EatTheWeeds: Episode 21: Spurge Nettle

http://www.eattheweeds.com/spurge-nettle-the-nettle-with-the-mettle/

Learn from Green Deane about Spurge Nettle, a root that can be eaten all year round, wild food.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Foraging
• wild
• food
• edible
• plants
• raw
• herbs
• survival
• medicine
• bushcraft
• permaculture
• wildcraft
• cnidoscolus
• stimulosus
• spurge
• nettle

[rbvmtr]

I have jewelweed which counteracts the nettle's itch ,as well as poison Ivy,oak, I have plenty to eat , well untill they dose it all down because of all the hoenysuckle and mustard garlic

[EatTheWeeds]

@rbvmtr It must be to the individual because jewelweed does nothing for me. Incidentally, spurge nettle (a cnidoscolus) is far different that the common nettle which is an urtica

[b1gje55e]

Question: Are spurge nettle and Texas bull nettle the same? Edible roots?

[EatTheWeeds]

Technically, no, not the same plant. One is C. stimulosus and the other C. texanus. The root of the first is known edible, the seeds of the second are known edible. The reverse is not known but I know a PhD who is working on it. Some research in the 50s found nothing bad in any quantity in the root of the C. texanus and they recommended its possible uses be explored. That's a good sign but to date the answer is I do not know.

[HarperDearMilo]

public edible # 1! that's awesome :)

[TheCanelisa]

HOw can I get rid of this plant in my back yard? It is really hurting my children and dog. Any information would be appreciated.  thanks

E Keith.

[rbvmtr]

@EatTheWeeds I found 2 different nettles one grows on the White River and the other grows on Fall Creek which is sandy . finding things by accident sometimes smarts abit ;-P. did you rub the plant on infected area or did you squeese the liquid out and applied it ? Can  wild plants be transplanted to other area's ?

[SnumberF]

i live in East Texas at the moment, I am taking a Plant Taxonomy class at the moment and have to collect plant specimens. I picked the C.texanus and was observing the trichomes on the stem, as well as the vestiture on the leaves. I was stung by them, and wanted to see if you know any know reactions that will be particularly harmful to humans. it affected my sleep i believe and there is minor swelling around the piercing area.

[EatTheWeeds]

That was what I needed to know. The spurge nettle does not grow in New England. Can't take the cold. Won't find it much farther north than Virginia. You might have the common nettle, Urtica. Urtica does not have an edible root.