Stinging nettle seeds - my superfood

jowitt.europe

I love stinging nettle seeds - they are my superfood

Every year I collect a lot to last until the next collecting season. The seeds boost energy, cheer the mood, strengthen the whole body, help to recover after illnesses, burnout. 

Do you know that Nettle seeds/nuts are a perfect aphrodisiac? The green Viagra? Not everybody knows that nowadays. Earlier they did know. I have read that in the middle ages men used a mixture of Nettle seeds mixed with egg yoke, pepper and onion. This mixture was strictly forbidden in monasteries 😊

For collecting I look for nettles with hanging down strings full of seeds - these are the female nettles, I cut off the top third of the nettle - the part with seeds, spread them on a sheet for drying. Once they are dry, I put on rubber gloves and brush the seeds/ nuts off the plants. I store them in glass containers. A small glass is always on our breakfast table starting with late autumn until spring. Summer is full of other super foods. We add seeds to salads, soups, spread on bread and butter or simply take a tea spoon per day. A wonderful boost of immune system, boost of energy, joy and food for the brain.

Do you use stinging nettle seeds?

Torey

I harvested a few stinging nettle seeds this year for the first time. Not nearly as many as you have collected. So I will be adding them to a couple of pots of broth for the added nutrition. I love making broths. Next year I plan to seek out more. I found a recipe for nettle seed crackers.

jowitt.europe

@torey so many good ideas. There are so many ways of using them. My friend puts them into her bread mixture while baking. I prefer eating seeds not cooked or heated. I think, they are then richest in nutrition.

LaurieLovesLearning

Our stinging nettle plants are loaded with seed this year. It will not be overly difficult to get lots.

shllnzl

I get nettle is good for the prostate in more than one way.

Lisa K

I am glad I did not cut off the flowers and will not harvest them instead of letting them just reseed themselves! Thanks for the info!

stephanie447

I've been meaning to try them because they have anti-histamine properties. However, being single right now, an aphrodisiac is the last thing I need! LOL

HearthForYou

@stephanie447 i’m single too. I added nettle leaves to my smoothies on an occasional basis and did not experience any surge on the aphrodisiacal aspect.

jowitt.europe

@stephanie447 @HearthForYou Well, more energy, joy, cheerfulness does no harm whether one is single or not 😊. I use seeds, not leaves. And I use them in winter, early spring, when the body batteries are quite low. For boosting energy.

I use leaves when I want to clean my body. Usually towards spring. In summer and autumn there are so many berries, fruit and vegetables. One does not need any additional booster.

herbantherapy

@jolanta.wittib do the seeds have a flavor or a texture? I have never used them before. Are they tiny enough on their own or do you have to grind them like pepper?

Im planting my first seeds this fall, I’m excited to start my nettle journey!

AngelaOston

Wow. Do you sell or exchange seeds. Im in new mexico and we dont have wild nettles here.

Melissa Swartz

Great info on using the seeds! I have been using the leaves for a long time, but wasn't aware of what I was missing with the seeds. Thanks!

jowitt.europe

@herbantherapy they have a flavour of stinging nettle 😊. I like the taste, but it is more of a flavour than a taste. These are very tiny nuts and you feel these nuts when you eat them. But they are really tiny. I chew them a bit, but otherwise they melt in mouth. One does not have to grind them.

jowitt.europe

@AngelaOston I would happily sell or exchange the seeds, but I live in Austria in Europe. I am sure there is somebody closer to you who would supply you with stinging nettle seeds.

LaurieLovesLearning

@AngelaOston Put an add marked "Wanted: Stinging Nettle Seed" here: https://community.thegrownetwork.com/discussion/843794/seed-swap-usa#latest

Melinda

There is an empty lot down the road from us with a ton of nettles. I grab a few plants each week. Need to do the seeds and make my patch in the garden.

marjstratton

I have collected nettle seeds and store them in the freezer for future use, but then forget to use them. Thanks for the information.

stephanie447

https://community.thegrownetwork.com/discussion/comment/872634#Comment_872634

Good to know. I don't need to feel unnecessary frustration right now. Not in 2020! LOL

AngelaOston

https://community.thegrownetwork.com/discussion/comment/872770#Comment_872770

Thanks 🙏

jowitt.europe

Chocolate, coffee, horse radish, savory, lovage, Ginseng... and stinging nettle seeds... they all are considered to be aphrodisiacs. And there are many more. But there is nothing wrong in that. Plants do effect so much in us. They effect whole systems. They give energy, good mood, joy, activate our mind. They are not like pills for sex, neither like pills for good mood. Right plants at the right time help us to balance ourselves, to strengthen our immune system, not to give in to stress or melancholy, give us more energy...

I love stinging nettle seeds. And horse radish, and chocolate and all the other herbs as they help me to enjoy life, stay energetic, physically and mentally active, help to maintain good mood...

SherryA

This is good to know - thank you! I have some nettles that I've been letting go to seed so the patch will grow. I'll have to harvest some seeds for myself!

Deb113

Looks like I need to check this out and try it.

aurora.rebecca

A delicious looking idea on my to do list that I saw on foraged by fern's Instagram page was chocolate truffles coated in nettle seeds

Another recipe talked of toasting the seeds and making a coffee substitute

Need to get cracking on the nettle seed foraging!

kfoto

@jolanta.wittib I have never heard of nettle seeds. This is amazing information. I love nettle leave tea. It calms my allergies. Do you grow or wild harvest? And where have you gotten your vast knowledge of herbs. I’m thinking of maybe going into becoming an herbalist but right I’m finishing my raw plant based certification. Thanks for the all information!!

kfoto

@torey would you be able to share your nettle seed cracker recipe? Thanks

jowitt.europe

@kfoto I harvest nettle seeds wild in some unspoiled and wild nature.

I am a kind of a herbalist. In Austria we are named herbal pedagogs/ teachers. I have a certificate of a Herbal teacher and another one on “Herbs in folk medicine”. But, before I did these courses I have been fascinated by herbs and it has been my hobby for more than 20 years. It still is.

Torey

@kfoto Following is a link to the blog where I got the recipe. Good article on nettle seeds. http://ravensongherbals.com/blog-post/nettle-seed-season

jowitt.europe

@torey a wonderful article on nettle seeds. i will also try the crackers recipe. Thank you very much for sharing

Grounded

I have eaten nettle leaves and drank tea from nettle leaves, but not utilized the seeds. Thank you for the information.

badsmitty

Thanks for all the great information! I've also heard nettle seeds are great for restoring hair growth. I'm not sure if it's topically or internally used. I think both, though.

I have always wanted to use nettle seeds but I am never sure when to harvest them. How do you know when the seeds are developed and not immature? Is the picture you show of the plant in this article at the right stage for harvest? I have always assumed it was later when the plant looked dryer, like so many other seeds.

jowitt.europe

@badsmitty for restoring hair growth I would use nettle leaves externally - rinsing with strong nettle infusion. And nettle seeds internally. Actually you can collect nettle seeds when the female plants are already heavy with the seeds. They hang heavily down. If you chew the seeds, you feel the crunchy seeds, not only the green. I collect either green or brownish. Whatever I find when I have time. They are good for health whether they are green or brownish. I made the picture on the day I collected the seeds. Just taste, before you harvest. And enjoy 😊