There’s something magical about that first burst of green after a long winter. Birds start singing again, the air smells a little fresher, and the ground, finally, begins to wake up. Right beneath our feet, wild greens are popping up, ready to nourish us in ways no fancy supplement ever could.
Today, let’s talk about three of my favorite wild spring greens: Stinging Nettle, Plantain, and Violet. These aren't just weeds. They're nutrient-dense medicinal plants that are honestly kind of miraculous.
Why Wild Greens are Spring Superfoods?
After months of hibernation food, our bodies are more than ready for something fresh, light, and mineral-rich. Wild greens are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help us shake off winter and step into spring feeling more energized, clear-headed, and grounded.
Stinging Nettle
How to Identify and Harvest
Yes, it stings. But only if you touch it raw—once it’s cooked or dried, it loses its sting and turns into a nutritional powerhouse. Look for its jagged, deep green leaves and wear gloves when harvesting. Trust me, it’s worth it.
Nutritional Profile
Nettle is packed with iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, silica, and a host of trace minerals your body craves, especially after a winter of heavier, nutrient-depleted foods. It’s also rich in chlorophyll, which helps cleanse and oxygenate the blood.
Medicinal Benefits
- Joint Pain: With its anti-inflammatory properties, nettle can ease joint stiffness and arthritis symptoms. It’s been used traditionally to “stimulate circulation” and relieve pain.
- Allergy Support: Nettle is a natural antihistamine. When taken regularly in tea or tincture form, it can help reduce the sneezing, itchiness, and congestion of seasonal allergies.
- Urinary & Kidney Support: Nettle acts as a mild diuretic, helping the kidneys flush out waste and reduce water retention.
- Energy & Vitality: Nettle is rich iron and can help support those with low energy, fatigue, and iron deficiency anemia. Herbalists often recommend nettle for menstrual support, postpartum recovery, or whenever the body needs gentle mineral boost.
Plantain
How to Identify and Harvest
This little green grows just about everywhere—sidewalk cracks, lawns, trails. It has broad or narrow leaves with distinct parallel veins, and it’s an amazing first-aid plant.
Nutritional Profile
Plantain (Plantago major and P. lanceolata) is a highly nutritious wild green, rich in vitamins A, C, and K, as well as minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, and silica. These nutrients support immune function, skin health, bone strength, and overall vitality.
Medicinal Benefits
- Wound Healing: Plantain has drawing and cooling properties. It’s fantastic at pulling out splinters, venom (from bee stings or spider bites), and infection from wounds. It also speeds up tissue regeneration, making it great for minor cuts, scrapes, burns, and bruises.
- Anti-inflammatory & Astringent: It helps reduce swelling and tighten tissues. It is ideal for inflamed or irritated skin. It’s also used in salves for hemorrhoids, rashes, and bug bites.
- Mucosal Healing: Internally, plantain soothes and tones mucous membranes, making it useful for digestive issues like acid reflux, ulcers, and IBS. It coats and protects the gut lining while promoting healing.
- Respiratory Support: The lance-leaf variety is especially useful for dry coughs and irritated throats, as it moistens and soothes from within.
Violet
How to Identify and Harvest
Violets have heart-shaped leaves and those cheerful purple (or sometimes yellow) flowers. They love shady spots and bring a gentle energy to any wild harvest.
Nutritional Profile
Violet is a gentle yet nutrient-rich plant, especially high in vitamin C, which supports immune health, collagen production, and respiratory function. Its leaves also provide vitamin A for skin and eye health, along with small amounts of calcium and magnesium to support bones and nervous system balance. Violets contain mucilage, which soothes irritated tissues, and salicylic acid, known for its mild pain-relieving properties. Their antioxidant-rich flavonoids help combat inflammation and support lymphatic flow.
Medicinal Benefits
- Lymphatic Support: Violet gently stimulates lymph flow, helping the body move waste and stagnation out—especially helpful for swollen lymph nodes, congestion, or sluggish immune systems.
- Respiratory Health: Violets are cooling and moistening, making them ideal for dry, scratchy coughs or irritated sinuses. Herbal syrups made with violet are soothing for sore throats and tight chests.
- Skin Support: Applied topically, violet can soften hardened skin (think cysts or lumps) and ease conditions like eczema or acne.
- Emotional Healing: Energetically, violet is associated with grief, heartache, and emotional heaviness. Herbalists often recommend violet for people processing loss or deep sadness—it offers a gentle, quiet comfort.
How to Use These Wild Greens?
Nettle Tea or Infusion – One of the easiest ways to enjoy nettle. Steep it like tea, or make a long infusion overnight to draw out all those minerals. It’s earthy, nourishing, and excellent for daily sipping.
Wild Green Pesto – Toss together some nettle, plantain, garlic, olive oil, and nuts, and you’ve got a pesto that’s next-level. Spoon it over pasta, slather it on toast, or eat it straight from the jar (no judgment).
Violet-Infused Honey or Syrup – Add violets to honey or make a simple syrup for a gorgeous remedy for sore throats or dry coughs. Bonus: it’s also lovely drizzled on pancakes or stirred into tea.
Plantain Poultice or Salve – Chew it up or mash it and slap it on a bug bite. It works fast and feels amazing. Or infuse it into oil and turn it into a salve for your herbal first-aid kit.