View source for Urtica dioica

{{Short description|Species of flowering plant in the family Urticaceae}}
{{About||other plants that sting|Stinging plant#Plants with stinging hairs|other plants known as "nettle"|Nettle}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2025}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Fen nettle (Urtica dioica ssp. galeopsifolia) - geograph.org.uk - 5423125.jpg
| image_caption = ''Urtica dioica'' subsp. ''galeopsifolia''
| taxon = Urtica dioica
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref>{{cite iucn |author=Maiz-Tome, L. |year=2016 |title=''Urtica dioica'' |article-number=e.T167815A78457212|doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T167815A78457212.en |access-date=4 May 2024}}</ref>
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]<ref name="POWO"/>
}}

'''''Urtica dioica''''', often known as '''common nettle''', '''burn nettle''', '''stinging nettle''', '''nettle leaf''', or just a '''nettle''' or '''stinger''', is a<!--article is in British English, so not "an"--> [[herbaceous]] perennial [[flowering plant]] in the family [[Urticaceae]]. Originally native to Europe, much of temperate Asia and western North Africa,<ref name="POWO"/> it is now found worldwide. 

The species is divided into six [[subspecies]], five of which have many hollow stinging hairs called [[trichome]]s on the leaves and stems, which act like [[hypodermic needle]]s, injecting [[histamine]] and other chemicals that produce a stinging sensation upon contact ("contact urticaria", a form of [[contact dermatitis]]).<ref name="Drugscom-2009">{{cite web |title=Nettles|url=https://www.drugs.com/npp/nettles.html |publisher=Drugs.com |access-date=23 April 2018 |date=2009}}</ref><ref name="Per_Brodal-2010">{{cite book |first=Per |last=Brodal |title=The Central Nervous System: Structure and Function|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iJjI6yDNmr8C&pg=PA170 |access-date=22 September 2010 |year=2010 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-538115-3 |page=170}}</ref>

The plant has a long history of use as a source for [[traditional medicine]], food, tea, and [[textile]] [[raw material]] in ancient (such as [[Saxons|Saxon]]) and modern societies.<ref name="POWO"/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lukešová |first1=Hana |title=Identifying plant fibre textiles from Norwegian Merovingian Period and Viking Age graves: The Late Iron Age Collection of the University Museum of Bergen |journal=Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports |date=June 2017 |volume=13 |pages=281–285 |doi=10.1016/j.jasrep.2017.03.051 |bibcode=2017JArSR..13..281L |doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Description==
''Urtica dioica'' is a [[dioecious]], [[Herbaceous plant|herbaceous]], and [[perennial]] plant. It grows to {{Convert|3|to|7|ft|order=flip|sigfig=1|abbr=off}} tall in the summer and dying down to the ground in winter.<ref name="PlantsforaFuture-2012">{{cite web|title=Urtica dioica - L|url=https://www.pfaf.org/USER/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Urtica+dioica|publisher=Plants for a Future|access-date=23 April 2018|date=2012}}</ref> It has widely spreading [[rhizome]]s and [[stolon]]s, which are bright yellow, as are the roots. The soft, green [[leaves]] are {{convert|1 to 6|in|cm|order=flip|sigfig=1|abbr=}} long and are borne oppositely on an erect, wiry, green stem. The leaves have a strongly serrated margin, a cordate base, and an acuminate tip with a terminal leaf tooth longer than adjacent laterals. It bears small, greenish or brownish, numerous flowers in dense axillary inflorescences.

The leaves and stems are very hairy with non-stinging hairs, and in most subspecies, also bear many stinging hairs ([[trichome]]s or spicules), whose tips come off when touched, transforming the hair into a needle that can inject several chemicals causing a painful sting or [[paresthesia]], giving the species its common names: stinging nettle, burn-nettle, burn-weed, or burn-hazel.<ref name="PlantsforaFuture-2012"/><ref name="Drugscom-2009"/><ref name="UniCalif">{{cite web|title=Burning & Stinging Nettles|url=http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74146.html|publisher=University of California|access-date=21 September 2013}}</ref>

{{gallery|mode=packed
|Urtica dioica specimen, Cambridge University Botanic Garden.jpg|[[Cambridge University Botanic Garden|Cambridge]] specimen
|Urtica dioica38 ies.jpg|Close-up of the defensive hairs
|Kopiva.JPG|Young shoot leaves
|Stinging Nettle Leaf Detail.jpg|Leaf detail
|Urtica dioica19 ies.jpg|Flowers (male) can be yellow
|Urtica dioica26 ies.jpg|Flowers (male) can be purple
|Urtica dioica35 ies.jpg|Flowers (female) can be green and white
|Urtica dioica32 ies.jpg|Fruits
|Urtica dioica (Stinging Nettle) pollen.tif|Pollen
|Urtica dioica pollen.jpg|Processed pollen, 40x
|Cross-section of a stinging nettle stem under the microscope.=Urtica dioica|Microscopic cross-section of a stinging nettle leaf.=Cross section|Photograph of a Urtica dioica plant.=Photo}}

==Taxonomy==
[[File:Illustration Urtica dioica0.jpg|thumb|Illustration by [[Otto Wilhelm Thomé]] (1885)]]
Credit for the scientific naming of ''Urtica dioica'' is given to [[Carl Linnaeus]], who published it in ''[[Species Plantarum]]'' in 1753.<ref name="POWO" /> The [[Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomy]] of ''Urtica'' species is confused, and sources are likely to use a variety of systematic names for these plants. Until 2014 there was broad consensus that the nettles native to the Americas, now classified as ''[[Urtica gracilis]]'', were [[subspecies]] of ''U.&nbsp;dioica''. However, in that year the paper "Weeding the Nettles&nbsp;II" was published in the journal ''Phytotaxa'' demonstrating the genetic distinctness of New World nettles.<ref name="Henning-2014">{{cite journal | last1 = Henning | first1 = T. | last2 = Quandt | first2 = D. | last3 = Große-Veldmann | first3 = B. | last4 = Monro | first4 = A.K. | last5 = Weigend | first5 = M. | date = 2014 | title = Weeding the Nettles II: A delimitation of {{'}}''Urtica dioica'' L.' (Urticaceae) based on morphological and molecular data, including a rehabilitation of ''Urtica gracilis'' Ait&period; | url = https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260815095 | journal = Phytotaxa | volume = 162 | issue = 2 | pages = 61–83 | doi = 10.11646/phytotaxa.162.2.1 }}</ref> As of 2023 [[Plants of the World Online]] (POWO) recognises ''U.&nbsp;gracilis'' as a distinct species while the USDA [[Natural Resources Conservation Service]] PLANTS database continues to list it as ''U.&nbsp;dioica'' subsp. ''gracilis'', as does the ''[[Flora of North America]]''.<ref>{{cite POWO |id=262034-2 |title=''Urtica gracilis'' Aiton |access-date=31 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite usda plants|symbol=URDIG |title=Urtica dioica L. ssp. gracilis (Aiton) Seland. |date=9 June 2023}}</ref><ref name="Boufford-2020">{{cite web |last1=Boufford |first1=David E. |title=''Urtica dioica'' subsp. ''gracilis'' - FNA |url=http://beta.floranorthamerica.org/Urtica_dioica_subsp._gracilis |website=Flora of North America |access-date=9 June 2023 |date=5 November 2020}}</ref>

