Purple Deadnettle

Gail H

It's been such a crazy, warm winter here in South Jersey (supposed to be 64 on Saturday!) that the purple deadnettle ( Lamium purpureum) is popping up all over. Does anyone actually use it for anything? My chickens never cared for it and I must say that I agree. I much prefer henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) but it is outnumbered about 100:1 on my property.

Does the deadnettle have any culinary or herbal benefit? I've seen smoothie recipes that call for things like three bananas, a pint of strawberries and a teaspoon of deadnettle, but that seems like cheating. 😀

I am looking at a long deadnettle season, so pass along any good ideas. I may end up with gallons of weed tea for the garden, but that's okay, too.

Torey

Deadnettle has the following properties: Astringent. Haemostatic. Vasoconstrictor. Vulnerary, Styptic. Diuretic. Demulcent. Antispasmodic. Anti-inflammatory. Mildly Antiseptic. Mildly Diaphoretic. So it may be part of a midwife's kit for bleeding and post-partum pains. Might be useful for bleeding between menses or for menorrhagia. It may be used in combinations for bladder infections. Bruised leaves can be applied directly to minor wounds to stop bleeding. The astringency would make it a useful herb for diarrhea. The demulcent and anti-inflammatory action could help with sore throats when a tea is used as a gargle. It can be tinctured fresh or dried for use as a tea. A fresh tincture ratio would be 1:2 25% alcohol by volume.

I have never used it a such but apparently it makes a good potherb like spinach. Lightly steamed with a bit of butter or maybe a drizzle of balsamic syrup. Or add a few raw leaves to a salad (not too many because of its hairy texture).

How great that you have so much of it!