Do You Dare With The Nettles? Try Them
The reluctance that nettle arouses is worth overcoming. But it is not only edible and nutritious, but also medicinal. These are its properties and uses in the kitchen.
We know that nettle is used for medicinal purposes, and we will see how to do it, but nettle can also be used in the kitchen, in tasty recipes. Of course, deciding to eat nettles is not easy to start with. This plant raises apprehension for its stinging power . However, as the people of the countryside or whoever has an orchard know, nettle is a gift of nature that allows us to prepare a wide variety of dishes, and whose flavor will surprise more than one, who will not hesitate to repeat.
Whether it is boiled, sautéed with walnuts or pine nuts, in juice, integrated in soups, empanadas or tortillas, nettle gives a lot of itself. Especially the young shoots and leaves are harvested , which appear in spring and are more delicate and flavorful than the larger, rougher and more fibrous leaves.
In times of scarcity it has been consumed as a substitute for vegetables, being a plant always at hand.
The properties of nettle, very rich in calcium
Nettle, due to its composition, is both food and medicine.
Very nutritious
One hundred grams of nettle provide 480 mg of calcium, no less than 60% of the daily needs. Those 100 grams also contain 57 mg of magnesium (one sixth of the daily requirement), 1.6 mg of iron and 800 micrograms of manganese.
Regarding vitamins, provitamin A, B2 and folic acid stand out, and especially vitamin K, since 100 g of nettles supply four times the necessary amount.
Health benefits
With medicinal purposes leaves and roots, for all of which fits protect your hands with gardening gloves are harvested.
The leaves contain flavonoids (quercetol, kenferol), mucilages, organic acids (caffeic, formic, gallic) and mineral salts; stinging hairs contain histamine, serotonin, acetylcholine and formic acid; the roots, meanwhile, phytosterols, lignans, lectin and polyphenols, among other active principles.
- In external use
The fresh nettle, recently harvested, was applied in folk medicine on the skin as a remedy, so that the itching relieved pain in rheumatic problems and low back pain.
The plant also shows a clear astringent, hemostatic and vasoconstrictor effect, and applied in washes, rubs or baths it is indicated to stop various hemorrhages, such as nasal and uterine, on superficial wounds, on skin sores and ulcers, on dry eczema and on seborrheic dermatitis.
And it is attributed a preventive effect against hair loss , so it is used in anti- hair loss formulas to strengthen it.
- In internal use
Thanks to its richness in iron, it is considered a good restorative to treat anemia and weakness, and ingested it also has a slight hypoglycemic and hypotensive effect.
Its use as a diuretic and purifying plant is not negligible , since it favors the elimination of urea and uric acid through the urine. Helps combat fluid retention and edema due to insufficient venous return.
Due to its high content of sterols, the root acts as an inhibitor of the 5 alpha-reductase enzyme, used for the treatment of the most annoying symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia.
It also has great value as a natural antihistamine and can be used, paradoxically, in infusions to relieve hives.
How to take nettle
With a first boil, scalding them, or washing them well with cold water, they lose their stinging power and can be ingested without fear despite their stinging effect.
The fresh leaves can be blended into juices, smoothies and liqueurs.
The dried plant, in purifying infusion, as in this purifying infusion of nettle and apple. It is also marketed in the form of a tincture or liquid extract, in creams or ointments, and as a dietary supplement due to its calcium content.
How to prepare it in the kitchen
Many popular dishes include nettle as the star ingredient. This is the case of rice with vegetables sautéed with nettles, scrambled eggs with mushrooms and nettles, omelette with nettles and young garlic, nettle soup with oat flakes, cheese and nettle croquettes, vegetable lasagna with nettles and spinach or the nettle quiche.
Nettle is also not lacking in haute cuisine. For example, chef Pelle Johansson, whose Ulla Winbladh restaurant in Stockholm is Michelin Bib Gourmand, grows this plant and regularly includes it as an accompaniment to some fish stews.
Cautions
The decoction of the roots can cause gastric irritation in sensitive people. If it is taken by diabetic patients, strict control must be maintained to avoid decompensation.
The seeds can be very laxative if the two dozen are exceeded.
How to use nettle in external use
The infusion of nettle can be used in washes, partial baths and mouthwashes, or in gargles for bleeding gums. In capillary friction it strengthens the scalp.
In another vein, as a final curiosity, we can also use nettle to make our own organic compost.
