A member of the Urticaceae family (Urtica is from the
Latin urere - 'to burn') with about 500 species worldwide, some in
the Far East can produce a sting which burns for days. It is a perennial
reaching about 1.2 metres in height.
The dark green leaves oppose each other on the stem, they are 5 to 15 cm
long and 2 to 5 cm wide, serrated and with a tapered end. Tiny stiff hairs
on the leaves are hollow enabling them to inject a cocktail including formic
acid and histamine which causes a painful rash. This stinging does not occur
when they are dried or cooked.
The flowers appear in the summer, they are tiny, greenish or greenish-white
hanging down in clusters just above where the leaves attach to the stem.
Astringent, hemostatic, diuretic, galactagogue (promotes
flow of milk), lowers blood sugar levels, expectorant, tonic, nutritive,
styptic, rubefacient
Formic acid, silicon, potassium, tannins, glucoquinones,
histamine, acerylocholine, serotonin, chlorophyll, carbonic acid, mucilage,
magnesium, iron, many minerals and vitamins A, B, and C.
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Nettle
