Spotted dead nettle

Monek Marie

I have 4 varieties of the spotted dead nettle. This article explains more about them.

I do have the yellow, which is a more aggressive spreader but if its planted in a sunny dry place it stays under control in my area (zone 5 B in USA)

https://www.thespruce.com/spotted-dead-nettles-2132591

And yes, it is edible and has herbal uses. Link below:

https://eattheplanet.org/dead-nettle-an-overlooked-yet-valuable-wild-edible/

It is a good ground cover, shade plant and is deer resistant.

marjstratton

Have it all over my place. Some how, I have never learned about its medicinal and edible qualities. Good to know. Thanks.

Monek Marie

@ I have it all over here too @marjstratton I am going to see what all I can do with it

karenjanicki

I love purple dead nettle. It's beautiful.

jowitt.europe

We have white, yellow and red. In folk medicine red where supposed to help men and white for women. Now one knows that all colours are for everybody. As most of the herbs, I use them to stay healthy, thus I eat all the eatable ones and trust my body that it chooses what it needs out of the variety I eat. In spring I add the blossoming tops to salad. They have a very specific taste. As a child I used to suck honey out of the white blossoms.

GlenPavelich

Does anyone know if spotted dead nettle has the same medicinal properties as purple dead nettle

Purple Dead-Nettle (Lamium purpureum) - https://www.growforagecookferment.com/foraging-purple-dead-nettle/

Spotted Dead-Nettle (Lamium maculatum) - https://balconygardenweb.com/best-lamium-varieties-types-of-dead-nettles/

I've been looking for a resource that tells me one way or another.

☺️

Thanks

Torey

Welcome to TGN's forum @GlenPavelich.

There really isn't much research out there on spotted dead nettle in comparison to other species. White dead nettle has been studied fairly extensively. Here is a comparison of the three main species. A couple of differences but that could be due to a lack of research.

Lamium album: Styptic (possibly stronger styptic properties than L. purpurea, comparable to Vitamin K). Astringent. Antioxidant. Carminative (relieves gas). Neutralizes stomach hyperacidity. Nervine. Cholagogue (influences the liver & gallbladder). Diuretic. Antibacterial.

Lamium maculatum: Antioxidant (higher in compounds than L. album). Antimicrobial.

Lamium purpureum: Styptic. Astringent. Diuretic. Diaphoretic (brings on a sweat). Anti-inflammatory. Antihistamine. Antimicrobial. 

Here is a link to a pretty good article about white dead nettle. Just click on the download button. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301104681_Lamium_album_white_deadnettle

If you are into reading a fairly technical study, this link is for one on all the chemical components of Lamium species. https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/24/10/1913

jowitt.europe

@GlenPavelich welcome to the TGN forum. I use the white, red and yellow dead nettle. So far I have never seen and thus not used a spotted dead nettle. I found some information in German (I asked Google to translate 😊) about how one can use it and the source is down below.

I myself use all the dead nettles and would use this one as well if I found it in nature.

Healing effect & medical use

The dead nettle is used as an expectorant in diseases of the respiratory tract - i.e. expectorant - and against flatulence. Skin swellings, bumps, varicose veins and gout nodes are treated with poultices of the boiled plant. The dead nettle has a weak diuretic effect. An anti-inflammatory (anti-inflammatory) effect has been proven in animal experiments. This effect is mainly used against inflammation of the mouth and throat mucosa.

The tea is also drunk for bladder problems, coughs or intestinal problems. Washings with the tea are performed on burns and other skin injuries.

The main active ingredients are iridoid glycosides, mainly lamalbide, in addition tocaryoptoside and the albosides A+B.

Edibility & Use in the Kitchen

Roots: The roots of the runners are mainly used in autumn as a raw snack, in salads or cut into small pieces in vegetable soups or with pesto, or roasted as a substitute for coffee. They also taste a bit like porcini.

Leaves and shoot tips: Young leaves and shoots in particular are ideal for salads and rawvegetables before flowering (from around February to April). The shoot tips of specimens that are already in bloom are, for example, an excellent basis for starter salads with diced cucumber and feta cheese. With their fine mushroom note, they also taste great as a vegetable lasagne with roasted nuts and goat cheese. They make delicious vegetable chips and are an excellent addition to patties. When cooked as a vegetable, the leaves and shoot tips are relatively mild and well suited as a soup vegetable. They can also be prepared asspinach-like vegetables or in egg dishes. The dead nettle is an excellent basis for tasty house tea blends for almost the entire vegetation period.

Blossoms: The blossoms are suitable from April to October for sweet dessert dishes ortogether with the leaves for hearty, colorful herb butter and above all as an accompaniment to salads.

https://www.pflanzen-vielfalt.net/wildpflanzen-kraeuter-a-z/uebersicht-pflanzen-s-z/taubnessel-gefleckte/?utm_content=cmp-true#Heilwirkung_medizinische_Nutzung

judsoncarroll4

I am working on an article on dead nettle - great herb!

Michelle D

https://community.thegrownetwork.com/discussion/comment/920508#Comment_920508

Please let me know when that is finished. I look forward to reading it. I have the purple variety all over here.