10 Reasons to Forage Purple Dead Nettle (Lamium purpureum) This Spring

Spring = reset mode. Amid the fresh greens, purple dead nettle stands out with soft, fuzzy leaves and little purple hoods that bees adore. Often dismissed as a “weed,” it’s actually a clutch, multi-use herb for cooks, crafters, and nature nerds alike.

Why It Deserves a Spot in Your Basket

1. Abundant & easy to find
   Thrives in gardens, field edges, meadows, vacant lots, and even cracks in urban soil. Translation: low effort, high yield.

2. Early-season nectar
   One of spring’s earliest blooms, feeding hungry pollinators (bees, butterflies) when not much else is flowering.

3. Edible, mild leaves
   Young tops are tender with a spinach-adjacent vibe. Toss into salads, omelets, soups, pestos, or sauté like a spring green.

4. Traditional herbal uses
   Folk herbalism uses include soothing minor inflammation or seasonal sniffles; astringent properties make it a go-to for simple teas and compresses. Note: supportive, not curative.

5. Nutrient-dense
   Contains vitamin C, vitamin A, minerals like calcium and iron, plus helpful phytonutrients. It’s not a multivitamin—but it’s a nice wild boost.

6. Sustainable wild food
   Foraging abundant “weedy” species reduces pressure on rarer plants and can help keep spread in check.

7. Kitchen versatility
   Fresh: salads, tacos, grain bowls. Cooked: quiche, frittata, spanakopita-style pies. Pantry: dry for tea, blend into herbal vinegars, or make an infused honey.

8. Natural dye potential
   Flowers yield gentle pink-lavender tones for fabric or yarn when used as a simple dye bath or solar jar dye.

9. Garden ally
   Acts as a living mulch in cool seasons, offers early floral resources, and aromatic growth can distract some pests.

10. Mindful connection
    Slow foraging = observing soil, insects, weather shifts. It’s a tactile way to sync with seasonal cycles.

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ID Guide (so you don’t pick the wrong plant)

• Leaves: soft, fuzzy, heart-to-triangular; upper leaves often flushed purple; shallowly scalloped edges.

• Stems: square (mint family), often reddish, with soft hairs.

• Flowers: small purple/pink hooded blooms in whorls at leaf nodes.

• Height/form: low, patch-forming annual; top leaves stack like a little pagoda.

• Lookalikes: henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) is edible too, with rounder, stem-clasping leaves; true stinging nettle is a different genus (Urtica) and, well, stings.

If unsure, skip it. Correct ID beats overconfidence every time.

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Harvesting Tips

• Best stage: tender tops (the top 5–10 cm) in early spring before it gets lanky.

• Where not to pick: sprayed lawns, road edges, pet-heavy areas, industrial lots.

• How to pick: pinch or snip tops; shake gently for bugs; bring a breathable bag.

• Prep: rinse, pat dry. For tea or pantry use, air-dry on screens until crisp, then store in a jar away from light.

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Easy Uses (zero fuss)

• 5-Minute Pesto: dead nettle tops + parsley or basil, garlic, nuts/seeds, lemon, olive oil, salt. Blitz.

• Spring Sauté: olive oil, garlic, a heap of chopped tops; finish with lemon and flaky salt.

• Herbal Tea: 1–2 tsp dried leaves per cup, steep 8–10 min.

• Infused Vinegar: pack a jar 2/3 with fresh leaves/flowers, cover with apple cider vinegar, steep 2–4 weeks, strain.

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Safety & Common Sense

• Allergies happen—try a small amount first.

• If pregnant, breastfeeding, on meds, or managing conditions (e.g., blood pressure, blood sugar), talk to a clinician before adding regular herbal teas or vinegars.

• Forage ethically: take modestly, leave plenty for pollinators and reseeding.