in

Eating Dead Nettle: Effect and Application of the Medicinal Plant

Deadnettle is a medicinal plant that you can eat. You can find them on many roadsides. The plant is often considered a weed. Despite its reputation, the plant contains many healthy nutrients that are good for your health.

Dead nettle: This is how the medicinal plant works when eating and otherwise

The dead nettle has an anti-inflammatory effect and contains many nutrients and essential oils that make them valuable for your health. Although the plant has a diuretic effect similar to nettle, it is not related to it.

  • The dead nettle has an anti-inflammatory, blood-cleansing and pain-relieving effect.
  • The medicinal plant also has diuretic, antiseptic and antibacterial properties.
  • In addition, the dead nettle has an itching-relieving and wound-healing effect.
  • The minerals and vitamins contained in the plant are responsible for this. These include zinc, potassium and vitamin C. Deadnettle is rich in amino acids such as silicic acid, essential oils and flavonoids, tannins and mucilage.

Application of the nettle

Deadnettle is widely used in cooking and in healing various diseases. If you feel unwell or suffer from an illness, it is best to consult a doctor beforehand and have the cause clarified.

  • In naturopathy, dead nettle is used for heartburn, menstrual cramps, abdominal cramps, inflammation and swelling. The plant is also used for itching, dizziness and sunburn. Therefore, the plant is primarily used in the form of a medicinal tea.
  • But you can also refine salads, fish dishes, desserts, sauces and herbal oils with dead nettles. You can also use it for herb butter, for a green smoothie or simply blanch it as an accompaniment to a hearty meal.
  • Use the leaves or flowers of the plant for your dishes. While the leaves have a mildly spicy taste, the flowers taste sweet. Insert the four to six deadnettle leaves that are at the top of the flower.
  • If possible, use dead nettles that are fresh and collected between March and May and September and October. If you let them dry or leave them longer, many of the plant’s aromatic substances would be lost.
  • Rinse the leaves and flowers briefly under running water and dry them in a salad spinner.

Recipe: Spring salad with deadnettle

Deadnettles are ideal for a spring salad. It makes you fit and provides you with important nutrients.

  • Ingredients : 1 handful of young deadnettle leaves and flowers, 1 handful of spinach, 1 handful of your favorite wild herbs such as dandelion, 3 tbsp oil, 1 tsp honey, 2 tbsp salad herbs, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper.
  • Preparation : Wash the herbs under running water. It is best to dry them in a salad spinner or with a cloth. Remove the stems and tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces.
  • Mix the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and add to the lettuce leaves.

Tea for menstrual cramps

Dead nettle is an effective remedy for menstrual cramps. In order to increase the effect of the herb, it is best to combine the plant with other medicinal herbs such as lady’s mantle.

  • Ingredients : 1 tbsp dried deadnettle or 2 tbsp fresh flowers, 250ml hot water.
  • Preparation : Pour the hot water over the medicinal herb. Make sure that the water is no longer boiling, just hot.
  • Let the tea steep for ten minutes. Drain and drink while it’s still warm.

Deadnettle pesto

A deadnettle pesto is a good alternative to a basil pesto and goes well with pasta.

  • Ingredients : 50 ml of sunflower oil, 2 handfuls of dead nettles, 1 tablespoon of salt, 3 cloves of garlic, 50 g of grated cheese.
  • Preparation : Peel and clean the garlic. Then put all the ingredients in a tall container.
  • Puree the ingredients with the hand blender until a granular mass has formed.
  • Serve the pesto with freshly cooked pasta.
Avatar photo

Written by John Myers

Professional Chef with 25 years of industry experience at the highest levels. Restaurant owner. Beverage Director with experience creating world-class nationally recognized cocktail programs. Food writer with a distinctive Chef-driven voice and point of view.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Can Apple Cider Vinegar Go Bad? Easily Explained

Maple Syrup or Agave Syrup: Which is Healthier?