seasonal allergy symptoms are in full swing. I have the wonderful opportunity to be on the receiving end of this deal which results in my nose getting white girl wasted all over my lip sweater. As much as I loved being a raging snot monster, I knew this new look had to go!

I’ve tried tons of different over-the-counter medications and even supplements, but it just felt like more trouble than it was worth. Furthermore, it just made me feel so off my game. So I did some research into some herbal remedies, because I’m really not a fan of popping pills and having more side effects than actual solutions.

After a few hours of hunting around, I arrived on the histamine packed Urtica dioica; commonly known as the stinging nettle.

The medical uses for this stinging plant include the following:

                Hay fever

                Arthritis relief (extracted)

                Internal bleeding

                Poor circulation

                Improve urinary tract

The great thing about these plants is that you can find them pretty much everywhere on the east coast. I found these particular ones behind a golf course. I would suggest when harvesting these to find somewhere off the beaten path, or at least out of the way of any lawn clippings and chemicals. I utilized just the tops of the plant, instead of the entire stem; these are the newest part of the plant and the needles aren’t as prominent.

Remove over 97% of pathogens with this natural solution 

You may be kind of scared consuming something that stings, probably thinking that you’ll be stung in your mouth and down your throat. However, freezing or blanching it will eliminate the sting. The remainder is a refreshing combination of green that tastes bounces between the rind of a cucumber and depth of spinach with a few floral notes.

CAUTION!! Wear gloves (rubber, plastic, vinyl while handling raw product) to prevent being stung. It’s not like it hurts much, I would compare it to having a paper cut while you’re cutting lemons.

After creating a batch and consuming one “dose,” the results were amazing! I didn’t wake up in the middle of the night to blow my nose or even have sinus pressure. I really couldn’t have been happier that something right in your backyard works so well.

The methods of preparation I researched were a pesto like sauce, or a tea. So I developed a method that results in both!

I’ve found that treating these like you would basil or spinach works best. You can pretty much do a straight substitution in any recipe, depending on the quantity you have. I’ve also found that mixing them with some fresh wild chive is quite delightful as well!

To make the tea, all you need to do is keep the liquid you cooked the nettles in and add some honey to it so it sweetens up. Add as much sweetener as you deem fit. You can also add to regular tea, you just want to consume about a cups worth for every dose.

Once the leaves are cooked, simply substitute them in your favorite pesto recipe. You can also throw this in soups (think Italian Wedding or pureed soup), pasta salads, sandwiches, or stuffed in pasta. It’s really easy!

What you’ll need:

1 cup (packed) nettles

Small pot

Water

Strainer

Container for liquid

Directions:

1. Fill pot with enough water to roughly cover the tops of the leaves
2. Bring the water to a boil
3. Add nettles once water is boiling
4. Remove from heat and allow it to steep for four minutes.
5. Strain leaves from water by pouring over a strainer.
6. Keep the hot liquid, which is now the tea.