Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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there's a nature reserve nearby with new growth forest and the ground is covered in them...I'm thinking they could be a good money saving spinach substitute?

flag	asked Jul 31 at 22:35 Andrew 3,035●1●4●22

	As a landscapist, I don't know if this is a joke or not. I will never put them near my mouth. Ever. I don't care if cooking them destroys their evil. – smackles Aug 1 at 1:35
	Fantastic if you get them while they are young. I'd only eat them in the Spring. – Shari Bambino Aug 1 at 4:39
	smackles, when you cook them they lose their stingers/stinginess. I've had stinging nettle stew before, it's delicious. – Dan Aug 1 at 20:31

Sara S. · Answer 1 · 2012-07-31 23:04:16Z UTC

I had some at a restaurant and they were really tasty!

One time I was going swimming at a secret watering hole, and on the way down to it nature called. As I was finishing up I fell over, with my swimsuit bottoms down, and fell on top of a stinging nettle plant. Got the stingers all up my leg and bottom. Now I make a point to eat nettle whenever I can... you know, for revenge.

Diane · Answer 2 · 2012-08-01 01:20:18Z UTC

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It makes a great spinach substitute. You have to pick it young. It is not good when the plant is older. Another good edible is wild mustard and wild horseradish. Also good is Plantain elongata. I eat all these things often.

answered Aug 1 at 1:20

Diane
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absolutely when they are YOUNG. There is a chemical change that occurs when the plant blooms that makes them not so healthy to eat anymore. – gydle Aug 1 at 10:01

VB · Answer 3 · 2012-07-31 22:54:49Z UTC

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Not really.

You can only consume young stinging nettles without any problems. However, once the plants are mature, the fiber gets too tough and they are difficult to digest.
Stinging nettles have medicinal properties and it is basically like consuming a herb. The plant is not as safe as spinach and has some kind affect on blood etc.

answered Jul 31 at 22:54

VB
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Re: #2 - I have mild PCOS and took stinging nettle extract in an attempt to lower my androgen levels. So there you go. Might not want to make it a regular thing, especially if you're male. – Blossom1 Aug 1 at 1:40

It is usually recommended in folk medicine for heavy menstrual bleeding. – VB Aug 1 at 4:23

Oh, and I have eaten them in soups. They have a high vitamin C content. – VB Aug 1 at 5:20

DePaw · Answer 4 · 2012-07-31 23:33:59Z UTC

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As the fibre is tough to digest it's best to use them in stews/soups or like tinctures. They're very high in calcium, ~430mg per cup, and is lower in oxalates so the calcium is better utilised.

answered Jul 31 at 23:33

DePaw
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	put them in a blender maybe to make the fiber easier to digest? – Andrew Jul 31 at 23:41
	*after cooking of course – Andrew Jul 31 at 23:41
	That would make them easier to digest, yes. – DePaw Aug 1 at 10:49

blueballoon · Answer 5 · 2012-07-31 23:47:52Z UTC

As a spinach sub, I'd maybe stick to gathering dandelion greens instead if you can find them. (Saute with plenty of fat and add a little acid at the end to counteract the pretty extreme bitterness.)

Young nettles are good in pesto and teas, but I wouldn't want to eat mature nettles. I'm guessing they're pretty fibrous.

Karen P. · Answer 6 · 2012-08-01 01:51:09Z UTC

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Yup, gotta get 'em young in the spring, but then yes, a great spinach substitute in soups and stews. Uber nutritious.

answered Aug 1 at 1:51

Karen P.
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P.S. - Use gloves when handling the raw leaves, both in harvesting and in the kitchen! – Karen P. Aug 1 at 1:51

foreveryoung · Answer 7 · 2012-08-01 01:56:36Z UTC

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No. If you're a guy I'd stay away from them. They are traditionally used to help with Male-pattern-baldness by reducing DHT levels. That is not a good thing if you are a male, as DHT is responsible for many of our characteristically masculine features.

answered Aug 1 at 1:56

foreveryoung
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	Reducing DHT is not a bad thing. Testosterone and DHT are not the same thing. Reducing testosterone, however, is not a good idea. Reducing DHT does not mean you will be reducing testosterone. – BoneBrothFast Aug 1 at 9:03
	I know that like 5% of T gets converted to DHT, and DHT cannot be aromatized like regular testosterone can (yay!). Everything I've read abotu DHT aside from hair loss sounds great. WHat are the downsides? – foreveryoung Aug 1 at 12:10
	I think it's a normal thing. Obviously too much of anything is a bad thing, and so is too little. For this reason I think it's unwise to mess with powerful herbs that impact your enocrine hormones. – foreveryoung Aug 1 at 12:11
	It's still not sure if DHT causes baldness. – Korion Aug 1 at 17:00
	@ Korion- yes, neither am I. It is common wisdom though, and I really don't know enough to dispute it. That was just the only potential downside I could site for it. But then again, by definition anything is going to have downsides in excess or in deficiency. – foreveryoung Aug 1 at 19:58

MiMintzer · Answer 8 · 2012-08-01 03:52:57Z UTC

I was just talking to someone about nettles last week! You got to harvest them when they are young, the peak of the season is in March, I think. Use gloves to handle them until after they're cooked. Remove the leaves and blanch them (in a pot of boiling water then immerse in ice water) to inactivate the stingers which contain formic acid and histamine. Wring them out and use in your recipe. MDA has one here for pesto.

redberry · Answer 9 · 2012-08-01 16:58:02Z UTC

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I use them in all kinds of ways. Yummy! (A web search for nettle recipes will give you lots of ideas.) When we've had enough of fresh nettle, I dehydrate and powder some for use in stews and such in the winter.

answered Aug 1 at 16:58

redberry
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Have you tried stinging nettles?

9 Answers