# Survival > Foraging & Wild Edibles >  stinging nettle?

## buzzkill

Has anyone actually used stinging nettle for food/medical purposes? Have read allot about this but have yet to use the plant .

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## crashdive123

I have not, but it looks as though some have.

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...tinging+nettle

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...tinging+nettle

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## welderguy

In a couple of the Herb books I have they talk about uses for nettles. I have no experience with them other than the effects of running into them in the field.

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## wareagle69

yes i have
heres a good receipe, boil or steam nettle, several cups as it does reduce then make a pile on a frying pan with a circle or hole in the middle add an egg and some bacon bits cook egg and enjoy.
medicinally i have not tried other than for experimenting with things like spotted jewel weed to get rid of the sting

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## wareagle69

oh yeah also in cream based soups dried nettle adds a great flavor

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## buzzkill

Thanks for the info. That is what is great about this site. Its one thing to read about things in a book but another to talk to people who actually have done it.

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## owl_girl

yes i put it in soup and stir fry. also made cord out of it. it makes very strong cord. it very healthy. an unusually high amount of vitamins and minerals. good stuff

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## IA Woodsman

I will share a little fact I found out the hard way. Boil your nettles before you eat them. I trued to eat Wood Nettle raw, bad idea. Stung the crap out of my tongue. Thanks for the good recipe War Eagle.

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## canid

you don't even have to parboil it, you can even just wilt it over fire.

the hairs are extremely fragile, and are broken down easily by steam/hot water.

i've eaten nettle, and i place it high on my list of preferred wild greens, since it is one of the few that i eat which are pleasantly flavored and mild.

too many of the well known wild greens are bitter, so it's good to have options that more people will be willing to eat and enjoy.

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## IA Woodsman

Thanks Canid that is good to know.

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## Hcaterpillar

They're supposed to be very good for you aswell, full of minerals. I do soups with them in spring. Really easy to identify too, the only downside is the sting, but this is easy to get rid of through cooking. I find nettles fill me up quickly, I don't know why this is, but a few other people have noticed this too....

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## crashdive123

> They're *supposed to be* very good for you aswell, full of minerals. I do soups with them in spring. Really easy to identify too, the only downside is the sting, but this is easy to get rid of through cooking. I find nettles fill me up quickly, I don't know why this is, but a few other people have noticed this too....


It gives me pause for concern when somebody that is promoting a wild edible site uses the term supposed to be.  Either they are, or they are not.  How about an introduction in the Intro section and tell us about yourself - since you offering advice on wild edibles.  What experience do you have?

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## canid

depending in the statement, i am inclined to agree, but in this case that was a safe assertion. i don't know offhand of any nutritional assay for nettles. i'd rather see a claim guarded with a qualifier when it can't be readily proven, than a questionable statement asserted as fact.

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## Rick

"...very high levels of minerals, especially, calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, silica, iodine, silicon, sodium, and sulfur. They also provide chlorophyll and tannin, and they're a good source of vitamin C, beta-carotene, and B complex vitamins. Nettles also have high levels of easily absorbable amino acids. They're ten percent protein, more than any other vegetable."

From Wild Man Steve Brill

http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/

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## crashdive123

> depending in the statement, i am inclined to agree, but in this case that was a safe assertion. i don't know offhand of any nutritional assay for nettles. i'd rather see a claim guarded with a qualifier when it can't be readily proven, than a questionable statement asserted as fact.


Oh, I know that there wasn't any harmful information put out.  It's just that so far he seems a wee bit spammy.

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## buzzkill

I thought i had heard that nettle makes strong string/rope. Does anyone have any experience with this?

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## canid

i'm horrible at making cordage, but yes, there are long, [allegedly] easily separable fibers in the stipe that make great cordage, if you are better at it than i.

