Nettle

Urtica dioica

Urticaceae

The mineral-rich weed that stings, then feeds — spring tonic, hay-fever leaf, prostate root.

Wild food and herb. Gloves required.

Parts used: Young leaf · Root
Traditional notes: Spring fatigue · Seasonal hay fever · Mineral support · Urinary hesitancy (root)
Grow · USDA 6b: Perennial, USDA 3–10. Will colonize. Division or root cuttings. Contain it. In work: Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Sep · Oct
Harvest: Tops before flowering in spring; roots in autumn.

Gloves until you cook it. The sting is the identification.
Pick spring tops under a foot tall — later growth is tough and full of insects.
A damp nitrogen-rich corner. It will not thrive in gravel.

Safety

Known nettle allergy (beyond the expected sting)

Companions

Plant with Tomato.

Lore

Roman soldiers in Britain were said to flog themselves with nettle to keep warm — a story too good to kill. The sting is formic acid and histamine, and it dies in the pot. Spring greens, cloth, and a mineral tea all come from the plant people step around.

The Herbarium — a teaching catalog, not a clinic. Traditional use is history, not a prescription. USDA 6b dates are a week either way, not a promise. Do not eat, drink, or harvest a plant you cannot name.