Stinging nettle smoothies...?

[RawKnitster]

Have you ever made a green smoothie with stinging nettles? Please share the specifics on how you made it. Fresh young nettles? Did you wash or soak them first? Leaves only or did you include all or part of the stalk? How much did you put in the smoothie? How long do you blend it? I would appreciate as many details as you can provide. :)

I'm very sensitive to nettle sting and am afraid to trust that blending is going to remove all the formic acid that causes the stinging. I'm wondering how is that possible?

Please don't tell me to just try it and see for myself. :p

[Revvell]

If you don't hear from others, send a message to Brigitte Mars. She's pretty much an expert on stinging nettles. We've talked about them in our interviews but I've never asked all those questions so, don't want to say "heyyyy, just try it yourself!" :p

[kaybee]

hey--

ive used the leaves in smoothies and also made a pesto out of the raw leaves and didnt have "sting" problems with either one. (the pesto was icky though... i suspect i used leaves that were too mature, as ive seen people rave about raw nettle pesto but mine was yuck. i guess youre supposed to just use the young tips and i didnt...)

im no expert on formic acid but my understandign is that theres actually something IN nettle juice that neutralizes it. like the antidote. it is actually possible to pick the youngest tips, roll/smush them well between your fingers and eat them. if you pick them with a strong, not gentle hand, and smush them, and just the young tips, you can actually usually avoid fingers getting stung and if they are well smushed, your mouth wont get stung either. so this leads me to think this is true, that the nettle juice itself neutralizes the formic acid...

ive also heard that something in our saliva neutralizes it, but if thats the case i must have defective saliva, as if i dont smush them and instead i just "roll" the leaves like DW says...i got stung on my tongue. not fun. anyhow, theres no problem with smoothies once they're blended.

there IS a guy on 30bad who makes a RAW salad out of fresh, chopped nettles. i told him he's mad but he assures me he doesnt get stung so i said i would try it. he claims that if you chop and "knead" the leaves along with fresh lemon juice (like you would kale to soften it or whatever) that you can eat it and not get stung and that it has a rich flavor. once i find some nettles im going to be mad enough to try it. ill report back with details.... provided i can still form proper word-sounds depending on if his recipe "works" or my tongue gets stung instead ;p

i wouldnt put the stalk in. the stalks are so tough that they make rope or fabric or some kind of textiles/fibers out of them (or are condsidering doing so, i forget) i do use the stalks when im drying and using for tea

my favorite way to get the goodness out of nettle is to dry it then put 1/4 cup of herb in a quart jar and pour boiling water over it (yes, not raw, but neither is herb tea that many raw fooders drink...) leave it to sit over night and strain and drink the next morning. its like pounding an energy drink. i can "feel the difference" with this stuff in a way that i havent with other herbs. if you wanted to make it raw, you could try infuising the dried herb in warm water overnight..not sure if you would get the same emerald green liquid in the morning, but you might.

by the way, dont harvest nettles after they have seeds appearing on them. something in the leaves at that point that irritates the kidneys. BUT the SEEDS can actually be used! fresh or dried and are apparently useful for adrenal exhaustion, as is the strong tea of leaves that i mentioned above.

[MintLia]

I have a green smoothie with stinging nettles about 5 times a week and it's delicious.

When I started I ate them fresh (in smoothies) but then I found the smell too foul and I decided to dehydrate them. Now I just add about 1/2 - 1 tsp into a smoothie and it's no problem.

When you blend or juice the stinging nettles you take away the stinging - you really do :) - so no worries there.

When you go to pick them, put on thicker gloves (the ones for doing the dishes are fine) and pick them into a bag. If the stinging nettles are young (the stem will snap easily), you can use the whole thing, if they are old(er) (the stem will break but will not snap in half easily) pick the leaves only. I tend to pick the whole thing and then store them in the fridge and pluck leaves when needed. That way they stay fresh for a longer time. However, if you have the possibility of having them fresh daily, I would advise you only pick as many as you would need in a day.

No soaking is required, just blend/juice. Don't forget to put on your gloves before you handle them.

How much to put into a smoothie? That's completely up to you and your taste. Start very light - say a few leaves in a pint of smoothie - and see how you like it. Then add a few more leaves if you wish and so on until you find it tastes good.

Also, try adding them to smoothies with different fruit as some fruit will disguise the smell and taste of the stinging nettle and some will not. I started will only a banana and stinging nettle smoothie and it was awful - the smell and the taste - as a banana pretty much has a neutral taste in a smoothie.

I hope this helps, but in the end you will have to just try it and see for myself. :p

Good luck (just kidding, no luck is needed here),
Lia

[RawKnitster]

If you don't hear from others, send a message to Brigitte Mars. She's pretty much an expert on stinging nettles. We've talked about them in our interviews but I've never asked all those questions so, don't want to say "heyyyy, just try it yourself!" :p

Thanks, I'll look her up. I'm also interested in finding info on the benefits that come from using nettles. A couple friends have asked me why nettles, and I didn't had a good answer. I told 'em the nettles were for Spring cleaning. :p

[RawKnitster]

kaybee and Lia, Thanks for all the info! Very encouraging! I didn't think to save any fresh nettle in the fridge, all I have is dried or drying. I put a few dried leaves in a green smoothie, couldn't tell it had any, tomorrow I will add a few more.