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## your_comforting_company

Stinging nettles don't seem to be as common here as one might think, I've only found a few stray sprigs here and there, but as soon as I find enough to try, I will be making cordage out of some.
which part is a Stipe again? I thought that was a singer for REM and he does have some long cords (kidding.. he's bald)

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## owl_girl

YES as i said in my last post and it was everywhere in MN. its very strong. just scrape out the middle and use the outside fibers and twist it up. we made very long cord by adding strands as we go.

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## oneraindog

we have done a lot of work with nettle in my primitive skills apprenticeship.
we have stir fried them, made pizza, pesto and my personal favorite, ale. nettle ale recipies are easy to find and very easy to make. all you need is active yeast, cream of tartar, sugar and a good amount of nettle infusion. low alcohol content, mildly sweet and all kinds of delicious.
we also made cord with dried stalks. in a survival situation they can be used fresh to make cord but ideally you want to dry the stalks. then you can peel away the inner pith to get the silky hairs of the inner bark. a word of recommendation: take extra care around the branch nodules. it can be tricky to peel the fibers out in those areas and you will often pull out a bit of the nodule with the fibers. when twisting up the cordage you want to break those bits down or remove them as best you can.

medicinally they are very cleansing to the body, flushing out the filtration organs and adding to liver, kideney and skin health. nettle can be very good for your kidneys and has been clinically shown to be very effective at treating degenerative  kidney disease as well as battling chronic bladder infections. teas and tinctures have been used to treat inflammation from arthritis and will reduce the pain and discomfort considerably. will also enhance blood clotting. these effects are cumulative and needs consistent use.
also good to use as an anti-histamine for allergies

another word on consumption: because they are so high in mineral content you may want to avoid them if you have kidney stones. 
the plant should NOT be used as a food source after it has gone to flower. in survival mode you can use them for food just drink LOTS of water.
the seeds themselves are very nutritious however and can be nibbled, dried, used for tea, etc.

do a nettle google search and there is tons more info in the way of culinary ideas and medicinal applications

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## Ted

Oneraindog, EXCELLENT POST! Threw you some rep for that one Bro!

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## Rick

Yeah, I have to concur. One of the best write ups I've seen in a long while.

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## r0ckhamm3r

I have eaten stinging nettles a number of times.  

In Missouri, they tend to grow in river or creek valleys, with lots of shade.

Harvesting: Gloves are a must when harvesting.  I have tried the top down, stripping method, but I still get stung.  When you get stung (and you will get stung without gloves) look for jewelweed, it makes a good remedy and usually grows in similar habitats.  Smaller leaves are much more tender.  

Cooking: Boiling is a must.  My personal favorite is boiling them with some chicken stock.  Very tasty, kind of like a mild flavored spinach.

Cordage:  I have not tried this yet, it is on my list for this spring.

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## themoondancer811

I know that this thread is old but it is about my favorite wild friend, sister spinster I call her! A must plant to know in any survival situation and homestead. I use nettle daily in my infusions (strongs teas brewed of dried leaves in boiling water for 6 hours) hair wash, to fertlize plants and clean the kitchen and stable. I have to disagree with the poster on the previous page, we USE nettle leaves and stalks to treat Kidney/Bladder stones, UTI and slew of other things. The dried leaves we drink daily (as some may drink coke or coffee) She is rich in minerals, vitamins, amino acids, protien building blocks and is absorbed by soft tissues and working fluids (blood, lymph and neuotransmitters, hormones) In a survival "stress" situation she will keep you energized, circulatory system moving, immune system, endocrine, nervous and urinary system going.

Anyway, I could go on and on about this plant but my advice is, learn everything you can about it. In any survival situation I would look for nettle first (grows in deep, mulch , wet areas by streams. Places you can smell damp earth. She'll sting the hell out of you, make you numb.) burdock and dandelion next then chickweed, plantain and mugwort and of course pine needles. Those plant, leaves, stems and roots will keep you going, and feeling good for a very long time.

Also, it works well to strip and weave the mature stalks (mid to late august) to make fishing nets, I did this once and taught it to kids at camp, what a pain in the butt! Only do it for fun! There have to be better ways to make a net in a survival situation.  LOL Women used to make tablecloths and linens out of weaving fine nettle threads.