As of 2023 POWO recognises 11 subspecies or varieties of ''U.&nbsp;dioica'':<ref name="POWO" />

*[[Urtica dioica subsp. afghanica|''Urtica dioica'' subsp. ''afghanica'']] Chrtek, from southwestern and central Asia, sometimes has stinging hairs or is sometimes hairless.<ref name="FloraChina">{{cite web|url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=220014002|title=Flora of China online|author1=Chen Jiarui|author2=Ib Friis|author3=C. Melanie Wilmot-Dear|publisher=efloras, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA}}</ref>
*[[Urtica dioica subsp. dioica|''Urtica dioica'' subsp. ''dioica'']] (European stinging nettle), from Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, has stinging hairs.<ref>{{cite POWO |id=77224164-1 |title=''Urtica dioica'' subsp. ''dioica'' |access-date=31 May 2023}}</ref>
*''Urtica dioica'' subsp. ''gansuensis'' C.J.Chen, from eastern Asia (China), has stinging hairs.<ref name="FloraChina"/>
*''Urtica dioica'' var. ''glabrata'' (Clem.) Asch. & Graebn.
*''Urtica dioica'' var. ''hispida'' (Lam. ex DC.) [[Ignaz Friedrich Tausch|Tausch]] ex Ott
*''Urtica dioica'' var. ''holosericea'' [[Elias Magnus Fries|Fr.]]
*''Urtica dioica'' subsp. ''kurdistanica'' Chrtek
*''Urtica dioica'' subsp. ''pubescens'' (Ledeb.) Domin, in many sources as [[Urtica dioica subsp. galeopsifolia|''U.&nbsp;dioica'' subsp. ''galeopsifolia'']] (fen nettle or stingless nettle), from Europe, does not have stinging hairs.<ref>{{cite POWO |id=77252196-1 |title=''Urtica dioica'' subsp. ''pubescens'' (Ledeb.) Domin |access-date=31 May 2023}}</ref>
*''Urtica dioica'' var. ''sarmatica'' [[Hugo Zapałowicz|Zapał.]]
*''Urtica dioica'' subsp. ''sondenii'' (Simmons) Hyl.
*''Urtica dioica'' subsp. ''subinermis'' (R.Uechtr.) Weigend

===Etymology===
''Urtica'' is derived from a [[Latin]] word meaning 'sting'.<ref name="Gledhill-2008">Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|9780521866453}} (hardback), {{ISBN|9780521685535}} (paperback). pp 142, 395</ref>

''Dioica'' (δίοικος) is derived from [[Greek language|Greek]], meaning 'of two houses' (having separate staminate and pistillate plants; [[dioecious]]).<ref name="Gledhill-2008" />

==Distribution and habitat==
[[File:Urtica dioica 1.jpg|thumb|A stinging nettle growing in a field]]
[[File:Polystem stinging nettle.jpg|thumb|Common nettle in July, axillary shoots are visible.]]

''U. dioica'' is considered to be native to Europe, much of temperate [[Asia]] and western [[North Africa]].<ref name="POWO">{{cite POWO |id=260630-2 |title=''Urtica dioica'' L. |access-date=31 May 2023}}</ref> It is abundant in [[northern Europe]] and much of Asia, usually found in the countryside.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}} It is less widespread in southern Europe and north Africa, where it is restricted by its need for moist soil, but is still common. It has been introduced to many other parts of the world. In North America, it is widely distributed in [[Canada]] and the United States, where it is found in every province and state except for [[Hawaii]], and also can be found in northernmost [[Mexico]]. It grows in abundance in the [[Pacific Northwest]], especially in places where annual rainfall is high. The European subspecies has been introduced into Australia, North America and [[South America]].<ref name="USForServ">{{cite web|title=Species: Urtica dioica|url=http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/forb/urtdio/all.html|publisher=United States Forest Service|access-date=21 September 2013}}</ref><ref name="OhioStateUni">{{cite web|title=Stinging Nettle|url=http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/weedguide/singlerecord.asp?id=210|publisher=Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Ohio State University|access-date=21 September 2013}}</ref>

In Europe, nettles have a strong association with human habitation and buildings. The presence of nettles may indicate the site of a long-abandoned building, and can also indicate [[soil fertility]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Nettles: Bad guys come good |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/7645974/Nettles-Bad-guys-come-good.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/7645974/Nettles-Bad-guys-come-good.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |website=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] Online |access-date=21 February 2019|date=29 April 2010 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> Human and animal waste may be responsible for elevated levels of [[phosphate]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Paul L. |date=2012 |title=Indicator Plants: Using Plants to Evaluate the Environment |page=47}}</ref> and [[nitrogen]] in the soil, providing an ideal environment for nettles.

==Ecology==
[[File:Mariasdorf Burgenland 2021-08-20 Tschabach 2 Tagpfauenauge Aglais io Brennnesseln Urtica.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|''[[Aglais io]]'' caterpillars feeding on leaves]]

Nettles are the [[larva]]l food plant for several species of [[butterfly|butterflies]] in the [[Nymphalidae]] family, such as the [[Aglais io|peacock butterfly]],<ref>Heiko Bellmann: Der Neue Kosmos Schmetterlingsführer, Schmetterlinge, Raupen und Futterpflanzen, pg. 170, Frankh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co, Stuttgart 2003, {{ISBN|3-440-09330-1}}.</ref> comma (''[[Polygonia c-album]]''), and the [[small tortoiseshell]]. It is also eaten by the larvae of some [[moth]]s including [[angle shades]], [[buff ermine]], [[dot moth]], [[Flame (moth)|the flame]], [[Gothic (moth)|the gothic]], [[grey chi]], [[grey pug]], [[lesser broad-bordered yellow underwing]], [[mouse moth]], [[setaceous Hebrew character]], and [[small angle shades]]. The [[root]]s are sometimes eaten by the larva of the [[ghost moth]] (''Hepialus humuli'').

It is a known host to the [[pathogenic]] fungus ''[[Phoma herbarum]]''.<ref Name="Hallgrímsson-2004">Helgi Hallgrímsson & Guðríður Gyða Eyjólfsdóttir (2004). [https://rafhladan.is/bitstream/handle/10802/4090/Fjolrit_45.pdf?sequence=1 ''Íslenskt sveppatal I - smásveppir'' [Checklist of Icelandic Fungi I - Microfungi]. Fjölrit Náttúrufræðistofnunar. Náttúrufræðistofnun Íslands [Icelandic Institute of Natural History]. ISSN 1027-832X</ref>

Stinging nettle is particularly found as an understory plant in wetter environments, but it is also found in meadows. Although nutritious, it is not widely eaten by either wildlife or livestock, presumably because of the sting. It spreads by abundant seeds and also by rhizomes, and is often able to survive and re-establish quickly after fire.<ref name="Carey-1995">{{cite web |title=Urtica dioica |website=Fire Effects Information System, [Online] |last=Carey |first=Jennifer H. |year=1995 |url=http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/forb/urtdio/all.html}}</ref>

