Abstract:
The growing demand for nutrient-dense, sustainable and functionally relevant food ingredients has renewed interest in underutilized wild edible plants. Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.), traditionally consumed in Himalayan communities, represents one such resource with considerable potential for nutritional valorization. Despite its long history of food use, wider utilization remains constrained by its stinging trichomes, limited consumer awareness and inadequate integration into contemporary food systems. Research highlights the nutritional, bioactive and food-application potential of stinging nettle, drawing on recent compositional and product-development evidence. Blanched and dried stinging nettle leaf powder has been reported to contain 23.99% protein, 14.91% crude fibre and 17.45 g/100 g total dietary fibre, including 11.20 g insoluble and 6.25 g soluble dietary fibre. It is particularly notable for calcium (347.46 mg/100 g) and iron (52.11 mg/100 g), alongside vitamin C (16.00 mg/100 g) and β-carotene (1476.1 μg/100 g). The powder also contained phenolic (146.82 mg GAE/100 g) and flavonoid compounds (191.29 mg RE/100 g) and exhibited 68.02% DPPH radical-scavenging activity, indicating appreciable in vitro antioxidant potential. Beyond its compositional attributes, its water- and oil-absorption capacities suggest technological potential as a food ingredient. Incorporation of nettle leaf powder into a traditional savoury product demonstrated that nutritional enrichment can be achieved at sensory-acceptable levels, providing proof-of-concept for its application in familiar foods. Nevertheless, appropriate processing, standardization, antinutrient considerations, sensory acceptability and evaluation of nutrient bioavailability remain important for wider utilization. Stinging nettle therefore offers a promising interface between wild food biodiversity, nutritional enrichment and functional food innovation, warranting further research toward safe, acceptable and sustainable food applications.