@rock- Jewelweed always grows along with the nasty stinging plants, huh?  :Smile:  Nettle and poison ivy. Natures way of taking care of us. haha

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## easttxcountry

When I was a child in East Texas, after they (bull nettles, as we called them) went to seed, we would carefully remove the seeds from the pod, remove the white and eat them. They were very good!

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## r0ckhamm3r

Hey Moondancer, thanks for the information.  I am a bit weak on the medicinal aspects of most plants and I found your post very informative.

I agree with your suggestions about the plants to look for in a survival situation, but I would also add cattail.  It has multiple uses at different times of the year.  Of course the plants to look for vary wildly depending on the area you are in.

Question:




> themoondancer811 wrote: I have to disagree with the poster on the previous page


What part did you disagree with?

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## Pocomoonskyeyes3

Well upon reading this My curiosity was piqued. So I went in search of more info. One site says to use with care if you are taking certain medications. This site seems to be mainly about the Medicinal aspects,including Drug interaction with medicines you may be taking........
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/s...tle-000275.htm

This site is the USDA's and may help in locating it in your state........
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=URDI

Can't say I have seen it in my area, but I have encountered it when I was in Germany. Hated it then. LOL now I know some more about it.

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## Rick

Hey, easttxcountry, we sure would like to seed an Introduction. Here's a template you can use. You can carefully remove the parts you don't want to answer. No bull (nettles)! 

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...r-Introduction

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## themoondancer811

> Hey Moondancer, thanks for the information.  I am a bit weak on the medicinal aspects of most plants and I found your post very informative.
> 
> I agree about with your suggestions about the plants to look for in a survival situation, but I would also add cattail.  It has multiple uses at different times of the year.  Of course the plants to look for vary wildly depending on the area you are in.
> 
> Question:
> 
> 
> 
> What part did you disagree with?


Hi Rock! Yes, cattails are handy and easy to find too. Good to make absorbant bandages as well.
Oh well, on the previous page someone said this-
Quote "another word on consumption: because they are so high in mineral content you may want to avoid them if you have kidney stones" 

I disagree with this because you can treat kidney stones wonderfully with nettle, but only the ROOT. (correcting myself, above said leaves and stalks. 3 am when I was writing last night!) The root is a tonic (diuretic) and astringent (antidiarrheal) In a survival situation you would make tincture out of fresh root, otherwise dry it for longer storage.

 I am sure a google search will go in depth. Sometimes that just makes it more complicated though. Too much junk info, over-complicates the simple. This is why I hate the internet, there's no soul in the info.
This is a plant that my grandparents, parents and I use to treat my own family. Along with burdock, dandelion and oatstraw the wild plants I use on a regular basis. Dried in winter, fresh in spring summer.

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## your_comforting_company

Spurge nettle is a similar plant with stinging hairs. Do you know of any uses of it other than to stimulate healing? An old person said that they used it (or one of their parents) to treat arthritis by whipping their hands with it. Of course, they didn't use the latin name _Cnidosculum stimulosus_ so they could have been talking about one of several plants that stings.
Just wanted to clarify what they said.

I believe I read that spurge nettle stingers contain formic acid, the same thing in ant stings?

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## Rick

I also wanted to ask you how you harvest dandelion roots since its such a long tap root. I generally insert a shovel straight down beside the plant, push the shovel over to open a rift beside the plant, remove the shovel and gently pull up on the plant. I can generally recover 80-90% of the root. If it's a smaller plant I usually get all of it. I collected quite a bit last summer (what a tedious job) and roasted some it for coffee.

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## themoondancer811

Hi! As far as I know there is no medical or edible purpous for finger rot (spurge nettle) I hate calling it a nettle since it is not even in the same family as stinging nettle. I am 99% certain that this person was confused and meant stinging nettle rather than finger rot. Urtication was very, very common in that generation. People still do it to treat a whole bunch of things (all of which I don't know off the top of my head) Personally have used it to treat arthritis in two of my fingers and occassionally for headaches (flog the toe) I can't say it's my first choice for headaches but maybe a masochist would enjoy it! Works great for arthritis, 3 springs of it does the trick.

