Plants We Used to Use 5. The Common Nettle

The Nettle is normally avoided because of its sting. The plant has, however, a long tradition of being used in herbal medicines, as a cooked food, to make a tea and as a raw material for textiles. Roman legionnaires used to rub nettles on their skin in cold places (like Wales), to make them feel warmer. The Bottle Inn (Marshwood, Dorset) hosts the World Nettle Eating Championship. This involves eating raw (uncooked) stinging nettles!