Nettles
Urtica dioica, stinging nettleHerbalist Rosemary Gladstar claimed that nettle is ‘one of the highest sources of digestible iron in plant form’ in 1993, and the modern research behind this claim backs it up. An herbal superfood consisting of calcium, magnesium, iron, and a wide variety of other minerals amongst the different kinds of nettle species. The high concentration of polyphenols (powerful compounds that play a helpful role in managing chronic diseases) has shown some exciting potential for the treatment of breast cancer and prostate cancer.
The prickly sting from the unprocessed plant can make its presence a nuisance for wilderness lovers and farmers, but once dried after rinsed in some distilled water you can access the nutrients through teas, extracts, and adding processed fresh herbs to salads.
I add dried nettles to bone broth recipes, adding a diverse set of nutritional benefits that are otherwise hard to find in one ingredient. Nettles aid in the elimination of waste and toxins from our bodies, proving helpful in mitigating pain from arthritis, gout, urinary tract infections, and even hay fever.
Nettles are often infused in topical products to be used as an aid against joint pains, muscular sprains/strains, tendonitis, and bug bites.