Try it if you ever come across it. It's not pleasant but if you pay attention to your bodies reaction you learn a lot about the plant. Although you'll wonder why anyone would do it on purpose!

 I honestly don't know if it has formic acid but it has a similar feeling to an ant sting so you most likely are right.

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## themoondancer811

> I also wanted to ask you how you harvest dandelion roots since its such a long tap root. I generally insert a shovel straight down beside the plant, push the shovel over to open a rift beside the plant, remove the shovel and gently pull up on the plant. I can generally recover 80-90% of the root. If it's a smaller plant I usually get all of it. I collected quite a bit last summer (what a tedious job) and roasted some it for coffee.


HA! Typical guy going at roots with a shovel.  :Smile:  As a genral rule tall plants harvest on feet, low plants/roots harvest on knees. Problem with a shovel is that you loosen up all that dirt and the root still holds on until you finally break it. You don't want to break dandelion roots, if you see it's milky white juice you screwed up. haha. I use a small hand tool, if we are camping I just use a fork. Pull the leaves up and find the base where the leaf meets the root and start digging carefully around there, pull up and gently wiggle the root at each swipe. Their roots grows 2 hand lenghts down, once you get about one and half down you can start very slowly pulling the root, but slowly, you'll feel it gently give out. I used to make the kids sing when they did it. Told them dandelion was a french man, and a ladies man too. The more attention and time you gave to him the better his medicine. If you hurry he gives you nothing so it's worth the time!

How'd coffee turn out? Best if you harvest the roots in late fall, when frost is in the air but not in the ground. Plants store all their energy in the roots for winter. Makes a better coffee.  :Smile:

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## Pocomoonskyeyes3

Well if you are talking about the plant I think you are Spurge Nettle is edible. Bland tasting but edible, I used a digging stick to harvest the roots. A Digging Stick is about 4' long and about 1-1&1/2" wide with a "Chisel tip" and a small V notch cut in the chisel end. You force it down into the ground alongside the root and pry the root up. Sure is easier than digging. It's been many years since I gathered Spurge nettle But IIRC it is about 6-10" tall, a white flower, and a round "Potato-like" Tuber type root. When I get back home I'll have to consult my edible plant books to make certain, as it has been over a decade since I collected it.

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## themoondancer811

> Well if you are talking about the plant I think you are Spurge Nettle is edible. Bland tasting but edible, I used a digging stick to harvest the roots. A Digging Stick is about 4' long and about 1-1&1/2" wide with a "Chisel tip" and a small V notch cut in the chisel end. You force it down into the ground alongside the root and pry the root up. Sure is easier than digging. It's been many years since I gathered Spurge nettle But IIRC it is about 6-10" tall, a white flower, and a round "Potato-like" Tuber type root. When I get back home I'll have to consult my edible plant books to make certain, as it has been over a decade since I collected it.


Very cool. Your right! I guess the 3 seeds and tubers are edible -http://www.pittpaths.com/articles/0278/ Tell me if you can find anything on it medicinal uses. It's not in my Eastern/Central US Peterson Field Guide!

You don't find that you break the roots with a digging stick? I seem to always cut parts of them when I try using them, especially with things like Burdock root where they branch out, I have to actually feel them with my hands or I screw up. Most roots need to stay intact when using them for medicine and I hate to hack them up. I must be digging stick stupid.  :Wink:

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## your_comforting_company

Since we mentioned it, I thought I'd post pictures to distinguish these two plants.
This is NOT stinging nettle! This is "tread softly" or "finger rot" or "spurge nettle" and is in the Euphorbiaceae family.
_Cnidosculum stimulosus_
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## Pocomoonskyeyes3

> Very cool. Your right! I guess the 3 seeds and tubers are edible -http://www.pittpaths.com/articles/0278/ Tell me if you can find anything on it medicinal uses. It's not in my Eastern/Central US Peterson Field Guide!
> 
> You don't find that you break the roots with a digging stick? I seem to always cut parts of them when I try using them, especially with things like Burdock root where they branch out, I have to actually feel them with my hands or I screw up. Most roots need to stay intact when using them for medicine and I hate to hack them up. I must be digging stick stupid.