==Cultivation==

===Field===

==== Sowing and planting ====
Three cultivation techniques can be used for the stinging nettle: 1) direct sowing, 2) growing seedlings in nurseries with subsequent transplantation and 3) vegetative propagation via stolons or head cuttings.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Heyland |first1=Klaus-Ulrich |date=2006 |title=Ölfrüchte, Faserpflanzen, Arzneipflanzen und Sonderkulturen |journal=Handbuch des Pflanzenbaues |volume=4}}</ref>

# Direct sowing: The [[seedbed]] should have a loose and fine structure, but should be reconsolidated using a packer roller imminently prior to sowing.<ref name="Bomme-1996a">{{cite journal |last1=Bomme |first1=U. |date=1996 |title=Kulturanleitung für Brennnesseln |journal=Bayerische Landesanstalt für Bodenkultur und Pflanzenbau, Abteilung Pflanzenbau und Pflanzenzüchtung, LBP Freising}}</ref> Sowing time can be either in autumn<ref name="Heeger-1956">{{cite book |last1=Heeger |first1=E. F. |title=Handbuch des Arznei- und Gewürzpflanzenbaus |date=1956 |publisher=Deutscher Bauernverlag |location=Leipzig}}</ref> or in spring.<ref name="Bomme-1996b">{{cite journal |author1=Bomme U. |author2=Unterholzerner S |date=1996 |title=Günstigste Verfahren zum Anbau der Grossen Brennnessel |journal=Gemüse |volume=3 |pages=233–234}}</ref> Seed density should be 6&nbsp;kilograms/hectare with row spacing of {{convert|30|cm|abbr=on}} and 42–50&nbsp;cm in autumn and spring, respectively.<ref name="Bomme-1996a" /><ref name="Heeger-1956" /><ref name="Pelzmann-1999">{{cite journal |author1=Dachler M. |author2=Pelzmann H. |year=1999 |title=Arznei- und Gewürzpflanzen |journal=Anbau — Ernte — Aufbereitung. 2. Auflage}}</ref> The disadvantage of direct sowing is that it usually leads to incomplete plant coverage.<ref name="Bomme-1996a" /><ref name="Pelzmann-1999" /> This drawback can be mitigated by covering the seedbed with a transparent perforated foil in order to improve seed germination.<ref name="Bomme-1996a" /><ref name="Heeger-1956" /> Further, weed control can be problematic as the stinging nettle has a slow seedling development time.<ref name="Bomme-1996a" />
# Growing seedlings: For this technique pre-germinated seeds are sown between mid-/end-February and beginning of April and grown in [[Plant nursery|nurseries]]. Seedlings are grown in tuffs with 3–5 plants/tuff and a seed density of 1.2–1.6&nbsp;kg/1000 tuffs. Faster germination is achieved by alternating high temperature during daytime (30&nbsp;°C for 8 h) and lower temperature during nighttime (20&nbsp;°C for 16 h).<ref name="Bomme-1996a" /><ref name="Pelzmann-1999" /> Before transplanting, the seedlings should be fertilised and acclimated to cold temperatures.<ref name="Bomme-1996a" /> Transplantation should start around Mid-April with row spacing of {{convert|42|–|50|cm|abbr=on}} and plant spacing within rows of 25–30&nbsp;cm.<ref name="Bomme-1996b" /><ref name="Pelzmann-1999" />
# Vegetative propagation: Stolons (with several buds) of 10&nbsp;cm should be planted from mid-April in a depth of {{convert|5|-|7|cm|abbr=on|frac=4}}.<ref name="Bomme-1996b" /> Head cuttings are grown in [[Plant nursery|nurseries]] starting between mid-May and mid-June. Growing tips with two leaf pairs are cut from the mother plant and treated with root-growth inducing hormones. Transplantation can be delayed in comparison to the growing seedling technique.<ref name="Bomme-1996a" />

=== Greenhouse ===
The stinging nettle can also be grown in [[controlled-environment agriculture]] systems, such as soil-less medium cultivations or [[aeroponics]], which may achieve higher yields, standardise quality, and reduce harvesting costs and contamination.<ref name="Pagliarulo-2004">{{cite journal |last1=Pagliarulo |first1=C.L |last2=Hayden |first2=A.L |last3=Giacomelli |first3=G.A |year=2004 |title=Potential for Greenhouse Aeroponic Cultivation of Urtica Dioica |journal=Acta Horticulturae |issue=659 |pages=61–66 |doi=10.17660/ActaHortic.2004.659.6 |s2cid=14875913}}</ref>

==Sting and treatment{{Anchor|Stings}}==
[[File:Nettle Sting.JPG|thumb|A hand with nettle dermatitis]]

''Urtica dioica'' produces its [[inflammation|inflammatory]] effect on skin (a stinging, burning sensation often called "contact urticaria") both by impaling the skin via [[trichome|spicule]]s &ndash; causing mechanical irritation &ndash; and by [[biochemistry|biochemical]] irritants, such as [[histamine]], [[serotonin]], and [[acetylcholine]], among other chemicals.<ref name="Drugscom-2009" /><ref name="Cummings-2011">{{cite journal |last1=Cummings |first1=Alexander J |last2=Olsen |first2=Michael |year=2011 |title=Mechanism of Action of Stinging Nettles |journal=Wilderness & Environmental Medicine |volume=22 |issue=2 |pages=136–139 |doi=10.1016/j.wem.2011.01.001 |pmid=21396858 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Wildflowerfinder">{{cite web |url=http://wildflowerfinder.org.uk/Flowers/N/Nettle%28Stinging%29/Nettle%28Stinging%29.htm |title=Nettle (Stinging) |website=Wildflowerfinder.org.uk |access-date=3 July 2012}}</ref><ref name="Casarett-2008">{{cite book |author1=Louis J. Casarett |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4yi7-j48uhIC&pg=PA1104 |title=Casarett and Doull's toxicology: the basic science of poisons |author2=Curtis D. Klaassen |author3=John Doull |publisher=McGraw-Hill Professional |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-07-147051-3 |pages=1104– |access-date=22 September 2010}}</ref><ref name="Greenberg-2003">{{cite book |author=Michael I. Greenberg |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NnZ23IqU4SoC&pg=PA180 |title=Occupational, industrial, and environmental toxicology |date=4 June 2003 |publisher=Elsevier Health Sciences |isbn=978-0-323-01340-6 |pages=180– |access-date=22 September 2010}}</ref> [[antipruritic|Anti-itch drugs]], usually in the form of [[Cream (pharmaceutical)|creams]] containing [[antihistamine]]s or [[hydrocortisone]], may provide relief from nettle [[dermatitis]].<ref name="Drugscom-2009" /> The term ''contact urticaria'' has a wider use in [[dermatology]], involving dermatitis caused by various skin irritants and [[pathogen]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Adisesh |first1=A |last2=Robinson |first2=E |last3=Nicholson |first3=P.J |last4=Sen |first4=D |last5=Wilkinson |first5=M |author6=Standards of Care Working Group |year=2013 |title=U.K. Standards of care for occupational contact dermatitis and occupational contact urticaria |journal=British Journal of Dermatology |volume=168 |issue=6 |pages=1167–1175 |doi=10.1111/bjd.12256 |pmc=3734701 |pmid=23374107}}</ref>

