Nettle

• Type: Magical Plant, Potion Ingredient
• Parts Used: Leaves (dried), Essence
• Notable Products: Nettle Wine

A nettle is a common plant in both the Muggle and wizarding worlds. In the non-magical world, it is known as the stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), a herbaceous plant infamous for the stinging hairs on its leaves and stems that act as natural hypodermic needles, injecting irritants into the skin. Within the magical community, nettles are a fundamental and versatile ingredient in Potions. The plant's properties are utilised in various forms, including dried leaves and essence of nettle, for use in simple healing remedies and household cleaning solutions. It can also be fermented to create an alcoholic beverage, Nettle Wine.

• Cure for Boils: During their first-ever Potions lesson, Harry Potter and his fellow first-year students were tasked by Professor Snape with brewing a Cure for Boils. One of the key ingredients for this simple Potion was dried nettles, which had to be stewed along with horned slugs.
• Cauldron Cleaning Solution: Molly Weasley once consulted her copy of Household Spells and Potions for a way to remove scuff marks from a Cauldron, noting that the required Potion included “essence of nettle”. This indicates nettles are common in domestic magical practice.
• Nettle Wine: Nettles can be used to produce Nettle Wine, an alcoholic drink. Albus Dumbledore kept a bottle in his office at Hogwarts, offering some to Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge after the discovery of Barty Crouch Jnr at the end of the Triwizard Tournament.

• The use of nettles in the Harry Potter series mirrors their real-world applications. Stinging nettles have a long history in herbal medicine and are used to make soups, teas, and cordage.
• Nettle Wine is a real alcoholic beverage made in various parts of the world from the fermentation of nettle leaves and sugar. Its inclusion adds a touch of authentic folklore to the Wizarding World.
• The original Pottermore website confirmed the full ingredients for the Cure for Boils as dried nettles, crushed snake fangs, stewed horned slugs, and porcupine quills. (Pottermore)