I first collected stinging nettles with a friend in a park near where I lived briefly. We harvested it not so much for the medicinal qualities, but to use in cooking and to drink as a tea (or tissane...). I've since come to appreciate it for both the culinary and medicinal uses.
Stinging nettle has that reputation for leaving you with that odd stinging sensation if you come in contact with it, but I see that as no reason to avoid the plant. Wear gloves, or get used to the sting. Nettle is like that person you meet in life who is initially kind of prickly when you first meet them, but once the relationship develops, they are that ride-or-die friend who you can trust to be honest with you even when you don't want to hear it.
