The stinging nettle is a widespread plant in Germany. Its preference for moist, fertile and disturbed soils makes it an effective colonizer. While it has a bad reputation for leaving behind painful welts, it provides medical and culinary value.

ANSBACH, Germany — Did you know that stinging nettles can be so much more than just a painful nuisance?

Many people living in Germany have probably accidentally come into contact with them at some point during a hike or a walk and are likely to regard them as nothing more than an annoying weed.

However, the stinging nettle (Die Brennnessel) — especially the big stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) — has been used for hundreds of years for food, textiles, dyes and herbal remedies.

The stinging nettle is a widespread plant in Germany, occurring in various habitats such as gardens, hedges, fields and forests. Its preference for moist, fertile and disturbed soils makes it an effective colonizer of areas that have been disturbed by human activities such as agriculture and cultivation.

They are well-known and unpopular because of the painful welts that appear on the skin after touching the stinging hairs. On contact, the hair pricks into the skin. Formic acid is injected into the wound with pressure and immediately causes a brief, burning pain and welts associated with burning or itching.

However, the nettle does not deserve this bad reputation as it is an important medicinal plant. For centuries, nettles have been used to treat eczema, gout, arthritis, muscle and joint pain and anemia. The rootstock is used as a diuretic and in herbal medicine to treat urinary tract disorders, while the leaves can be used to make a tea for gout, diabetes, hay fever and arthritis.

More and more people nowadays also consider the stinging nettle a “super food“. As a spring vegetable, young nettle shoots are valued for their high content of flavonoids, minerals such as magnesium, and calcium, vitamins A and C (about twice as much vitamin C as oranges), iron, but also for their high protein content.

The taste is described as quite like spinach, but more aromatic and mildly acidic. Eating nettles once or twice a week can significantly increase the number of nutrients in your diet, making you feel stronger and more energized.

Techniques for preparing nettles include boiling, freezing, sautéing and steaming. The substance in nettles that causes the welts is neutralized with heat.

Once dried, cooked nettles can be eaten as a vegetable or added to various dishes. Dried nettles are used as a culinary seasoning and are a delicious addition to chicken soup, clam chowder, and tomato sauce.

Harvesting is easy and painless with the right tools. However, nettles should always be harvested away from roads, agricultural spray or industrial sites as they can absorb harmful minerals and pollutants from the soil.

The USAG Ansbach Environmental Management Division mission is to ensure the long term sustainability of the installation through compliance with Federal Environment laws and regulations, protection of natural and cultural resources, prevention of pollution, environmental training, environmental inspections and public outreach for the well-being of the Ansbach military community. Visit their webpage at https://home.army.mil/ansbach/about/Garrison/public-works/environmental.