Nettles, or on their Latin name, Urtica dioica, are perennial plants found all over the Europe, and partly in the United States. These plants have been used for centuries thanks to their health-enhancing properties. Both the leaves and the roots can be infused into tea and drunk in order to improve the medical state of a person.

The herb has a high nutrient density and contains a lot of vitamins: B1, B2, B3, B5, C, E, and K, along with calcium, potassium and zinc. Nettles also contain lycopene, beta-carotene, acetic acid and betaine. As you probably figured out already, nettles are full of healthy elements and really worth to be taken in consideration when looking for a natural alternative to vitamin pills or calcium.

The nettles have anti-inflammatory properties, but also diuretic and analgesic properties. They can even dissolve and clear the mucus stored in excess in your lungs when you get a cold, for example. Furthermore, many natural treatment users take nettles as a remedy for anemia, asthma and a large variety of allergies. Individuals are known to use nettles to also treat urinary tract inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, but also osteoarthritis.

Harvesting and brewing

Some call nettle tea springtime’s natural elixir, because they are some of the first green plants to get out of the soil every spring. Before you can brew a tea from nettles, you must firstly harvest them; use gloves and cut them from the base, making sure you keep the leaves intact. Then, everything is very simple. Place the leaves in a recipient and add water over them. Dosage is two cups of water for every cup of nettle leaves. There isn’t any strict dosage, so you can make the tea stronger by stepping for longer, or you can add more water to weaken it.

Once the mixture is almost boiling, reduce the heat, and then simmer for a few minutes. Filter the result through a small strainer and you got the tea ready to drink. You might want to add a small amount of sugar, but it depends on how you prefer it.

If you have tea bags of nettle, you can put one tea bag in one cup of tea and let infuse for 7 minutes.

I personally drink nettle tea to reduce acne.

Cautions

Every substance must be gradually inserted into your body, no matter if it is a man-made substance or a natural extract. This being said, you should limit the amount of nettle tea to one cup per day. Also, if it is the first time you are trying nettle tea, you should start with even smaller amounts in order to make sure your body doesn’t react badly.

There aren’t mostly any side effects of nettles, but, if you experience any kind of irritations or stomach problems after consuming nettle tea, stop it right away and consult your medic.