[[Rumex|Dock]]s, especially ''[[Rumex obtusifolius]]'' (the broad-leaf dock) often grow in similar environments to stinging nettles and are regarded as a [[folk remedy]] to counteract the sting of a nettle,<ref>{{cite web |title=Recorded uses of' dock (''Rumex'' sp.) |url=http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ethnomedica/reports/dock.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120040109/http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ethnomedica/reports/dock.html |archive-date=2008-11-20 |access-date=2008-04-15 |work=Ethnomedica}} {{verify source|date=September 2019|reason=This ref was deleted ([[Special:Diff/908109509]]) by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite at [[Special:Permalink/903925467]] cite #7 - please verify the cite's accuracy and remove this {verify source} template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref> although there is no evidence of any chemical effect. It may be that the act of rubbing a dock leaf against a nettle sting acts as a distracting [[counterstimulation]], or that belief in the dock's effect provides a [[placebo effect]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hopcroft |first1=Keith |date=10 September 2005 |title=Home remedies: dock leaves for nettle stings |language=en |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/home-remedies-dock-leaves-for-nettle-stings-gk075bw6b3c |access-date=29 August 2020}}</ref>

==Uses==
===Culinary===
{{multiple image
 | align = right
 | total_width = 350
 | image1 =Brennnesselspinat.jpg
 | caption1 = The young leaves are edible and can be used as a [[leaf vegetable]], as with a [[purée]].
 | image2 = Bucharest - Caru cu Bere - interior (MAR 2023) - img 09.jpg
 | caption2 = ''Mâncare de urzici'', a [[Romanian cuisine|Romanian]] stew made of the leaves, served with 
''[[mămăligă]]''
}}

''U. dioica'' has a flavour similar to [[spinach]] when cooked. Young plants are harvested by many [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] communities and are cooked and eaten in spring when other food plants are scarce.<ref name="Tilford">Gregory L. Tilford, ''Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West'', {{ISBN|0-87842-359-1}}</ref> Soaking stinging nettles in water or cooking removes the stinging chemicals from the plant, which allows them to be handled and eaten without injury.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Nyerges |first1=Christopher |title=Foraging Wild Edible Plants of North America: More than 150 Delicious Recipes Using Nature's Edibles |date=2016 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4930-1499-6 |page=130 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RwDHCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA130}}</ref> After the stinging nettle enters its flowering and seed-setting stages, the leaves develop gritty particles called [[cystolith]]s. Many sources claim consumption of these can irritate the kidneys and urinary tract,<ref name=Tilford/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Renton |first1=Marlow |title=Foraging Pocket Guide |last2=Biggane |first2=Eric |publisher=Wild Foods UK |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-9999222-2-1 |edition=2020 |pages=106–107}}</ref> but there is no medical evidence to support this claim. Cystoliths are made of [[calcium carbonate]],<ref>{{cite journal|author=Watt, W.M.|author2=Morrell, C.K.|author3=Smith, D.L.|author4=Steer, M.W.|year=1987|title=Cystolith development and structure in Pilea cadierei (Urticaceae)|journal=Annals of Botany|volume=60|issue=1|pages=71–84|url=http://academic.oup.com/aob/article-abstract/60/1/71/251264/Cystolith-Development-and-Structure-in-Pilea|doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.aob.a087424|url-access=subscription}}</ref> and will not dissolve when boiled. Leaves harvested post-flowering must have their cystoliths broken down by [[acid]], as in the [[Fermentation in food processing|fermentation process]]. In its peak season, nettle contains up to 25% protein, dry weight, which is high for a leafy green vegetable.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The dietary potential of the common nettle|year=1980|last1=Hughes|first1=R. Elwyn|last2=Ellery|first2=Peter|last3=Harry |first3=Tim |last4=Jenkins|first4=Vivian|last5=Jones|first5=Eleri |journal=Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture |volume=31 |issue=12|pages=1279–86|pmid=6259444 |doi=10.1002/jsfa.2740311210|bibcode=1980JSFA...31.1279H }}</ref> The leaves are also dried and may then be used to make a<!--article is in British English so not "an"--> [[herbal tea]], as can also be done with the nettle's flowers.

Nettles can be used in a variety of recipes, such as [[polenta]], [[pesto]], and [[purée]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wattpad.com/399865-1069-recetas-de-cocina-karlos-argui%C3%B1ano?p=71 |title=1069 Recetas de Cocina (No 423) |website=Wattpad.com |date=12 May 2010 |access-date=3 July 2012 |archive-date=5 February 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130205222458/http://www.wattpad.com/399865-1069-recetas-de-cocina-karlos-argui%C3%B1ano?p=71 }}</ref> [[Nettle soup]] is a common use of the plant, particularly in Northern and Eastern [[Europe]].

Nettles are sometimes used in cheesemaking, such as for [[Cornish Yarg]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lynherdairies.co.uk/nettles-and-garlic.html |title=Lynher Dairies Nettles & Garlic |publisher=Lynherdairies.co.uk |access-date=5 July 2010 |archive-date=19 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019081533/http://www.lynherdairies.co.uk/nettles-and-garlic.html }}</ref> and as a flavouring in varieties of Gouda.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.recipetips.com/glossary-term/t--38676/gouda-cheese-with-stinging-nettles.asp |title=Gouda Cheese with Stinging Nettles: Cooking Terms|publisher=RecipeTips.com |access-date=5 July 2010}}</ref>

Nettles are used in [[Albania]], [[Montenegro]], [[Serbia]], [[North Macedonia]] and [[Bosnia and Hercegovina|Bosnia and Herzegovina]] as part of the dough filling for the ''[[börek]]'' pastry. The top baby leaves are selected and simmered, and then mixed with other ingredients such as herbs and rice, before being used as a filling between dough layers.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hermesnews.org/rubriche/8192---.asp |title=Byrek me hithra Një gatim me jeshillëqet që na ka dhuruar nëna natyrë |trans-title=Recipe: Pie with nettles A dish with the greens that mother nature gave us  |language=sq |publisher=Hermes News |date=19 March 2012 |access-date=14 May 2017 |url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024032319/http://www.hermesnews.org/rubriche/8192---.asp |archive-date=24 October 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://urban.al/index.php/kuzhine/item/1084-byrek-me-hithra |title=Byrek me hithra |trans-title=Nettle pie |language=sq |date=13 February 2013 |access-date=14 May 2017 |archive-date=2 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702072819/http://urban.al/index.php/kuzhine/item/1084-byrek-me-hithra }}</ref> Similarly, in [[Greece]] the tender leaves are often used, after simmering, as a filling for hortopita, which is similar to [[spanakopita]], but with wild greens rather than spinach for filling.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greekboston.com/cooking/whats-in-horta/ |title=What's In Your Horta? |access-date=14 May 2017 |publisher=GreekBoston |website=Greek Cooking |date=21 June 2015}}</ref>

Young nettles can also be used to make an [[alcoholic drink]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wright|first=John |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/may/18/homebrew-from-the-hedgerow |title=Homebrew from the hedgerow: nettle beer |date=2011-05-18 |work=The Guardian |access-date=2020-04-10 |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

