Sounds a mouthful 
but is a very interesting resource to find out more about how the Native American Peoples used plants both for food, medicine, cordage etc. A very comprehensive database with many plants which can also be found the British Isles and Europe. Hosted by the University of Michigan, USA
Native American Ethnobotany - A Database of Foods, Drugs, Dyes and Fibers of Native American Peoples, Derived from Plants
A search for 'Nettle' (Urtica dioca) for instance gives 234 results! (note searching for 'nettles' only gives 18) Including both use of the plant and use of other plants to treat nettle stings for instance.
Just a few examples:
Urtica dioica L.
Stinging Nettle; Urticaceae
Okanagan-Colville Drug (Antirheumatic (External))
Fresh plants used to beat the skin after "sweathousing" and for rheumatic and arthritic pain.
Turner, Nancy J., R. Bouchard and Dorothy I.D. Kennedy 1980 Ethnobotany of the Okanagan-Colville Indians of British Columbia and Washington. Victoria. British Columbia Provincial Museum (p. 140)
Urtica dioica L.
Stinging Nettle; Urticaceae
Mohegan Food (Vegetable)
Combined with pigweed, mustard, plantain and dock and used as mixed greens.
Tantaquidgeon, Gladys 1972 Folk Medicine of the Delaware and Related Algonkian Indians. Harrisburg. Pennsylvania Historical Commission Anthropological Papers #3 (p. 83)
Urtica dioica L.
Stinging Nettle; Urticaceae
Hesquiat Fiber (Cordage)
Dried, peeled stems used to make twine, ropes and herring nets.
Turner, Nancy J. and Barbara S. Efrat 1982 Ethnobotany of the Hesquiat Indians of Vancouver Island. Victoria. British Columbia Provincial Museum (p. 76)
Urtica dioica L.
Stinging Nettle; Urticaceae
Nitinaht Other (Hunting & Fishing Item)
Plants rubbed on fishing lines to eliminate human odor.
Turner, Nancy J., John Thomas, Barry F. Carlson and Robert T. Ogilvie 1983 Ethnobotany of the Nitinaht Indians of Vancouver Island. Victoria. British Columbia Provincial Museum (p. 112)
Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis (Ait.) Seland.
California Nettle; Urticaceae
Chehalis Drug (Dermatological Aid)
Decoction of roots used as a hair wash.
Gunther, Erna 1973 Ethnobotany of Western Washington. Seattle. University of Washington Press. Revised edition (p. 28)
Artemisia dracunculus L.
Wormwood; Asteraceae [note: not the absinthe type but French Tarragon]
Shoshoni Drug (Dermatological Aid)
Decoction of whole plant used as a wash for nettle stings.
Train, Percy, James R. Henrichs and W. Andrew Archer 1941 Medicinal Uses of Plants by Indian Tribes of Nevada. Washington DC. U.S. Department of Agriculture (p. 39, 40)
Each listing has a link for the plant at the United States Department of Agriculture - Plant Database which is in itself a great resource full of info on plants, again many of which grow over here.
Check out the entry for Nettles - Urtica dioca
and links to very decent and large botanical illustrations:
small version:
large image (online)
Urtica dioica L. stinging nettle
Carpe urtica!
Simon
but is a very interesting resource to find out more about how the Native American Peoples used plants both for food, medicine, cordage etc. A very comprehensive database with many plants which can also be found the British Isles and Europe. Hosted by the University of Michigan, USANative American Ethnobotany - A Database of Foods, Drugs, Dyes and Fibers of Native American Peoples, Derived from Plants
A search for 'Nettle' (Urtica dioca) for instance gives 234 results! (note searching for 'nettles' only gives 18) Including both use of the plant and use of other plants to treat nettle stings for instance.
Just a few examples:
Urtica dioica L.
Stinging Nettle; Urticaceae
Okanagan-Colville Drug (Antirheumatic (External))
Fresh plants used to beat the skin after "sweathousing" and for rheumatic and arthritic pain.
Turner, Nancy J., R. Bouchard and Dorothy I.D. Kennedy 1980 Ethnobotany of the Okanagan-Colville Indians of British Columbia and Washington. Victoria. British Columbia Provincial Museum (p. 140)
Urtica dioica L.
Stinging Nettle; Urticaceae
Mohegan Food (Vegetable)
Combined with pigweed, mustard, plantain and dock and used as mixed greens.
Tantaquidgeon, Gladys 1972 Folk Medicine of the Delaware and Related Algonkian Indians. Harrisburg. Pennsylvania Historical Commission Anthropological Papers #3 (p. 83)
Urtica dioica L.
Stinging Nettle; Urticaceae
Hesquiat Fiber (Cordage)
Dried, peeled stems used to make twine, ropes and herring nets.
Turner, Nancy J. and Barbara S. Efrat 1982 Ethnobotany of the Hesquiat Indians of Vancouver Island. Victoria. British Columbia Provincial Museum (p. 76)
Urtica dioica L.
Stinging Nettle; Urticaceae
Nitinaht Other (Hunting & Fishing Item)
Plants rubbed on fishing lines to eliminate human odor.
Turner, Nancy J., John Thomas, Barry F. Carlson and Robert T. Ogilvie 1983 Ethnobotany of the Nitinaht Indians of Vancouver Island. Victoria. British Columbia Provincial Museum (p. 112)
Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis (Ait.) Seland.
California Nettle; Urticaceae
Chehalis Drug (Dermatological Aid)
Decoction of roots used as a hair wash.
Gunther, Erna 1973 Ethnobotany of Western Washington. Seattle. University of Washington Press. Revised edition (p. 28)
Artemisia dracunculus L.
Wormwood; Asteraceae [note: not the absinthe type but French Tarragon
]Shoshoni Drug (Dermatological Aid)
Decoction of whole plant used as a wash for nettle stings.
Train, Percy, James R. Henrichs and W. Andrew Archer 1941 Medicinal Uses of Plants by Indian Tribes of Nevada. Washington DC. U.S. Department of Agriculture (p. 39, 40)
Each listing has a link for the plant at the United States Department of Agriculture - Plant Database which is in itself a great resource full of info on plants, again many of which grow over here.
Check out the entry for Nettles - Urtica dioca
and links to very decent and large botanical illustrations:
small version:
large image (online)
Urtica dioica L. stinging nettle
Carpe urtica!
Simon
