Grounded Gardener: Purple Dead Nettle

Lamium purpureum

Family: mint

I have been studying this plant since 2018. I cannot seem to find any of my hand written monographs since I’ve moved around a bit. Maybe someday I will come across them but until then I’ll write from memory, dead nettles are alot like stinging nettles.

Appearance: squared stem with toothed opposite leaves. Depending on soil quality the coloring can range from yellow green to deep green with red to purple leaflet tips. Purple dead nettle has pinkish purple to bluish purple tumpet like flowers that form throughout the top of the leaflets.

It grows freely throughout the northern Americas along roadway, meadows, and woodland. Its shorter then stinging nettles species. Blooms throughout the year mostly in spring and fall but its mid winter and across the way the purple dead nettle has flowers on it. <February 12, 2023>

Most people shy away from the use of purple dead nettle due to it growing where most weed control areas are treated with products that are less than auspicious for human consumption.

I read somewhere that the invasive, unwanted or weed classification of this plant was why people thought it was less effective for arthritis, rheumatoid, and fibromyalgia and other autoimmune imbalances but could use more research to be recorded.

Parts used: aerial parts

Preparation: raw salads, sauteed greens, tinctures, teas, infused, oils, and salves.

The coloring shows that this mint family plant has a different cooling effect on the body as it also warms.

The sting in the stinging nettle, the burn on the tip of the tounge from peperment is the fire element as too the color components within the dead nettle.

It’s a Mild nervine, Mild digestive support, mild skin soothing and nutritive herb

(When I first started studying purple dead nettle I remember thinking Don’t stress about remembering the constituents because they’re the same as stinging nettle this one has prettier coloring and less sting)