Well quite honestly I have never really used a digging stick for medicinals, only to get edibles. To this end nothing I have used can come close to the ease and efficiency of a digging stick, IF the ground is reasonably soft. I would also recommend fire hardening the end of a digging stick.

@YCC Going from memory of over a decade (Actually more than 2 decades ago) that sure looks like the plant I collected. I ONLY used the tubers though. Somewhat reminiscent of a water chestnut, but more bland and not as crisp,but about the same size.

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## themoondancer811

Great pics YCC! What a beautiful plant but I admit, if I ran into it in the bush I wouldn't attempt to eat it, it looks ticked off. LOL

I will try a digging stick again this spring Poco. If you have a pic of yours hanging around I would love to see it!

Ok, so I just moved so had to dig around to find my memory card but alas I have! I am going to _try_ uploading some pics of nettles.

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Harvest the nettle tops in the spring and/or before they bloom. Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

This is what they will look like-

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I was making a nettle soup with potatoes and onions and this broth was made by gently boiling the tender spring nettle tops. Can be eaten just like this also. I put some vinegar on mine.

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## Rick

> How'd coffee turn out?


I'd give it a passable but nothing to write home about. I dug the roots in the spring after they had already started feeding the plant. That may have been part of the problem.

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## themoondancer811

hm. I'll have to get my (old) neighbors actual recipe (if she'll give it to me) for her blend. I go to NY next week. I always bartered for her blend since it was amazingly good. I believe she did dandelion root, chicory root, beet root? and like a rye or barely maybe...what part or preperation of the barely and rye I do not know. I'll try to get it. It's amazingly good, no bitterness.

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## Pocomoonskyeyes3

Sorry TMD but I got this when I tried to give you some Rep for your post and pics.....



> You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to themoondancer811 again.


*SIGH*

IIRC I just built mine along the instructions for a Digging Stick in Larry Dean Olsen's "Outdoor Survival Skills". I think when I harvested the Spurge Nettle all I had was a Peterson's Guide and that book.

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## themoondancer811

LOL Poco.  :Smile:  Spreading reputation... are we in high school?

Oh well, anyhow, I have never been handy at "making tools" as I always had the other male half who did all that burly male stuff. I should try though, being a woman is no excuse!  :Smile:

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## Pocomoonskyeyes3

> LOL Poco.  Spreading reputation... are we in high school?
> 
> I have never been handy at "making tools" as I always had the other male half who did all that burly male stuff. I should try though, being a woman is no excuse!


Actually I think the "REP" button is a good thing. It is a way to commend folks for making particularly good posts,(You've made a few lately) I have given you Rep recently so I can't give it again until I give a certain number of people Rep (20 I think). You may notice some like Rick,Crash,YCC, and others,have several small green squares under their name. Because they have made many Good or Excellent posts, and have been given LOTS of Rep for those good posts.

As for making the Digging Stick it really is pretty simple. I'll see if I can't read up on it and then in my own words tell you how it is done. It has been A VERY long time ago but it is pretty Easy, I'm sure I could make one from memory but want to do it as close to that one as possible and maybe make one and take pictures or a video. All you need is a 4' stick, straight, and of the right thickness.... and a knife... maybe a fire if you are going to harden it. Which I would advise if you are going to use it much.... which I think you will.

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## themoondancer811

I would love to have one that I could figure out how to use, it would make it easier when harvesting a large amount of roots, which I do. Thanks for your efforts!  :Smile: 

As for the rep thing...I still am just getting how the forum works, with my daughters help.  :Smile:  I'll catch on to the whole thing eventually! Plenty of time on my hands and I have been LOVING the internet. I guess I didn't know what I was missing

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## your_comforting_company

> ...being a woman is no excuse!