====Competitive eating====
In the United Kingdom, an annual [[The Bottle Inn#World Nettle Eating Championship|World Nettle Eating Championship]] draws thousands of people to [[Dorset]], where competitors attempt to eat as much of the raw plant as possible. Competitors are given {{convert|60|cm|in|adj=on|abbr=on}} stalks of the plant, from which they strip the leaves and eat them. Whoever strips and eats the most stinging nettle leaves in a fixed time is the winner. The competition dates back to 1986, when two neighbouring farmers attempted to settle a dispute about which had the worst infestation of nettles, and one of them said to the other, "I'll eat any nettle of yours that's longer than mine."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/dorset/content/articles/2005/06/17/nettle_eating_feature.shtml|title=World nettle eating championships|work=[[BBC News]]|date=17 June 2005|access-date=3 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Langley |first=William |date=14 June 2009 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5525806/World-Stinging-Nettle-Eating-Championship-attracts-record-crowd.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5525806/World-Stinging-Nettle-Eating-Championship-attracts-record-crowd.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=World Stinging Nettle Eating Championship attracts record crowd |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |location=London |access-date=3 July 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===Traditional medicine===
As [[Old English]] {{Lang|ang|stiðe}}, nettle is one of the nine plants invoked in the [[Anglo-Saxon paganism|pagan Anglo-Saxon]] ''[[Nine Herbs Charm]]'', recorded in 10th-century [[traditional medicine]]. Nettle was believed to be a [[galactagogue]] &ndash; a substance that promotes [[lactation]].<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.cjmrp.com/articles/volume-2-2003/galactagogue-herbs-a-qualitative-study-and-review|first1=Rachel Emma|last1=Westfall|title=Galactagogue herbs: a qualitative study and review|journal=Canadian Journal of Midwifery Research and Practice|volume=2|issue=2|pages=22–27|year=2024|doi=10.22374/cjmrp.v2i2.184|url-access=subscription|archive-date=16 August 2018|access-date=16 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180816162120/http://www.cjmrp.com/articles/volume-2-2003/galactagogue-herbs-a-qualitative-study-and-review|doi-access=free}}</ref> Urtication, or flogging with nettles, is the process of deliberately applying stinging nettles to the skin to provoke [[inflammation]]. An agent thus used was considered to be a [[rubefacient]] (something that causes redness), used as a [[traditional medicine|folk remedy]] for treating [[rheumatism]].<ref name="BBC">{{cite news|title=Stinging nettles|url=https://h2g2.com/edited_entry/A1310950|work=BBC|access-date=21 September 2013|archive-date=17 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140117211954/http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/place-london/plain/A1310950|url-status=live}}</ref> A study undertaken in 2000 showed that nettles were an effective therapy in relieving the pain of [[arthritis]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Nettles 'ease arthritis suffering' |work=BBC News |date=31 May 2000 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/771563.stm |access-date=10 April 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Randall C, Randall H, Dobbs F, Hutton C, Sanders H |title=Randomized controlled trial of nettle sting for treatment of base-of-thumb pain |journal=[[Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine]] |year=2000 |volume=93 |issue=6 |pages=305–309 |doi=10.1177/014107680009300607 |pmid=10911825 |pmc=1298033 }}</ref>

===Chastisement===
In indigenous justice systems in [[Ecuador]], urtication was used as punishment for severe crimes in 2010. The sentenced perpetrator of a crime was flogged with stinging nettle, in public, naked, whilst being showered with freezing cold ice water.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-10683003|title=Ecuador's indigenous justice system on trial|last=Caselli|first=Irene|date=27 July 2010|website=BBC|access-date=17 April 2020}}</ref>

===Textiles and fibre===
[[File:Textielmuseum-cabinet-13.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Nettle fibre, stem, yarn, textile, jewellery with glass and nettle yarn]]

Nettle stems contain a [[bast fibre]] that has been traditionally used for the same purposes as [[linen]] and is produced by a similar [[retting]] process. Unlike [[cotton]], nettles grow easily without [[pesticides]]. The fibres are coarser, however.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/leicestershire/3857445.stm|work=BBC News|title=Student shows off nettle knickers|date=1 July 2004|access-date=24 May 2010}}</ref>

Historically, nettles have been used to make clothing for almost 3,000 years, as ancient nettle textiles from the Bronze Age have been found in Denmark.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bergfjord |first1=C. |title=Nettle as a distinct Bronze-Age textile plant |journal=Scientific Reports |year=2012 |volume=2 |article-number=664 |doi=10.1038/srep00664 |pmid=23024858 |pmc=3460533 |bibcode=2012NatSR...2..664B }}</ref> It is widely believed that German Army uniforms were almost all made from nettle during World War I due to a shortage of cotton, although there is little evidence to support this.<ref>Edom, G.(2019), From Sting to Spin: A History of Nettle Fibre, Urtica Books</ref> More recently, companies in Austria, Germany, and Italy have started to produce commercial nettle textiles.<ref>Neustatter, Angela (27 February 2008). [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/feb/28/ethicalliving.fashion "Rash thinking"]. ''The Guardian''.</ref><ref>Flintoff, John-Paul (20 August 2009). [http://www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/clothing/304924/second_skin_why_wearing_nettles_is_the_next_big_thing.html "Second skin: why wearing nettles is the next big thing"]. ''The Ecologist''.</ref>

The fibre content in nettle shows a high variability and reaches from below 1% to 17%. Under middle-European conditions, stems yield typically between 45 and 55 dt / ha (decitons per hectare), which is comparable to [[flax]] stem yield. Due to the variable fibre content, the fibre yields vary between 0.2 and 7&nbsp;dt / ha, but the yields are normally in the range between 2 and 4&nbsp;dt / ha.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.tll.de/ainfo/pdf/fnes0403.pdf|title=10 Jahre anbautechnische Versuche zu Fasernesseln (Urtica dioica L.) in Thüringen|last1=Wurl|first1=Günter|last2=Graf|first2=Torsten|last3=Vettel|first3=Armin|last4=Biertümpfel|first4=Andrea|publisher=Thüringer Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft|archive-date=4 March 2016|access-date=29 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304110800/http://www.tll.de/ainfo/pdf/fnes0403.pdf}}</ref> Fibre varieties are normally cloning varieties and therefore planted from vegetative propagated plantlets. Direct seeding is possible, but leads to great heterogeneity in maturity.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1079/AJAA200242 |title=Production and processing of organically grown fiber nettle (Urtica dioica L.) and its potential use in the natural textile industry: A review |journal=American Journal of Alternative Agriculture |volume=18 |issue=3 |page=119 |year=2009 |last1=Vogl |first1=C.R |last2=Hartl |first2=A |s2cid=54916789 }}</ref>

Nettles may be used as a [[dye|dye-stuff]], producing yellow from the roots, or yellowish green from the leaves.<ref>Piers Warren, [https://books.google.com/books?id=HI6d7MkVEXoC ''101 uses for Stinging Nettles''] (2006), p. 65, {{ISBN|0-9541899-9-X}}.</ref>

