Red Dead-Nettle › Foraging and eating red dead-nettle
Foraging and eating red dead-nettle
The young tops and leaves of red dead-nettle are edible and have been used as a spring vegetable. Foraging needs care: identify the plant with certainty and pick from clean places.
Is it edible?
Yes. Young tops and leaves of red dead-nettle can be eaten raw in salads or cooked as a spring vegetable, and they can be finely chopped into sauces. The flowers can be crystallised with sugar and egg white. White dead-nettle is also eaten as a cooked vegetable. The leaves are soft and mild, and some people find them slightly earthy, with a hint of mint-family green flavour. They are not a major source of nutrition, so think of them as a pleasant wild green.
That is about the extent of what we can say with confidence. We do not make health claims for this plant.
Rules before you pick
- Be certain of the identification. Use the checklist on the identification page, and compare it with lookalikes. If you have any doubt, leave it.
- Use a reliable guide. Check against a printed flora or a respected field guide, and ask an experienced forager if you can.
- Avoid polluted places. Roadsides, busy paths, railway lines, contaminated soil, places where dogs are walked and anywhere that may have been sprayed with weedkiller or pesticide are poor choices.
- Ask permission. Pick only where you have the right to do so. In general terms, picking a small amount of common wild plants for personal use is usually tolerated, but taking plants from private land without permission, digging up roots, or picking in protected sites can be an offence. Check the rules for the site and the law before you go.
- Take a little. Pick the young tops of a few plants and leave plenty for insects. Never strip a patch that bees are using.
- Wash it well. Rinse the leaves thoroughly to remove soil and insects.
- Try a small amount first. Any new food can disagree with some people, and allergies to plants in the mint family are possible.
Ideas for using it
- A handful of young tops in a mixed salad.
- Stirred into soups or omelettes at the end of cooking.
- Finely chopped into a green sauce or pesto with other mild herbs.
- Wilted like spinach as a side dish.
- Flowers as a garnish.
Choose young, tender shoots. Older, tougher plants and those that have gone to seed are less pleasant.
Not a medicine
You may see claims that dead-nettle cures all sorts of things. Herbalists have used it in a salve for irritated skin, and extracts from a related species have shown antioxidant activity in one study, but that is not proof that the plant treats any condition. This site gives no medical advice. If you have a health problem, talk to a GP or pharmacist. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or have allergies, ask a health professional before using wild plants as food or herbal remedies.
If you feel unwell
If you feel ill after eating a wild plant, stop eating it and contact NHS 111, or call 999 in an emergency. Keep a sample and a photo of the plant to help identify it.
Leave some for the bees
This plant is valuable to insects in early spring: see bees and wildlife. Pick lightly, and consider eating it from your own garden where you know what's been sprayed.
Frequently asked questions
Can you eat red dead-nettle?
Young tops and leaves can be eaten raw or cooked, but only if you are certain of the identification and pick from clean places.
Is it safe to forage from roadsides?
It is best to avoid roadsides, busy paths and places that may be sprayed or used by dogs, because of pollution and chemicals.
Is red dead-nettle a medicine?
There is no good evidence on this site's sources that it treats any condition. It has been used by herbalists in salves, but this is not medical advice.