Actually, many of the "burly" tasks were done by the women. Tanning in particular (I enjoy tanning) was a woman's job and it is very labor intensive.

fire-hardening is simply forcing moisture out of the stick, causing the saps and sugars to crystallize, giving a more solid form to the innards of the stick. Try to select a hardwood as it will give you the most durable points, where softwoods will tend to burn rather than harden. Fire is a great tool.

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## Pocomoonskyeyes3

Well wouldn't you know it? The one book I am looking for is the only one I can't find!!! It seems I have misplaced my Outdoor Survival Skills By Larry Dean Olsen. Arrrrggggghhhh!!! Looks like I'll have to do it from Memory......

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## Pocomoonskyeyes3

OK so I didn't misplace it after all, It was just hiding behind the other books on my shelf!

In Larry Dean Olsen's book Outdoor Survival Skills, printed by Chicago Review Press, it says the following:
Chapter: Plants
Section: Harvesting Plants
Plant part: Roots P.76



> Finding an edible root is fairly easy, but most roots grow deep,and digging them out can be difficult unless one is prepared with a few good techniques. ..... The stick is made from a stave of Hardwood about 3 feet long and 1 inch in diameter. After the bark is removed, the stick is hardened in the fire and the tip is rubbed into a chisel shape on a coarse rock....


OK to harden in a fire you BAKE the wood by having it CLOSE to the fire but NOT too close. Basically they say "Scorching" the stick 3-4 times with green wood will harden the wood but several scorchings are needed to drive the sap out. I also cut a V notch in the chisel part instead of having it straight across. Also I prefer a 4 foot staff instead of the 3 foot they recommend.(More leverage, and less tiresome) I also use a wider diameter stick about 1 1/2 inches. If you have the time, materials and can spend a little more effort, smear a little pine sap on the chisel and bake it until it is absorbed into the wood and hardens. This will add some durability to it, but do this after the wood is dry and hardened already, so it will absorb the sap some.

I will "Revive" this thread again after I can make a digging stick and make a video of it. A digging stick of 4 foot can also be used as a walking stick and used to kill any poisonous snakes you may encounter in your outings. It really is a useful survival tool, once you get the hang of it.

To use it is simple - you push the stick into the ground(Chisel end) close to the root, but not too close. Then you just pry the root out of the ground. MUCH  faster and easier than digging... even with a shovel. Of course in rocky ground (Like I have here) it is not as easy as in areas that have soft loamy type soils. Also you will want to harden the staff some along the working end, otherwise it has too much "Give" to it. Just not so hard that it breaks easily.

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## OhioGrizzLapp

In the History Channel TV show series "Digging for the Truth," Season 2, Volume 1, episode 3 "Stonehenge: Secrets Revealed," they show a few uses of Stinging Nettle, how they are debarbed, how it is made into cordage and how it was used as food. You may be able to find it at the library or online. Very detailed usage in making the cordage and stone lifting rope.

I have often made the cordage from nettles and use it in making some of the rustic furniture I teach how to make. Very important to use good splicing techniques, otherwise very simple and straight forward in its use as a tool. If not allowed to dry out a little first, your cordage will shrink as the cord dries.

For eating it, I have always debarbed it first then boiled it, added water cress, some crushed green pine nuts. some sasafrass root (very little, one small chip, yes I know the cancer fears of it) and ramps, it made a nice side dish that was tasty and very easy to make. 

The debarbing got me a few times until I got the hang of it, now, very easy to do. The spring and summer here in Ohio, it is all over the place in the backwoods and even urban enviroments at the edges of well watered gardens. 

I also learned how to use it from a National Park Ranger where I was giving a class on Rustic Firniture Making in Cuyahoga National Park. He took me out after the class and showed me a few things he has learned about nettles of various kinds. Very interesting plants and history of use by the various Ohio Native Americans.

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