Uqaayanaq
Urtica dioica L. subsp. gracilis (Ait.) Selander
Plant
Stiff, stinging hairs cover the tall, unbranched stems and opposite, toothed leaves of the nettle plant. Nettles may have either heart-shaped leaves or narrow lance-shaped leaves. The herb bears small, greenish flowers and grows in moist places, meadows, and thickets.
Gathering: People wear gloves when gathering nettles, because the plant’s hairs sting the skin. Nettle root may be gathered in the summer and fall and dried but should not be harvested in the spring, because the root is too short.
Food: People gather young nettles, boil them, and eat them like spinach. Boiling destroys the hairs and turns the plant into a nutritious food. People also place a bunch of fresh nettles on a fish-smoking fire to calm the fire and to add flavor to the fish. Crushed, dried nettle leaves are mixed with tobacco to flavor it.
Medicine: Valued as a medicine for tuberculosis, pleurisy, infections, hemorrhaging, and cancer. People drink tea made from boiling the leaves, or from the roots and leaves. The tea causes sweating and helps to remove toxins from the body. People also use nettle roots to relieve toothaches and tooth infections.
