Deadnettle is native to Europe and Asia, and the plant has been naturalized in North America. The material used medicinally comes from Eastern Europe. In herbal medicine, one uses the rapidly dried, flowering, aerial parts of the plant (deadnettle herb, Lamii albi herba), and the other uses only the dried flowers of the plant (deadnettle flowers, Lamii albi flos).
Deadnettle: characteristics of the plant.
Deadnettle is a perennial, hairy perennial plant up to 50 cm high, with erect shoots and branched rhizomes. The stalked leaves of the plant are opposite, characteristically heart-shaped and the margin is toothed. The white flowers, about 2 cm in size, are arranged in whorls in the leaf axils.
The German trivial name of the plant – deadnettle – comes from the fact that the non-flowering shoots are often confused with the nettle: Dead nettle is a non-burning, “dewy” nettle.
Dead nettle: what’s in the remedy?
The herb drug contains strongly crumpled leaf fragments with toothed edges. The upper side of the hairy leaves is deep green, the underside is lighter and the fine leaf veins can be seen. Square, hollow stem fragments and flowers occur next to them.
The floral tube consists of the yellowish-white, S-shaped curved and wrinkled corollas and stamens.
Smell and taste of deadnettle
The leaves and herb emit a very faint odor. The taste of the leaves and herb is bitter, with the leaves being slightly more bitter than the herb.