I made a pint of tea, took a little sip of the tea felt a tingling on my lips and tongue. Not an unpleasant tingling, but definitely there. That was about half an hour ago and I can still feel it. This tea is very different from the tea I make with dried nettles purchased at the store. Much stronger and greener tasting, and the tingling. It seems much more alive.

If you want to see pics and read about my nettle picking adventure it is posted on my RFT blog (http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/blog.php?b=17130).

Again, thanks for taking the time to tell me what you know. I appreciate it! :)

[Zurgan]

Have you ever made a green smoothie with stinging nettles? Please share the specifics on how you made it. Fresh young nettles? Did you wash or soak them first? Leaves only or did you include all or part of the stalk? How much did you put in the smoothie? How long do you blend it? I would appreciate as many details as you can provide. :)

I'm very sensitive to nettle sting and am afraid to trust that blending is going to remove all the formic acid that causes the stinging. I'm wondering how is that possible?

Please don't tell me to just try it and see for myself. :p

I haven't tried it, I'm sorry. But I do have a recipe from one of my subscribers on youtube. He doesn't seem to have a problem with the stinging in his juice. Just thought you might like another recipe. Here it is. (Beware, shameless advertising. Copied and pasted from the video.)



"* I n g r e d i e n t s *

— Always SCRUB & WASH
PRODUCE before juicing OR eating!
I use VEGGIE WASH!
http://VEGGIE-WASH.life-regenerator.com


— 2 bunches Wild Stinging Nettles (YOU MUST WEAR THICK RUBBER GLOVES during HARVESTING + while JUICING!)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinging...
— 1 bunch Dandelion Greens
— 4 Carrots
— 1 Cucumber
— 4 Apples
— 2-4 in. piece Ginger
— 1 Lemon (UNpeeled if organic; peeled if not organic)



* P r e p *

— 1) Run all ingredients through your Breville juicer, or whatever the best juicer is for you. http://JUICERS.life-regenerator.com

— 2) For the portion of juice you're drinking right now, just add ice if desired & enjoy!

— 3) Immediately pour any remaining juice into GLASS mason jars, sealed shut w/ PLASTIC lids (metal lids rust). GLASS MASON JARS + PLASTIC CAPS for your JUICE can be found here: http://JARS.life-regenerator.com Then just keep your jars of juice in a fridge or cooler until you're ready to drink some more! Your juice can stay very fresh this way for 2 days, 3 at the absolute most. IDEALLY, you want to drink juice RIGHT after it's made. REALISTICALLY, not many people are able to make a fresh juice in the morning before work, nor while at work! So do the best YOU can & make JARS o' JUICE! Can you dig it?"

[RawKnitster]

I can dig it, Zurgan. ;) Thank you! :)

[kaybee]

raw knitster--i think "alive" is a really good word you used for the tea :)

also, there is a whole thread on nettles and their benefits under the "one plant at a time" series on the healingwiseforum which is susan weeds site. great site for herb info...even though shes apparently not a fan of raw foods (i.e. her and brigitte mars debate etc).

[Revvell]

This is a link (http://www.henriettesherbal.com/blog/nettle-seed.html) from someone who is coming over to bring me some seeds. Another, brought me some nettles she picked over the weekend. I've got a full bag. Going to dry some, going to plant some. Thanks for starting this thread, RK!!!

Here's some of our conversation:

>>>Do you wait for the plant to go to seed, then collect them? I'm planning on potting my stingers so they don't travel much. Everyone >>>who's contacted me is asking why on earth I'd want them. Nice to have found a kindred soul in plants... although, I'm just learning >>>about weeds.

Ah, welcome to the wonderful world of weeds! :-) I've been wandering the weeds-as-food/medicine path for around 10 years or so now.
Brigitte has such a wonderful and warm vibe to what she does and I've enjoyed several of her books. Other authors whose weedie writings/works I have greatly enjoyed include:

Susun Weed
Gail Faith Edwards
Glennie Kindred
Rosemary Gladstar
Juliette de Bairacli Levy (now deceased, teacher to MANY of the other herbalists I've mentioned)
Michael Moore (the herbalist, not the movie maker ;-)
Paul Bergner
Matthew Wood
Richo Cech of horizonherbs.com

I know several other active herbalists whose websites/blogs I greatly enjoy for their wealth of real life work with weeds:

Henriette Kress
Kiva Rose at Bear Medicine Herbals
jim mcdonald at www.herbcraft.org (his website has a WONDERFUL links section)
Darcey Blue French
John Gallagher at LearningHerbs.com
Ryan Drum at ryandrum.com
Rebecca Hart of crabappleherbs.com
Angie Goodloe

These are really just the tip of the iceberg, too!

As far as the nettle seeds, I don't happen to collect them myself (not so far, anyway ;-) as I haven't yet had a large enough source for them. Susun Weed now has a lot of videos online on YouTube. There are several on harvesting different plants, but not sure off the top of my head if there's one specifically for nettle seeds. Lots of the authors I mention above will have info on nettle seed harvesting either in their books or on their blogs.

LOL about other people thinking you're weird for wanting weeds. If people only knew the SMORGASBORD of wonderful healthy plants that they are decimating with Roundup whilst simultaneously paying out the wazoo for stuff from the health food store that isn't half as effective! The fun part is when you do discover what is literally at your doorstep and/or in other people's yards/lawns that they will let you harvest for FREE and/or (in some cases) even pay YOU to remove etc.
On Mar 30, 2010, at 10:35 AM, (blanked) wrote:

Hi Revvell,

Yes! The seeds are a FABULOUS restorative for kidneys and adrenals.

I do love nettles infusions (eg 1oz dried herb in 1 qt water steeped overnight), but some times of the year am not drawn to them.
The infusions do give a fabulous vitamin/mineral boost, but the seeds seem even more powerful for the trophorestorative/nervine properties in particular. You only need a small amount per day - like starting as low as 1/4-1/2 tsp/day. Some people may need more, but even that tiny amount makes a difference with a lot of people. It provides steady/calming energy - not in a caffeine buzzy kind of way, but more like - hey, it's 2 o'clock and normally I'm near passed out tired by now, but today I can at least *function* ;-) Not that it would ever replace the key elements of other basic nutrition or rest/relaxation etc, but I've found it a really key helper in helping me recover from many years of adrenal depletion.

It is nice that you need so *little* of them to do the job.I know of people who have used them for humans and pets - some even in near kidney failure(!) - with great success. You can tincture them, or just use them straight up as I do. The taste is very neutral and I've sprinkled my daily dose in/on everything from smoothies to toast to soups (at the end), in sandwiches, on salads - whatever. Pretty neat stuff :-)

[kaybee]

reporting back on the "raw nettle salad" idea... i thought the guy who posted that on another forum was nuts...but turns out hes right :)

i picked some tops tonight; i e just the few smallest leaves. i pinched them hard when i picked them---grabbing them hard instead of lightly seems to reduce likelihood of getting stung, and as soon as i picked each top, i rolled it between my fingers immediately, until it looked basically wilted/smushed. i only picked about a handful cuz it was getting dark. when i got home i put them in a bowl with lemon juice and tried them (this was the recipe given by someone on 20bad). they were ok but i def preferred them with the lemon AND some olive oil. i didnt get stung while eating, but im still not certian id recommend this for raw knitster.

i would have eaten more if id had more, but didnt, so instead made salad with plantain herb, dandelion, and sorrel, chopped, and mixed with spinach, garlic, olive oil, and strawberries with some nutritional yeast on top. good balanced flavors. strawberry always seems to work well to balance the stronger bitter and sour flavors of these other wild edibles.

[RawKnitster]

WOW, revvell!!! Thanks for sharing all that info. I'm going to look up those authors and check out the links you provided.

You can definitely cultivate stinging needles. I saw an amazing patch of them in the Bastry Medicinal Herb Garden. That was a few weeks ago. The plants were about 3 inches tall, and the most beautiful greenish-blue color. Unlike in nature, these were growing tightly packed together. I'm going back in a week or so, I will take a picture. :)

kaybee, I like the method of pinching and eating the small leaves at the top. I think you are right about me not trying it, I may be too sensitive. I put forth the idea to an herbalist friend to see what she says about it. :)

I let my nettle tea infuse in the fridge for a couple days. Today I strained it and tried to drink it. It was too strong, so I made it into a strawberry/kale smoothie. Just finished drinking it. I feel a slight tingle, especially on my lips and back of throat. As I sit here typing I can feel the power surging through my body and my vision sharpening. :cool:

[rawviveyourself]

Thanks, I'll look her up. I'm also interested in finding info on the benefits that come from using nettles. A couple friends have asked me why nettles, and I didn't had a good answer. I told 'em the nettles were for Spring cleaning. :p

Nettles has a similar chemical composition to human hemoglobin, making it an excellent blood cleanser and source of iron. It is a great adaptogen and helps us cope with stress by strengthening the adrenals and helping to flush out kidneys. It also:

reduces inflammation
relieves pain
reduces allergies
stimulates digestion
increases urination
stops hair loss
stops bleeding
lowers blood pressure
heals wounds

and for the ladies...helps lactation and promotes menstruation

If you don't like the taste (which I can't believe anyone wouldn't - but if that is your case), do a good skin brush and make a couple of quarts of nettles tea and put it in your bath.

One of my all-time favorite herbs!

[RawKnitster]

Nettles has a similar chemical composition to human hemoglobin, making it an excellent blood cleanser and source of iron. It is a great adaptogen and helps us cope with stress by strengthening the adrenals and helping to flush out kidneys. It also:

reduces inflammation
relieves pain
reduces allergies
stimulates digestion
increases urination
stops hair loss
stops bleeding
lowers blood pressure
heals wounds



GREAT NEWS!!! Thank you. :D

That helps me understand why I am drawn to it. Now, if it only helped the memory, too, I might be able to remember to tell my friends what ALL the benefits are when they ask again. ;)