Nettle: The Fierce Nourisher

Introduction to the plant

Nettle (Urtica dioica) is a fierce and generous springtime ally, brimming with minerals, vitality, and strength. Known for her sting and her nourishment, Nettle awakens the body from winter’s dormancy and restores depleted reserves. She embodies the wild vigor of the season—supporting renewal, resilience, and the courage to meet life head-on.

Energetics & Properties

Nettle is neutral in temperature, drying, and deeply nourishing. Rich in iron, calcium, silica, and other minerals, she replenishes what has been depleted—especially after the stillness and inwardness of winter. Nettle is a mild diuretic, lymph mover, and tonic to the kidneys, adrenals, and blood.

She brings circulation and vitality to the surface, stimulating sluggish systems and fortifying the body with a strong but steady hand. Her sting reminds us that awakening can be uncomfortable—but it’s also invigorating.

SPRING Relevance

Nettle bursts forth in early spring with urgency and power. She is the greening of blood, the quickening of circulation, and the rising of energy through the limbs. As the season calls us to action and engagement, Nettle supports that shift—building strength, clearing stagnation, and replenishing vitality.

She especially supports those who feel tired, depleted, anemic, or burned out coming out of winter. Nettle’s affinity for the kidneys, blood, and lymph make her a potent ally for whole-body renewal.

Spirit Medicine

Nettle is the embodiment of boundaried vitality—a plant that both gives and protects. She teaches us how to nourish ourselves, our families, and our community without depletion, how to claim our space, and how to awaken fully to life while remaining rooted and resourced.

Her sting is not punishment—it’s a lesson in presence. She asks: Where are you not fully awake? Where have you allowed your boundaries to go soft in the name of being “nice”? Nettle helps rebuild inner strength and restores the will to act—especially for those who have been overextended, exhausted, or undernourished in body or spirit.

She’s particularly supportive for those reclaiming their voice, vitality, or inner fire, helping to ground energy into action.

Practical Applications

Herbal Preparations

• Strong overnight infusion or nourishing herbal tea for mineral support, adrenal fatigue, low iron, sluggish energy, or seasonal allergies. To make an overnight infusion, weigh 1 ounce of dried nettle in a quart size mason jar and cover it with boiling water. Let it steep overnight with a lid on it, then strain the next morning and sip throughout the day.

• Spring soups or broths with nettle leaf added for food-as-medicine nourishment.

• Herbal-infused vinegar with other mineral-rich plants such as Burdock, Dandelion, and Raspberry Leaf.

• Tincture (often paired with adaptogens) for long-term rebuilding of strength and resilience.

• Hair rinses or skin washes to stimulate circulation and strengthen tissues.

• Cooked fresh (always blanched, lightly steamed, or sautéed to remove the sting) as a spring green for building blood and vitality.

• Flower essence for boundary repair, personal empowerment, and calling energy back to the self.

Plant Meditation

Brew a cup of Nettle tea or bring a bottle of flower essence into your meditation space. Have your journal with you and find a comfortable seat. Light a candle and take a few deep breaths. Notice first any scent. Does it remind you of anything? Does it awaken any thoughts or emotions? Then take a sip and notice the taste. Where does the taste land on your tongue?

After a few moments, notice the way it feels in your body. What is your immediate response to this plant? Are there any specific areas in which you notice sensations? How does your breath change? Does your body relax or feel tense? Note what comes up in your physical as well as your energetic body.

Begin to notice the way the plant’s energetics unfurl in your body. Does it feel different after a few minutes than it did initially? Is there anything that surprises you about this plant or its energetics?

Tune into Nettle’s voice. Does it have any wisdom to share? Any message? Sometimes this can come in the form of images, a single word, or simply a feeling or sensation. Notice whatever subtle shifts occur, even if it doesn’t make rational sense. Note it in your journal so you can come back to it later. Sometimes it isn’t until days or even weeks later that these plant messages make sense or reflect something that’s alive for us at any given time.

Reflective & Spiritual Practices

• Journaling prompt: Where do I need to reclaim my energy or reinforce my boundaries? What would it feel like to be fully nourished?

• Somatic ritual: Place your hands on your low back, over your kidneys, and imagine Nettle’s greening strength pouring into them—restoring courage, vitality, and grounded momentum.

• Altar idea: Create an altar with a dark stone (like hematite or basalt) and a fresh or dried nettle leaf. Let it serve as a symbol of grounded power and clarity.

• Seasonal ritual: Take a sip of strong nettle infusion at sunrise. Speak an intention for strength, energy, or action as the sun rises higher—aligning your body with spring’s rising force.

Precautions & Sustainable Use

Safety Notes:

• Nettle has diuretic properties, and should be therefore used with caution by people with diabetes or other conditions where taking something diuretic in nature might be irritating.

Sourcing Tips:

• Nettle is widely available in wild places and gathering it yourself is such an empowering experience. You can also find it dried from organic farms such as Foster Farm, Oshala Farm as well as distributors like Mountain Rose Herbs.

Closing Reflection

Nettle reminds us that healing isn’t always gentle—it’s also about stoking the fire, claiming our right to thrive, and refusing to wither from lack of nourishment. Her medicine says: You are meant to be strong. You are allowed to take up space. Let life rise through you like sap in the spring.