===Feed===
====Nutrient contents====
Fresh leaves contain approximately 82.4% water, 17.6% dry matter, 5.5% protein, 0.7 to 3.3% fat, and 7.1% carbohydrates.<ref name="Lutomski-1983">{{cite journal|title=Die Brennessel in Heilkunde und Ernährung|last1=Lutomski|first1=Jerzy|journal=Pharmazie in unserer Zeit|doi=10.1002/pauz.19830120602|pmid=6657715|last2=Speichert|first2=Henryk|year=1983|pages=181–186|volume=12|issue=6|language=de}}</ref> Mature leaves contain about 40% ''[[Alpha-Linolenic acid|α]]''[[Alpha-Linolenic acid|- linolenic acid]], a valuable omega-3 acid.<ref name="Guil-Guerrero-2003">{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/S0889-1575(02)00172-2 |title=Fatty acids and carotenoids from Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica L.) |journal=Journal of Food Composition and Analysis |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=111–119 |year=2003 |last1=Guil-Guerrero |first1=J.L |last2=Rebolloso-Fuentes |first2=M.M |last3=Isasa |first3=M.E.Torija }}</ref> For exact fatty acid contents see Table 1. Seeds contain much more fatty acid than leaves.<ref name="Guil-Guerrero-2003"/>

{| class="wikitable"
|+
Table 1: Fatty acid content of different plant organs of ''U.&nbsp;dioica''.<ref name="Guil-Guerrero-2003" /> <br />
Standard deviations are given in brackets.
 |- 
 !  !! !! Mature leaves !! Young leaves !! Seeds !! Stems !! Roots
 |-
 | colspan="2" |Moisture (% fresh weight) || 72.8 <small>(±{{nbs}}5.1)</small> || 82.0 <small>(±{{nbs}}3.7</small>) || 47.6 <small>(±{{nbs}}2.1)</small>||50.1 <small>(±{{nbs}}2.4)</small>||40.3 <small>(±{{nbs}}2.8)</small>
 |-
 | colspan="2" |Saponifiable oil (% fresh weight) ||2.1 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.3)</small>||3.3 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.2)</small>||15.1 <small>(±{{nbs}}2.0)</small>||1.5 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.1)</small>||0.1 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.0)</small> 
|-
 | colspan="2" | Fatty acids (% of saponifiable oil)
 |-
  |[[Palmitic acid|Palmitic]]||16:0||17.9 <small>(±{{nbs}}1.1)</small>||20.1 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.9)</small> ||25.4 <small>(±{{nbs}}1.9)</small>||23.6 <small>(±{{nbs}}2.1</small>)||24.0 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.8)</small>
 |-
  |[[Palmitoleic acid|Palmitoleic]]|| class="nowrap"|16:1n-7||3.0 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.2)</small>||3.9 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.3)</small>||0.7 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.0)</small>||0.5 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.0)</small>||2.6 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.3)</small>
 |-
 |[[Stearic acid|Stearic]]||18:0||1.6 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.3)</small>||1.9 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.1)</small>||2.3 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.3)</small>||1.8 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.2)</small>||1.6 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.1)</small>
 |-
  |[[Oleic acid|Oleic]]||18:1n-9||1.7 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.2)</small>||2.8 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.2)</small>||4.8 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.3)</small>||2.1 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.2)</small>||8.7 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.5)</small>
 |-
 |[[Linoleic acid|Linoleic]]||18:2n-6||11.6 <small>(±{{nbs}}1.0)</small>||18.1 <small>(±{{nbs}}1.3)</small>||22.7 <small>(±{{nbs}}1.9)</small>||33.8 <small>(±{{nbs}}2.9)</small>||34.3 <small>(±{{nbs}}2.7)</small>
 |-
  |''[[Alpha-Linolenic acid|α]]''[[Alpha-Linolenic acid|- Linolenic]]||18:3n-3||40.7 <small>(±{{nbs}}3.2)</small>||29.6 <small>(±{{nbs}}2.1)</small>||6.6 <small>(±{{nbs}}4.9)</small>||12.2 <small>(±{{nbs}}1.0)</small>||2.3 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.1)</small>
 |-
  |[[Gadoleic acid|Gadoleic]]||20:1n-9||0.8 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.0)</small>||0.7 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.0)</small>||2.1 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.2)</small>||1.5 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.1)</small>||1.2 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.0)</small>
 |-
  |[[Erucic acid|Erucic]]||22:1n-9||0.4 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.0)</small>||0.5 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.1)</small>||1.2 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.2)</small>||0.9 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.2)</small>||0.9 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.1)</small> 
 |-
  |Omega-3 : Omega-6 Ratio||n-3/n-6||3.51||1.64||0.29 ||0.65||0.07
|}

Minerals (Ca, K, Mg, P, Si, S, Cl) and trace elements ([[Titanium#Precautions|Ti, 80 ppm]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Nature's Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements|last=Emsley|first=John|publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2001|location=Oxford, England, UK|isbn=978-0-19-850340-8|chapter=Titanium|page=451 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j-Xu07p3cKwC|url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/naturesbuildingb0000emsl}}</ref> Mn, Cu, Fe) contents depend mostly on the soil and the season.<ref name="Lutomski-1983" />

[[Carotenoid]]s can be found primarily in the leaves, where different forms of [[lutein]], [[xanthophyll]] and [[carotene]] are present (Table 2). Some carotenes are precursors of [[vitamin A]] (retinol), their retinol equivalents RE or retinol activity equivalents per g dry weight are 1.33 for mature leaves and 0.9 for young leaves.<ref name="Lutomski-1983"/> Nettle contains much less carotenes and retinol than carrots, which contain 8.35 RE per g fresh weight.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2901?manu=&fgcd=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312223808/https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2901?manu=&fgcd=|archive-date=12 March 2016|title=USDA National Nutrient Database: raw carrot|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref> Depending on the batch and the leaf and stem content, nettle contains only traces of [[zeaxanthin]] or between 20–60&nbsp;mg/kg of dry matter.<ref name="Lutomski-1983"/><ref name="Loetscher-2013">{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2013.10.006 |title=Utility of nettle (Urtica dioica) in layer diets as a natural yellow colorant for egg yolk |journal=Animal Feed Science and Technology |volume=186 |issue=3–4 |pages=158–168 |year=2013 |last1=Loetscher |first1=Y |last2=Kreuzer |first2=M |last3=Messikommer |first3=R.E }}</ref> Nettle contains ascorbic acid ([[vitamin C]]), riboflavin ([[Riboflavin|vitamin B<sub>2</sub>]]), [[pantothenic acid]], vitamin K<sub>1</sub><ref name="Lutomski-1983"/> and tocopherols ([[vitamin E]]).<ref name="Loetscher-2013"/> The highest vitamin contents can be found in the leaves.<ref name="Lutomski-1983"/>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Table 2: Carotenoid concentration of leaves of ''U.&nbsp;dioica'' (μg/ g dry weight).<ref name="Guil-Guerrero-2003"/> <br />
Standard deviations are given in brackets.
|-
! !! !!Mature leaves!!Young leaves
|-
|Total identified carotenoids|| ||74.8||51.4
|-
|[[Xanthophyll]]s||Neoxanthin||5.0 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.2)</small>||2.6 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.2)</small> 0
 |-
|    ||Violaxanthin||11.0 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.2)</small>||7.2 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.6)</small> 
 |-
|    ||Zeaxanthin||traces||traces
 |-
|   || class="nowrap"|''β''-cryptoxanthin || traces || traces
 |-
|[[Lutein]]s||13-''cis''-lutein||0.4 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.0)</small>||0.4 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.0)</small>
 |-
|    ||13'-''cis''-lutein||8.4 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.4)</small>||5.0 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.6)</small>
 |-
|    ||All-''trans''-lutein||32.4 <small>(±{{nbs}}1.0)</small>||23.6 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.8)</small>
 |-
|    ||9-''cis''-lutein||1.2 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.2)</small>||1.0 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.2)</small>
 |-
|   ||9'-''cis''-lutein||4.4 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.4)</small>||3.4 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.6)</small> 
 |-
|    [[Carotene]]s
||All-''trans-β''-carotene||5.6 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.7)</small>||3.8 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.3)</small>
 |-
|    ||''β''-carotene-''cis''-isomers||4.8 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.2)</small>||3.2 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.2)</small>
 |-
|    ||Lycopene||1.6 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.1)</small>||1.2 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.1)</small>
 |-
|Retinol equivalent||RE / g dry wt||1.33 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.3)</small>||0.90 <small>(±{{nbs}}0.3)</small>
|}

