Grasping the nettle
 We tend
to take the humble and nearly ubiquitous nettle for granted, and if we
think about it dismiss it as a pestilential invader of our gardens. Yet
Urtica dioica deserves more attention from us and exhibits a chequered
background.
The nettle is essentially a plant of woodlands, but the fact that it
thrives on soils rich in phosphates means that it shows itself most often
in the wake of human colonisation and is a good indicator of ancient settlements.
A long deserted and disintegrating tenement such as a cottage garden or
an ecclesiastical settlement reveals itself in a fine nettle crop. The
predilection of nettle for nitrogen is another factor determining its
distribution.
Also, it resists the onslaught of rabbits, which explains its survival
among the ancient sites of Romano-British villages on the uplands of Wiltshire.
Such sites have seen rare survivals of the Roman nettle, O pilulifera,
reputed to have been brought by the legions, who believed that massage
with its leaves would relieve the effects of a cold climate. At least,
so reported William Camden at the end of the 16th century.
Connoisseurs of the nettle as food will be aware that, when plucked
before flowering, it is as satisfying as spinach after boiling with a
few spices. It makes a flavoursome soup into the bargain.
Brewed into an ale, nettle has been recommended against jaundice, and
infused as a tea it is said to help disturbances of the stomach. Curiously
enough, professional daffodil-pickers have found nettle tea a good treatment
for the rash sometimes provoked by handling daffodils.
The boiled leaves have been employed as wound-dressing to prevent infection,
an ointment prepared from them an antirheumatic remedy, and the smoke
produced by smouldering dried nettle leaves inhaled to relieve bronchitis.
Compounds present in nettle, in addition to the abundant chlorophyll,
include histamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, flavonol glycosides and ascorbic
acid.
It should not be forgotten that a woven fabric made from nettle stems
has been used extensively in the past. Indeed, a Bronze Age skeleton discovered
in Denmark was wrapped in nettle fabric.
And gardeners who grumble at the plant should remember that a range
of butterflies, including painted lady, small tortoiseshell, peacock,
comma and red admiral, depend on nettles for the survival of their larvae,
which feed upon the leaves, buds and flowers. As Horace Walpole remarked
in 1779: "When people will not weed their own minds, they are apt to be
overrun with nettles." And the same goes for gardens. Nevertheless, a
small corner of the garden should be reserved for butterfly feeding.
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