Red dead nettle
Red dead nettle is a common herb that can survive in most places with good soil. It grows in great abundance, so you can pick to your heart's content.
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Where to Find It
Red dead nettle can survive in many different environments. It grows in nutrient-rich soil, so you'll often find it in gardens, parks, hedges, woods, and on roadsides.
Salt marshes, deciduous forests, coniferous forests, towns, hedges, roadsides, grasslands.
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Where to Find It
Unless the winter has been exceedingly harsh, red dead nettles will grow all year round. It only forms tops from April to October, however.
Entire plant: April, May, June, July, August, September, October.
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How to Pick It
Red dead nettle is a small herb with a square stem that grows up to 40 cm high. Covered in a short, hairy down that makes them look matte, the leaves have the shape of small, tooth-edged hearts, topped by something that looks like a tiny wreath. At the bottom of the plant, the leaves are green and sparse, but at the top they turn purple and grow densely. At the very tip of the plant, small, pinkish flowers grow in a ring. Red dead nettle typically grows in small clusters that look like bouquets, or like green pillows dotted with pink flowers.
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How to Pick It
Pick the top 15-20 cm of the plant, and focus on the youngest specimens.
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NB!
The Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark recommend limited consumption. This is due to the amount of verbascoside and limited knowledge of its effect.
Risk of misidentifying the plant
There is no risk of mistaking the plant for another dangerous or undesirable plant.