====Poultry: Egg yolk colouring in laying hens====
In laying hens, nettle can be used as an egg yolk colourant instead of artificial pigments or other natural pigments (derived from [[Tagetes|marigold]] for yellow). Nettle has high carotenoid contents, especially [[lutein]], {{nowrap|[[β-carotene]]}} and [[zeaxanthin]], of which lutein and zeaxanthin act as yellow pigments.<ref name="Loetscher-2013"/><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.3382/ps.2013-03258 |pmid=24135598 |title=Oxidative stability of the meat of broilers supplemented with rosemary leaves, rosehip fruits, chokeberry pomace, and entire nettle, and effects on performance and meat quality |journal=Poultry Science |volume=92 |issue=11 |pages=2938–2948 |year=2013 |last1=Loetscher |first1=Y |last2=Kreuzer |first2=M |last3=Messikommer |first3=R. E |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.ijabbr.com/article_9120_1344.html |title=Growth Performance, Blood Metabolites, Antioxidant Stability and Carcass Characteristics of Broiler Chickens Fed Diets Containing Nettle (Urtica dioica. L) Powder or Essential Oil|last1=Keshavarz|first1=Mehdi|year=2014|journal=International Journal of Advanced Biological and Biomedical Research|last2 =Rezaeipour|last3=Asadzadeh|first2=Vahid|first3=Sakineh|issn=2322-4827|volume=2|issue=9|pages=2553–2561}}</ref> Feeding as little as 6.25&nbsp;g dry nettle per kg feed is as effective as the synthetic pigments to colour the egg yolk. Feeding nettle has no detrimental effect on the performance of the laying hens or on the general quality of eggs.<ref name="Loetscher-2013"/>

====Ruminants====
Ruminants avoid fresh stinging nettles; however, if the nettles are wilted or dry, voluntary intake can be high.{{Citation needed|date=December 2019}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+Table 3: Contents of ryegrass and nettle silage<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2014.01.006 |title=The effect of adding stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) haylage to a total mixed ration on performance and rumen function of lactating dairy cows |journal=Animal Feed Science and Technology |volume=189 |pages=72–81 |year=2014 |last1=Humphries |first1=D.J |last2=Reynolds |first2=C.K }}</ref><br />
(g / kg dry matter, if not stated otherwise)
|-
! !! !! Ryegrass silage !! Nettle silage
|-
| Dry matter || DM || 235 || 415
|-
| [[Metabolizable energy]] (MJ/ kg DM) || ME || 11.3 || 9.8
|-
| Crude protein || CP || 177 || 171
|-
| [[Neutral detergent fiber|Neutral detergent fibre]] || NDF || 536 || 552
|-
| Acid detergent fibre || ADF || 338 || 434
|-
| Starch || || - || -
|-
| Ash || || 113 || 118
|}

===Use in agriculture / horticulture===
In the [[European Union]], nettle extract can be used as an [[insecticide]], [[fungicide]], and [[acaricide]] under Basic Substance regulations. As an insecticide, nettle extract can be used for the control of [[codling moth]], [[diamondback moth]], and [[spider mite]]s. As a fungicide, it can be used for the control of ''[[Pythium]]'' root rot, [[powdery mildew]], [[Alternaria solani|early blight]], [[Phytophthora infestans|late blight]], ''[[Septoria]]'' blight, ''[[Alternaria]]'' leaf spot, and [[Botrytis cinerea|grey mould]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=European Union |title=Final Review report for the basic substance ''Urtica'' spp. Finalised in the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed at its meeting on 24 January 2017 |url=https://www.osetreno.cz/fotky45354/fotov/45354_387__ps_275Zakladni-latka---Kopriva---Urtica.pdf?srsltid=AfmBOorb21CqlaqKJuza9sUmd72DFVmHPlL8jWouM2KGQJLLQl07wlHZ}}</ref>

===Gardening===
Nettles have a number of uses in the vegetable garden, including the potential for encouraging beneficial insects. Since nettles prefer to grow in phosphorus-rich and nitrogen rich soils that have recently been disturbed (and thus aerated), the growth of nettles is an indicator that an area has high fertility (especially [[phosphate]] and [[nitrate]]),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nettles as weeds / RHS Gardening |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/weeds/nettles-as-weeds |access-date=2022-03-25 |website=www.rhs.org.uk |language=en-gb}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Common nettle {{!}} Garden Organic |url=https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/weeds/common-nettle |access-date=2022-03-25 |website=www.gardenorganic.org.uk}}</ref> and thus is an [[Bioindicator|indicator]] to gardeners as to the quality of the soil.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.garden-helper.com/Learn/Charts_And_Tables/indicator-weeds-soil-conditions.asp |title=Indicator Weeds and Soil Conditions at|publisher=Garden-helper.com|access-date=5 July 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.herbalpractitioner.com/virtual-herb-walk.html|title=virtual-herb-walk|publisher=Herbalpractitioner.com|access-date=5 July 2010}}</ref>

Nettles contain [[nitrogen]]ous compounds, so are used as a [[compost]] activator<ref>{{cite news|url=https://h2g2.com/edited_entry/A1310950|title=h2g2 – Stinging Nettles|publisher=BBC DNA|access-date=5 July 2010}}</ref> or can be used to make a [[liquid plant manure|liquid fertiliser]], which although low in phosphate, is useful in supplying [[magnesium]], [[sulphur]], and [[iron]].<ref>Pears, Pauline, ''et al.'' ''HDRA Encyclopedia Of Organic Gardening'', p. 207, Dorling Kindersley Ltd, London, 2005.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://calrecycle.ca.gov/organics/compostmulch/composttea/otherteas/
|title=Compost Teas vs Other Teas and Extracts|publisher=Ciwmb.ca.gov|access-date=5 July 2010}}</ref> They are also one of the few plants that can tolerate, and flourish in, soils rich in poultry droppings. 

