# Where to buy stinging nettle?



## Symplicity (Oct 14, 2011)

Title says it all...


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

Not anywhere here...unless you pick your own. 

I saw some yesterday and was going to grab some but it was on an area that might have been sprayed. Best place to look is in the wooded trail areas off the paths. 

Take a bag with you and some gloves and when you get them home blanch them for a few mins before putting in your tank. 

I would boil the leaves for a few mins to kill off any insects etc, then put them outside in the sun to dry out and then you could feed whenever you want

You could dig up a whole plant roots and all and plant it in a container...then you'd have your own current growing plant to snip off a leaf here and there when you needed it. 

Other than that only shrimp food that contains stinging nettle is Dennerle. 
Angelfins sells this food. I have some myself.


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## matti2uude (Jan 10, 2009)

There are other foods that contain nettle as well. 
http://www.peters-laden.com/CSF-Pre...cks/Brennnessel-Paprika-Brennnessel-::28.html


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

You can buy nettle tea bags where they sell good herbals.. health food store. Not sure it would fill your need, but it's available.

And if you Google 'stinging nettle seeds' you will find sources to buy the seed and then you could grow your own. Just be careful handling it raw, stings can be quite painful. Boiling or soaking in water removes the toxin. Wear stout gloves if there is any chance of touching it with a bare hand.. long sleeves too. Though as the stings all go one way, with the hairs, if you are careful and grasp it so you don't rub hairs the wrong way you may not get stung. I've been stung and it can be nasty for quite a while afterward. Make sure you get Urtica dioica.. there are other species. Used medicinally for centuries, for arthritis among other things, often as a tea.

I know it's not hard to grow. Young leaves are edible, similar to spinach, high in protein. Native Americans used it as a early spring vegetable. Good for pot culture at least when young or if kept trimmed back regularly to stimulate lots of new leaf growth. A pot in a sunny window might do, but full sun outside is best. Seeds don't cause problems coming over the border, so if you have to order from the US, unless the vendor won't ship here, it's not a problem. I've purchased seed from several countries, like Italy, Australia, England, including the US, by mail, never had a problem, even when they're clearly labeled as seeds and what type.


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