Walking through the Oregon woods can be treacherous with all of the blackberry bushes and stinging nettle plants. Recently, stinging nettles have been found to be a healthy way to receive much needed nutrients.

Stinging nettles contain high amounts of vitamins A, B, C, E and K, along with minerals like calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium and potassium. Nettles also contain more protein than common leafy greens such as kale and lettuce.

The plant can be used to treat many common ailments such as arthritis, allergies, anemia and scurvy. When applied to cuts, the stinging nettle can slow or stop bleeding all together.

Naturopath Dr. Wendy Hodsdon frequently uses stinging nettles in her diet and recommends it to patients.

“It is primarily used to treat allergies. It causes the cells not to be as reactive. It adds nourishment [to a meal too],” Hodsdon said.

Junior Logan Colson, an active runner, swimmer and triathlete, takes stinging nettles in the form of pills to boost his diet.

“I think it is a very good and versatile medicine,” Colson said.

The nettle comes in many different forms, and there are several different ways to obtain it. It can be taken in pill form, blended into smoothies, dried and crumbled onto salads, and cooked in with meats and/or vegetables.

Stinging nettles are often sold at Farmer’s Markets or organic food stores, or they can be harvested from the wild. If one does decide to collect it themselves, it can be found nearby at Powell Butte and other hiking trails. The nettles must be collected with gloves so as not to sting the picker. The pills can be found at most naturopathic stores and some grocery stores.

One of the most notable qualities that the stinging nettle has is a high protein content. This makes it a great food for vegetarians or vegans since they do not get protein from eating meats. Stinging nettles can help contribute to a healthy diet.

Kristen Warren, a PE and health teacher here, leads a very active life and values healthy living.

“Eating well helps a person in the short term by giving them the energy they need to do fun things daily and helps in the long term by helping reduce chronic illness and helps fight disease,” Warren said.

In a healthy, balanced diet one needs to have meat, dairy, grain, oil, sugar, fruits and vegetables. Stinging nettles would fall under the vegetables category.

“[It tastes] like eating a cross between parsley and green beans,” Hodson said.
Although eating the plant raw is not typically recommended, there are some recipes that call for raw stinging nettles, as well as steamed or dried stinging nettles. Most often it is used either dried, cooked or steamed. This is done to take away the sting caused by acid in the thorn-like hairs along the stem. Some common recipes are stinging nettle pesto and stinging nettle soup. They can also be sauteed or made into tea.

Stinging nettles may seem to be a meddlesome plant at first, but they are also known to be better than other common vegetables because of their higher mineral, vitamin and protein content.