Hamish Martin: ‘Nettle is fundamental to these lands’

This month gardening columnist Hamish Martin explains why nettle is so important to these lands.

There is a visible excitement within me when the first nettles start to appear as they always fill my heart with joy, usually indicating that we have definitely arrived in Spring and that I can start to feed my body with the incredible healing properties of the stinging nettle.

Fresh, young nettle tips are arguably one of the best tonics and I always harvest the tips with bare hands. There is an easy technique to avoid the sting by curving your hand round the top tip and nipping the stem with your thumb nail.

But, if you do get stung, I always say that this helps with the connection to the plant and if you harvest a lot, which I do, that electric tingling feel in your fingertips can be active till late into the night. 

The best way to make an immediate positive impact on your body is to make an infusion, which is basically a herbal tea. Put a few nettle tips (three or four) into a mug and pour over just under boiling water and let it sit for a few minutes.

The fresh hay aroma is knock out and I know you can’t smell ‘green’ but the aroma from fresh nettles to me is green, energetic Spring wrapped up in one aroma – magical.

Credit: Adobe Stock

The benefits of this herbal tea deserves a small book on its own but let me try and summarise the health benefits.

It improves blood circulation, heart and gastrointestinal health, is a booster to the immune system, aids in blood sugar control and is detoxifying. It is filled with amino acids, protein, flavonoids, iron, calcium magnesium, potassium and zinc. Nettle is also one of the greatest sources of Vitamin K.

Why not gain some of these benefits by making it into a delicious soup or pesto which, Liberty, my wife does regularly in the Spring. Added to this is the fact that nettle makes amazing fabric and I use nettles to make a liquid fertiliser for my garden.

There is a belief that nettles were brought over by the Romans and that they used it to hit themselves with leaves to warm up and keep awake.

But I completely disagree with this common belief. I think the nettle is fundamental to these lands and was used well before the Romans landed. I would call it a true native to the UK.

The nettles not only produce a bounty for us humans but also offer a fantastic habitat for countless insects. Most importantly they are a vital food source for the caterpillars and the seed eating birds enjoy their autumn spoils.

The humble nettle just keeps giving. Bring it into your life this Spring.

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