Nettle tea has been utilized for centuries to assist with asthmatic and skin ailments, as well as relieve joint aches and arthritis. Even if you’re in tip-top physical health, a cupful of nettle tea can manage your hormones, soothing the mind, and even give a boost of precious vitamins and minerals. What makes this great drink even better? You can readily produce it in your own home!
Needless to say, the initial step in brewing your own pot of nettle tea is being able to recognize a nettle plant. If you are unsure what a nettle plant looks like, a brief google search offers you lots of pictures. When working with Mother Nature, ensure you know exactly what you’re dealing with. Some plants look very close but one may be good for you but the other may very well be very toxic. When uncertain, ask a professional before drinking anything.
stinging nettle tea
When you know what you are looking for, any woods, thickets or maybe the side of the road are perfect spots to get the nettle plant. It grows similar to a weed, since, well, it truly is one! The most important rule of nettle plant collection is to make sure you put on gloves and a shirt with long sleeves as well as use scissors, reducing your contact with the leaves whenever possible. Nettle leaves are coated with almost undetectable hair-like stingers that leave a nasty rash on the skin. Also, you’ll want to gather your nettle leaves from areas not treated with pesticides or are exposed to other chemicals (for example car exhaust right next to a busy road).
When selecting your nettle leaves pick newer plants (around spring time) and cut off the bright green tips to collect (the leaves get bitterer with age). The nettle leaves should be washed to eliminate all dirt and insects and then they can either be left to dry for future pots of tea or used right away fresh. To dry the nettle leaves, layer them over a paper towel and allow them to air dry. They might then be kept in an airtight container for future use.
There are many recipes out there on-line regarding learning to make the perfect pot of nettle tea; even so, they are subjective as different people could use more or less nettle leaves based on how bitter they prefer the tea. A standard recipe is to take a tablespoon of dried nettles and to steep it in very hot water for around ten minutes. The leaves must be brewed for a full ten minutes so the water can deactivate the stingers. Or else, you won’t die, even so you may get a slight stomach ache or ‘tingling’ feeling when drinking the tea (which you might get anyway, if you have a sensitive system but this should vanish as the body forms a tolerance to the tea). The leaves may then be drained and the tea safely taken.
More info on stinging nettle tea
If you’re searching for more of a power punch from your nettle leaves, you can create a nettle infusion, that is simply a nettle tea that’s brewed for a longer period. A suggested recipe is to take one ounce of nettle leaves and one quart of boiling water and to permit them to soak for, at the very least, a couple of hours, or overnight in the fridge. Be sure to continue to refrigerate the infusion so that it won’t spoil (if it does, it can make a superb fertilizer for your garden). The infusion may be reheated to savor as an extra strong tea or poured over ice or put into juice for a cold, delicious beverage.
If you value the health benefits of a pot of nettle tea, but don’t enjoy the flavour, adding lemon, honey or just sugar is likely to make your cup of tea that much more enjoyable for you. Additionally, other herbs and plant leaves can be blended together with the nettle leaves to make your personal custom super tea! A popular addition for the people experiencing indigestion is rosemary, which helps with the release of bile to aid process fats. Red raspberry leaves combined with nettle leaves can make a fantastic tonic for an pregnant woman, as both help to alleviate excessive bleeding after childbirth. Try out some marvelous combos of your own!
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