I am born in a Garhwali family where kandali plant is used to punish naughty kids. Stinging nettle belongs to the Urticaceae family and is a native plant of the European region. Kandali plant in english is known as stinging nettle and Urtica. This plant is called bichu booti in Hindi, Kumaon, and Garhwal. Kandali plant in Uttarakhand is found mostly in the hill regions of Garhwal and Kumaon.
Kandali plant in Hindi is known as bichu grass.
Most Asian people are using stinging nettle roots for the treatment of urine-related problems such as frequent urination, inability to urinate, nighttime urination, irritable bladder, and painful urination.
In this article, I will share with you how to grow stinging nettle/kandali.
kandali plant information
Stinging nettle has a long and diverse history for food medicine cordage, dye, and textile- clothes. I will share some ideas for making use of the free food and fertilizer that this weed to offer.
History in brief
Nettle fibres were used for the production of textiles in central Europe. Nettle production in Europe began in 19th century (bredmann,1959) and during the first and second world war, fibre nettle was promoted as a substitute for cotton. You can find stinging nettle worldwide in America, Europe, India, etc
Stinging Nettle Farming
Where do nettles grow?
Stinging nettle loves soil with good moisture. In North America, it grows alongside streams, rivers and creeks. It likes fertile soil full of organic full sun or partial shade suits the nettle very much.
In India, we can find stinging nettle in Uttarakhand in a very huge quantity. It is known as kandali /bichu ghaas in Garhwal and Kumaon.
In Uttarakhand it was hardly used for benefit earlier it was used for only forage crops for animals because of a lack of knowledge.
If you are living in Uttarakhand you must have seen this important weed. Now lots of people have started to take advantage of this free weed.
Required temperature
- for germination of stinging nettle, high altitude area’s are the best (cold weather, hill areas)
- It grows alongside streams, rivers and creeks. Therefore you can find it in hilly areas like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, etc you might not hear about this if you are living somewhere around Bangalore.
Plant sowing time
- It is a perennial plant so you can sow this weed at any time.
Soil required
- kandali loves soil with good moisture it likes fertile soil full of organic material mostly it grows alongside streams, rivers and creeks.
Plant harvesting
- It will be ready to harvest between 80-90 days. The best time to harvest nettles is the first few weeks of spring.
How to grow kandali/stinging nettle
You can grow nettle from seeds. You can purchase seeds or gather seeds. Good side of this weed is you don’t have to give much time to it and also it does not require much care because it is a weed so it grows automatically you just need to germinate the seeds.
How to harvest kandali / stinging nettle weed
Click here to watch video – cutting nettle in spring with scissors
It’s an easy task, nettle harvesting starts in spring and it’s best to harvest when leaves are young.
- The best harvest time is from May to June.
- Harvest when it is a foot tall.
- Wear long sleeves and gloves while harvesting because they can harm you.
Preserve and store nettle
- Dry nettle until they become crispy.
- You can dry stems and leaves together or you can separate them.
- Store them in a store or cool area
- After drying you can pack them in a bag and sell them in the market.
Health benefits
- It is good for bones, joints, and skin
- Rich in iron, vitamins, protein, fibre and minerals
- Extremely beneficial in arthritis, gout, anaemia and urinary problems.
- Don’t dare to touch kandali without wearing gloves.
Top ten (10) benefits of kandali or stinging nettle.
| Textile | Fibre – clothes |
| Food | Spinach and soups, sauce, salad, vegetables |
| Beverage | Green tea, tea, soup, kaadha |
| Horticulture | Pest control |
| Industrial | Chlorophyll production |
| Forage crop | Used fresh dried miled and silaged for animals |
Green tea
I would love to share an incident with you a few years ago one of my cousins was in a European country and he told me about a famous green tea which he uses to drink regularly and he was fond of it. In 2019 he came to my house and we planned to go and spend some time in our village which is situated in the high hill area of Uttarakhand When he was explaining about nettle green tea it just strikes my mind and after one hour I searched in google about stinging nettle from where we came to know that it is the same herb which is known as kandali and bichu grass in Uttrakhand.
Green tea recipe
For making green tea from kandali you just need few leaves put them in warm water and add other ingredients you can add tulsi leaves into it and add few drops of lemon with a bit of honey. If you don’t get bichu grass leaves directly then you can purchase them from the market also you can buy them online from Amazon and other websites.
Exclusive opportunity to become a successful entrepreneur
In this section, I would love to tell you about the nettle business. It is a great business opportunity to grab in this time of era when the whole world is getting interested in herbs.
You must have heard “Create an opportunity to become successful” and in this business, you have an opportunity to become a successful entrepreneur reason behind this is one of the lowest investment businesses which you can start and scale easily plus point of this business is you don’t have to invest your money and time for caring of this product as we have to invest money and manage our time while investing in other products like apple, mango, mushrooms, etc
How to start stinging nettle business
- It’s a great opportunity for all the people who want to start a business from kandali farming. You just need to follow a few steps:-
- It is a weed that is mostly found in hill areas, especially in Uttrakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu
- If you are from the hill area (Uttarakhand) then you might have farming lands over there.
- If not then you can take lots of farming land for rent at a very low price.
- The key to this farming is that this crop does not need much care compared to other crops.
- Your time and maintenance costs will be saved.
Chief minister self-employment scheme –
- To encourage reverse migration chief minister of Uttarakhand has declared this scheme. Under this scheme, one will get Rs 25 lakh for manufacturing projects and up to Rs 10 lakh in the service sector.
Herb research institute
- For encouraging natural herb farming they provide help in village farming.
- Provides seeds at a very low price.
- Provides buyers to purchase your products.
- Situated at Mandal (Chamoli)
- Know more about hemp license Uttarakhand approval
What to produce?
Tea –
- From kandali farming, you can make your business grow in the tea industry which is a big industry itself.
- A packet of tea (chaypatti) – 200 rs per/kg, a big asset
- Green tea – today it is a much-needed beverage in our lifestyle. So the demand is very high.
Textile –
- The textile industry is one of the biggest and most ancient industries.
- Through kandali farming, one can produce lots of fibre.
- Fibres are useful in making sweaters and other clothes.
Cosmetics -helpful in making anti-ageing creams and hair loss treatment products etc
Medicine Wide range of pharmaceutical application and health benefits
What is kandali Festival?
Uttarakhand is also known for its unique and colourful type of festivals. Uttrakhand celebrates the festival of kandali or we can say it is the most unique festival of Uttarakhand. The plant of Kandali bears flowers once in twelve years just like Kumbh Mela comes after 12 years. You along with your family can join the celebration of the kandali festival too. I can recommend Club Mahindra resorts to stay in Uttarakhand and become a part of many more cultural activities. These resorts offer comfortable rooms along with modern amenities.
The Festival of Kandali marks the blooming of purple flowers of the Kandali Plant. The flowers bloom between the months of August and October. The Rung tribe of Pithoragarh District celebrates the vibrant festival of Kandali with much enthusiasm.
| Pros | Cons |
| Very low investment | Be careful while harvesting |
| No maintenance | |
| Low competition |
For more information (pharmacological uses) of this plant click on the links given below
