White deadnettle is a uterine tonic with an ability to stop loss of fluids from the body, whether excessive menstrual flow, abnormal vaginal discharge, diarrhoea or a runny nose.
The leaves and flowers can be eaten, raw or cooked. The flowers are full of nectar, enjoyed by insects and children alike, and the leaves can be used as a poultice for cuts and splinters.
Lamiaceae (Labiatae) Deadnettle family
Description: Perennial with leaves similar to stinging nettle, but paler green and without the sting. Grows to 60cm and has whorls of creamy white flowers.
Habitat: Hedgebanks, roadsides, gardens and waste ground.
Distribution: Widespread in the British Isles, less common in Wales, Ireland and Scotland; found across north and central Europe to Asia; naturalised in North America, Australasia.
Related species: There are several other common species in the genus, but none that can be confused with white deadnettle. The other species were used medicinally in the past.
Parts used: Flowering tops whenever flowering, which can be almost any time of year.
The white deadnettle is so named because it resembles a stinging nettle, but has no stinging hairs. Other old names, such as deaf, dumb or blind nettle, also refer to the plant’s benign nature. The white deadnettle is also known as bee nettle, with stores of honey at the base of its corolla attracting the humble bees that fertilise it. The same sweet taste has also made sucking the white flowers irresistible to generations of children.
It can be confusing in spring when both the stinging and non-stinging plants, which often grow together, are in leaf and there are no flowers to distinguish them. The secret lies in the stem, which is square and hollow in white deadnettle, round and solid in stinging nettle.
The white deadnettle is perhaps too common for its own good, and has been unduly neglected both as an attractive plant with some border potential – and making an excellent mulch – and for its many medicinal qualities.
The plant’s older name of archangel refers to Archangel Michael, whose day at one time correlated roughly with the first deadnettle flowers. We like the name for its protective connotations: it supports the female reproductive system and prevents the body from losing precious fluids through discharges of all sorts.
White deadnettle blooming at the Rollright Stones, Oxfordshire, April
Use white deadnettle for…
The main use herbalists make of the plant is as a uterine tonic. Julie finds it effective in treating painful periods and bleeding between periods, in reducing excessively heavy menstrual flow and for cystitis. It can be used for treating leucorrhoea or vaginal discharge (once called ‘whites’), in which case the tea treatment (three cups a day) is continued for at least three weeks. A douche, made from a strong deadnettle tea, is good for vaginal discharges.
The tea also forms part of a treatment regime for benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), and to speed recovery after prostate surgery.
The tea’s mild astringency is supportive in treating respiratory complaints, especially where there is phlegm and catarrh.
White deadnettle also helps to regulate the bowel, and works well for gastrointestinal disorders, constipation, flatulence and, in particular, diarrhoea. It eases cramps and increases urination.
Externally, it has its uses in treatment as a poultice for cuts, bites, bruises, burns, splinters, varicose veins and arthritic pain. For first aid, if you are out walking, the simplest method in the field is to chew deadnettle leaves and apply them to the sore point.
Harvesting white deadnettle
White deadnettle can be found blooming almost any time of year, even right through the winter in mild areas. It is most prolific in the spring, but can be harvested whenever found in flower. Break off the stem a few leaves below the flower spikes.
If you want to store it, dry the sprigs whole, either by spreading them on a drying rack or paper, or by hanging small bunches tied with string or thread from the rafters or a laundry airer. When they turn crisp and dry, crumble the leaves and flowers, and discard stems.
White deadnettle tea
Use a sprig of fresh flowering white deadnettle, or 1 to 2 teaspoons of the dried herb, per cup or mug of boiling water. Allow to infuse for about 10 minutes, then strain and drink.
Dose: 1 cup or mugful 3 times a day.
White deadnettle douche
Make a strong tea with a handful of fresh or dried herb to 500ml of boiling water, and let it infuse until cool. Strain, and inject the liquid into the vagina using a douche bag. Repeat once a day until the discharge stops. If it continues for a week or more, consult your GP or herbal practitioner.
Fresh white deadnettle leaf poultice
Pick the fresh leaves and either chew them or mash them with a mortar and pestle, then apply to the affected area and hold in place with a bandage or plaster. Change for a fresh poultice once or twice a day until healed, or, in the case of a splinter, until it is drawn out.
