Wildcrafting Chickweed & Stinging Nettles: A potential Hot Flash Treatment

Can weeds be used as a hot flash treatment? Some can! I want to share two that are found pretty easily in nature, where to find them, and how to use them in your cooking.

Wildcrafting weeds is a creative way to procure fresh greens...it also helps keep costs down too! We have some stinging nettles in our backyard. Stinging nettles can be great at helping to reduce the incidence of hot flashes in perimenopause and postmenopause.

Pictured here, I am adding some to cooked red lentil dahl in lieu of spinach. It grows as a weed very commonly. You can steam, puree, or sautee fresh stinging nettles. Cooking and pureeing eliminates the sting! I am used to handling with bare hands, but it is best to wear gloves so you avoid getting stung.

Nettles are the most nutrient-dense leafy green you can eat!! They're rich in vitamin C, calcium, iron, magnesium, beta-carotene, polyphenols, and more! Here is a video on how to identify stinging nettles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ASTvp1pgLg

We also harvested some chickweed (Stellaria media) on a neighborhood walk and made a salad with it.

Chickweed is a great anti-inflammatory food. Inflammation in perimenopause and menopause runs rampant. Bringing down inflammation by adding chickweed into your diet can be beneficial to your symptoms, including hot flashes.

Here is a video on how to identify chickweed in your neighborhood or yard. It is nice in quiche, frittata, fresh, or sauteed with other greens. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHjgodRFpyg