Anyone eat nettles picked from the wild?!
Anyone eat nettles picked from the wild?
If so, how did you eat them: raw or cooked. They are supposed to taste pretty good in a soup or stew and in the old days, in the UK at least, people made plentiful use of this free wild food. They are suppose to be highly nutritious -- why do we not use them still?
Plus they had a multitude of other uses too :)
4 days ago
Thanks for your answers :)
3 days ago
Thanks to everyone who answered :)
Answers:
4 days ago
Thanks for your answers :)
3 days ago
Thanks to everyone who answered :)
Uses for nettles:
The tops of growing nettles are a popular cooked green in many areas. Some cooks throw away a first water to get rid of the stinging compounds, while others retain the water and cook the nettles straight. Nettle tops are sold in some farmers' markets and natural food stores.
Tea
The fresh or dried leaves of nettle can be used to make a detoxifying tea and commercial tea bags are commonly sold in natural food stores.
Medical
Nettle is believed to be a galactagogue[2] and a clinical trial has shown that the juice is diuretic in patients with congestive heart failure.
Urtication, or flogging with nettles, is the process of deliberately applying stinging nettles to the skin in order to provoke inflammation. An agent thus used is known as a rubefacient (i.e. something that causes redness). This is done as a folk remedy for rheumatism, as it provides temporary relief from pain. They may also be used as a suppository, although this can be very painful and will not stop much skin irritation.
Extracts can be used to treat arthritis, anemia, hay fever, kidney problems, and pain. Nettle is used in hair shampoos to control dandruff, and is said to make hair more glossy, which is why some farmers include a handful of nettles with cattle feed.[3]
Nettle root extracts have been extensively studied in human clinical trials as a treatment for symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). These extracts have been shown to help relieve symptoms compared to placebo both by themselves and when combined with other herbal medicines.
Because it contains 3,4-divanillyltetrahydrofuran, certain extracts of the nettle are used by bodybuilders in an effort to increase free testosterone by occupying sex-hormone binding globulin.[citation needed]
Paper
Nettle stems are a popular raw material used in small-scale papermaking.
Textiles
Nettle fibre has been used in textiles. This is more experimental than mass-market. Unlike cotton, nettles grow easily without pesticides. The fibres are coarser however.
As well being the fibre, Nettles were also used as a dye-stuff in the medieval period.
won't they sting your tongue if you eat them raw?
http://www.wisefoodways.com/recipes/nett...
the only nettles i have ever came across hella sting and i would not ever even try to eat them no thank you