The stinging nettle is the [[Vanessa atalanta|red admiral]] caterpillar's primary host plant and can attract migrating red admiral butterflies to a garden.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1046/j.1365-2311.1997.00082.x |title=Nettle-feeding nymphalid butterflies: Temperature, development and distribution |journal=Ecological Entomology |volume=22 |issue=4 |pages=390–398 |year=1997 |last1=Bryant |first1=Simon |last2=Thomas |first2=Chris |last3=Bale |first3=Jeffrey |bibcode=1997EcoEn..22..390B |s2cid=84143178 }}</ref> 

''U.&nbsp;dioica'' can be a troubling weed, and mowing can increase plant density.<ref name="Anderson-1999">{{cite book|author=Wood Powell Anderson|title=Perennial weeds: characteristics and identification of selected herbaceous species|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5qGQsJl1v60C&pg=PA25|access-date=17 October 2010|year=1999|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|isbn=978-0-8138-2520-5|pages=25–}}</ref> Regular and persistent [[tilling (agriculture)|tilling]] will greatly reduce its numbers, and the use of herbicides such as {{Nowrap|[[2,4-D]]}} and [[glyphosate]] are effective control measures.<ref name="Anderson-1999"/>

==In culture==
In [[Great Britain]] and [[Ireland]], ''U.&nbsp;dioica'' and the annual nettle ''[[Urtica urens]]'' are the only common stinging plants and have found a place in several [[figure of speech|figures of speech]] in the [[English language]]. [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]]'s [[Henry IV, Part 1|Hotspur]] urges that "out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety" (''[[Henry IV, Part 1]]'', Act II Scene 3). The figure of speech "to grasp the nettle" probably originated from [[Aesop]]'s fable "The Boy and the Nettle".<ref>{{cite web |date=2 December 2006 |title=The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Æsop For Children, by Æsop |url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/19994/19994-h/19994-h.htm#Page_88 |access-date=5 July 2010 |publisher=Gutenberg.org}}</ref> In [[Seán O'Casey]]'s ''[[Juno and the Paycock]]'', one of the characters quotes Aesop "Gently touch a nettle and it'll sting you for your pains/Grasp it as a lad of mettle and soft as silk remains". The [[metaphor]] may refer to the fact that if a nettle plant is grasped firmly rather than brushed against, it does not sting so readily, because the hairs are crushed down flat and do not penetrate the skin so easily.<ref>{{cite web |author=Doug |date=5 September 2010 |title=Grasping the nettle: an empirical enquiry |url=http://doug.dreamwidth.org/206733.html |access-date=6 September 2010}}</ref>

In the [[German language]], the [[idiom]] {{Lang|de|sich in die Nesseln setzen}}, or to sit in nettles, means to get into trouble. In [[Germanic mythology]], the God of thunder, [[Thor]], was associated with nettles, and that's where the saying "lightning won't strike into nettles" comes from.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Herring |first=Danielle |date=2024-02-22 |title=Silk of the North: Nettles—A Botanical History |url=https://medium.com/plant-based-past/silk-of-the-north-nettles-a-botanical-history-6326e9b9f871 |access-date=2024-06-26 |website=Plant Based Past |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Capranos |first=Seraphina |title=Nettles: Magic, Myth & Medicine |url=https://www.seraphinacapranos.com/blog/nettles-magic-myth-medicine}}</ref> The idiom is used in [[Croatian language|Croatian]], [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]], [[Serbian language|Serbian]], and many other [[Indo-European languages]]. In [[Dutch language|Dutch]], a ''{{Lang|nl|netelige situatie}}'' means a predicament. In French, the idiom ''{{Lang|fr|faut pas pousser mémé dans les orties}}'' (do not push granny into the nettles) means that we should be careful not to abuse a situation. The name [[urticaria]] for hives comes from the Latin name of nettle (''{{Lang|la|Urtica}}'', from urere, to burn).

The English word 'nettled', meaning irritated or angry, is derived from 'nettle'.<ref>{{Cite OED|nettled}}</ref>

There is a common idea in Great Britain that the nettle was introduced by the [[Roman people|Romans]],<ref>{{Cite news |title=How did the Romans change Britain? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z2dr4wx |access-date=2018-08-01 |newspaper=BBC Bitesize |language=en-GB}}</ref> but Plant Atlas 2020 treats it as native.<ref name="BSBIAtlas-2020">{{cite web|title=''Urtica dioica'' L. |work=BSBI Online Plant Atlas 2020 |editor=P.A. Stroh |editor2=T. A. Humphrey |editor3=R.J. Burkmar |editor4=O.L. Pescott |editor5=D.B. Roy |editor6=K.J. Walker |url=https://plantatlas2020.org/atlas/2cd4p9h.9c0 |access-date=27 October 2023}}</ref> The idea of its introduction was mentioned by [[William Camden]] in his book ''Britannia'' of 1586.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Lodwick |first1=Lisa |author-link1=Lisa Lodwick |date=2014-04-10 |title=Roman nettle – Urtica pilulifera |language=en-US |work=Lisa Lodwick |url=https://lisalodwick.wordpress.com/2014/04/10/romannettle/ |access-date=2018-08-01}}</ref> However, in 2011, an early Bronze Age burial [[cist]] on Whitehorse Hill,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Whitehorse Hill  |url=http://www.dartmoor.gov.uk/wildlife-and-heritage/heritage/iron-age/whitehorse-hill |access-date=2018-08-01 |website=Dartmoor|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-12-01 |title=The cist on Whitehorse Hill - Current Archaeology |language=en-US |work=Current Archaeology |url=https://www.archaeology.co.uk/articles/cist-whitehorse-hill.htm |access-date=2018-08-01}}</ref> [[Dartmoor]], [[Devon]], was excavated. The cist dated from between 1730 and 1600''&nbsp;''BC. It contained various high value beads as well as fragments of a sash made from nettle fibre. It is possible that the sash was traded from mainland Europe, but perhaps more probable that it was locally made.

==See also==
*[[Urtica#In folklore|Nettles in folklore]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite journal|author=Elliott, C.|year=1997|title=Rash Encounters|journal=Horticulture|page=30|volume=94}}
*Schofield, Janice J. (1998). ''Nettles'' {{ISBN|0-585-10500-6}}
*Thiselton-Dyer, T. F., (1889). ''[http://www.dominiopublico.gov.br/download/texto/gu010118.pdf The Folk-Lore of Plants]''.
*Glawe, G. A. (2006). ''Sex ratio variation and sex determination in Urtica diocia.'' {{ISBN|90-6464-026-2}}

==External links==
{{commonscat}}
*{{GRIN|''Urtica dioica'' L.|40944|2014-12-15}}
*[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=220014002 Flora of China: ''Urtica dioica'']
{{Taxonbar|from=Q155909}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Urtica|dioica]]
[[Category:Fiber plants]]
[[Category:Leaf vegetables]]
[[Category:Flora of Europe]]
[[Category:Flora of temperate Asia]]
[[Category:Flora of North Africa]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants]]
[[Category:Dioecious plants]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1753]]
[[Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]