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NETTLE Urtica lyalli & spp.
Description: Plant
Habitat: Moist areas, frequently shady, rich soil. Uses: Nettles are
choice food. After boiling or steaming for 5-15 minutes, the stinging
bristles are neutralized & the plant can be eaten as fine spinach-like
potherb. Dried nettles make excellent feed for livestock & poultry. As
a folk remedy, nettle is used to prevent bleeding or to promote blood
clotting. Also used as a diuretic & in "healthy hair"
preparations. The decoction produces permanent green dye. Special
Harvest or Processing Comments: Nettles must be harvested before flowering. They may be cut with a scythe or a "weed eater". You should be able to get two cuts per season. Nettles grow from a rhizome; so cutting it only stimulates further growth. Wear gloves & protect all exposed skin when gathering nettles. If the plant stings you, rub on juice from the crushed nettle plant itself, or alcohol as an antidote. |
Single
stemmed, from a few inches to several feet tall; opposite leaves, sharply
toothed, oblong, veined, pointed; stalks & leaf stems fuzzy with fine