Nettles!

Nettles are one of Belarus’ most common weeds; while they can be easy to miss in Massachusetts, they are impossible to pass by here. They grow on the sides of roads, in city plant beds, in the forest, between sidewalk cracks. 

My earliest memory with stinging nettles is right here in Belarus.  When we were kids, we would spend our summers here, visiting the dachas with our grandparents. The walk from the bus station to our dacha was 3 kilometers – if we whined about the distance or claimed we were too tired to go on,  my grandfather would grab some nettle and threaten us with it’s sting. Of course, we never got a lashing, but it was enough for us to run gleefully ahead.

As we got older we began to run around with the neighborhood kids, hiding in abandoned World War II bunkers in the woods and fields and climbing into unfinished or abandoned houses.  At the end of the day, we would be covered in sweat, dust, and nettle stings, both from running through fields of the vicious weed and from whipping each other’s legs with it unceremoniously. Although the sting was far from pleasant, the memories remain sweet, and nettle is to this day one of my favorite plants.

Nettles are herbaceous, dioecious summer perennials that grow between one and two meters tall.  The stems and leaves are a bright, beautiful green and are riddled with tiny, stinging hairs that break upon contact, acting as little needles that inject into the skin, causing a rash. Nettles are native to Europe and Asia, but are also widespread in the United States and Canada. While there are many common species of Nettle throughout the world, the one most commonly spotted in Belarus is Urtíca dióica.

Nettles love soils rich is phosphate and nitrogen, which may explain their abundance at the dachas where we spent our summers, near abandoned buildings and rusting piles of car parts. They grow in large, unmistakable patches, often sprouting up between other plants.

Traditionally, nettles have been used in both culinary and medicinal endeavors. In the spring, before much has had a chance to grow, it is popular in Belarus to harvest nettle leaves and use them in soups. Once nettle is cooked, it loses its stinging properties and can be safely consumed. It can be boiled in soup, steamed, or used to make teas and broths. They are also traditionally used as feed for chickens, cows, and other livestock.

In herbal medicine, nettles are known as a powerful urinary tonic, helping cleanse the body of toxins. They are traditionally harvested in the Spring, before flowering, and are commonly used in spring tonics and cleanses.  Nettles are also used to treat respiratory disorders as well as skin conditions,

Nettles Shampoo

including dandruff. Nettles, when taken internally through tinctures or teas, are also known to brighten skin and thicken hair. Nettle compresses also help with scrapes, burns, and topical skin conditions.  Nettles contain high amounts of protein, along with magnesium, calcium potassium, B6, Vitamin A and Vitamin K.

Overly-abundant and packed with vitamins, nettles are a valuable resource to homesteaders in Belarus. Although the ideal harvest time has passed, I have picked some young nettle while clearing out my grandparent’s garden and hung it up to dry for a tasty winter tea anyway.