Deadnettle

April 16, 2024

Since the kids have been using the fenced yard, I had not gotten out to weed-eat or mow the area.  The scurrying they do while they play has kept the grass and weeds down, even to the point of making bald patches.  The exception was around the gate in the original pool fence where the weeds thrived.  The first thing I had to do was to put the kids inside.  The electric weed-eater does not make much noise, but the activity drives them both crazy.  I whacked the weeds along the beds inside the pool fence and blew the debris out into the fenced yard.  Then I took on the inside of the yard fence (my neighbor had already whacked the outside).  As I began to whack next to the gate, I noticed the large patch of taller weeds had spots all over the leaves and were producing pink flowers.  My ID app told me these were red deadnettle plants. 

When I looked online, I found the red deadnettle (Lamium purpureum), also known as purple deadnettle, or purple archangel, is an annual herbaceous flowering plant native to Europe and Asia.  Deadnettle has square stems growing 2 to 8 inches (5 to 20 cm) in height.  The leaves have fine hairs, are green at the bottom and shade to purplish at the top; they are 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches (2 to 4 cm) long and broad, with wavy to serrated margins.  The mirror-image (zygomorphic) flowers are bright red to purple, with a top hood-like petal, two lower lip petal lobes, and minute fang-like lobes between.  The petals (corolla) show a line of hairs near the base of the tube.  Flowers may be produced throughout the year, including in mild weather during winter allowing bees to gather nectar when few other nectar sources are available.  The deadnettle is also a prominent source of pollen for bees in March and April when bees need the pollen as protein to build up their nest.  It is often found alongside Henbit Deadnettle (Lamium amplexicaule) and is easily mistaken as they both have similar looking leaves and bright purple flowers.  Though superficially similar to species of true nettles (Urtica) it is not related and does not sting.  Hence the name “deadnettle”.

Despite belonging to the mint family, the leaves of the deadnettle taste nothing like mint and have a mildly sweet taste, while young deadnettle leaves have a mild, lightly peppered taste.  The leaves are used as a substitute for more common greens (spinach, kale, and lettuce).  You can blend them with other greens and lemon juice to make a green smoothie.  The leaves are great stir-fried and make a great addition to soups and stews.  Regardless of how they are eaten, the leaves are highly nutritious.  They are a great source of vitamin C, A, and K, as well as iron, fiber, and bioflavonoids.  Deadnettle serves medicinal purposes as well, with anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal properties along with diuretic, astringent, diaphoretic, and purgative effects.  You can steep the leaves to make a healthy herbal tea which has been used as a remedy for kidney disease, seasonal allergies, chills, and common colds.  Consuming the leaves can boost the immune system and fight bacterial infections.  Lastly, the leaves can be used externally to stem bleeding and to create a poultice to heal cuts, burns, and bruises.  Obviously, deadnettle is more than just a weed.

THOUGHTS:  As a wild edible and an invasive species, foraging for the species is encouraged.  In your garden it is an attractive plant that brings bright pink to purple blooms in early spring and green and purple leaves for ornamental foliage all year long.  Deadnettle is nutritional for humans and is a vital source of year round nectar for honeybees.  With all that going, deadnettle is not cultivated and is considered an invasive weed.  There is more to it than what meets the untrained eye.  The same can be said for most humans we do not know.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.