Nettle Tea: Production, Application and Effect

A healing nettle tea can be made with little effort from the leaves of the wild herb. Read here about the positive effects tea has on health and how to use it correctly.

The stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), so frowned upon in the garden , has great healing properties. For centuries, the plant has been used as a food, tea, juice or extract for all kinds of cures and against a wide variety of ailments. Nettle tea, which you can easily make yourself, is particularly popular. It is used, among other things, in the treatment of urinary tract and prostate complaints, gout, respiratory diseases and hay fever.

The wild herb is not only used in the kitchen – there are also numerous nettle preparations in naturopathy and cosmetics. Different types of stinging nettle are used for the production. If the leaves of the stinging nettle are dried, milled, boiled or watered, they lose their burning power and can be consumed without hesitation. The medicinal effects of stinging nettle have already been examined in several clinical studies.

Nettle tea: The most important things in brief

To make a healing nettle tea, harvest the young leaves of the nettle (Urtica dioica) before it blooms. Pour a pint of boiling water over a handful of fresh or 2 to 3 tablespoons of dried herb. Due to its diuretic and anti-inflammatory effect, the tea is mainly used for cystitis and urinary tract infections.

What are the effects of nettle tea?

The ingredients of the nettle, especially the flavonoids, have a draining (astringent) and antibacterial effect. Nettle tea is therefore primarily used to drain stored water from the body cells (e.g. after longer cortisone cures or for cellulite). The draining effect is also touted in the beauty industry for “purifying” and “detoxifying”. The increased urine production by stimulating the kidneys helps to get rid of toxins more quickly (e.g. after taking medication for a long time). Flushing therapies with nettle tea cleanse and strengthen the urinary tract thanks to the potassium it contains. A study has already shown that nettle extracts have a mitigating effect on the symptoms of an enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia).

A nettle tea cure can also have a desensitizing effect on hay fever and reduce itching and the urge to sneeze thanks to the histamine it contains. The vitamins (especially A and C) and trace elements contained in the nettle strengthen health and the immune system. The immune-boosting effect of the stinging nettle is even significantly higher than that of the well-known purple coneflower (Echinacea). And last but not least, herbal tea is not only healthy, but also a tasty, fresh food. The plant can be easily harvested in your own garden and processed in just a few simple steps.

Nettle tea: Tips for use

While a tea made from the roots of the stinging nettle is primarily used for prostate problems, an infusion made from the leaves has proven itself in the treatment of urinary tract diseases. The most important areas of application at a glance:

• Purification : Nettle tea is used internally to stimulate metabolism and flush toxins from the body. It is therefore often part of fasting and spring cures.
• Flushing the urinary tract : This home remedy can help against an emerging bladder infection and other urinary tract infections.
• Skin inflammation : The stinging nettle has also proven itself as a medicinal plant for skin problems. Pads with cloths soaked in cooled nettle tea relieve acne and skin irritation.
• Rheumatic complaints : The ingredients from stinging nettles have an anti-inflammatory effect and are said to relieve rheumatic pain.
• Hay fever : Drinking cures can have a desensitizing effect and reduce allergy symptoms such as itching and the urge to sneeze.

Make nettle tea yourself: Tips for harvesting

To make fresh nettle tea yourself, you can use both the fresh, young nettle herb and the dried one. For medicinal purposes, you should harvest the stinging nettle leaves shortly before they start flowering – between March and May is the ideal collection time. Be sure to wear gloves when harvesting to protect yourself from stinging hairs! For a spring cure with nettle tea, it is best to cut fresh nettle leaves every day. You can repeat the treatment in autumn, when the stinging nettles are growing fresh after the summer cut.

Tip: Herbs can be dried particularly gently, if you hang the shoots in bunches upside down in a dark, airy place. Alternatively, you can dry the nettle leaves on a gauze cloth. Store the dried herb in well-closed containers away from light until ready to use.

Prepare nettle tea: Here’s how

For a fresh nettle tea, pour 500 milliliters of boiling water over a handful of fresh, young nettle herb or two to three tablespoons of dried herb. Cover and let the tea steep for about three to five minutes and then strain the leaves. Refined with sugar or honey, the tea can be drunk hot or cold. If you don’t want to pick the nettle leaves yourself, you can also buy the dried herb in pharmacies.

How much nettle tea can you drink per day?

For nettle tea regimens, be sure to start with one cup a day and then slowly increase the amount. The maximum daily dose is 12 grams of nettle leaves – and a tea cure should not last longer than six weeks. If nettle tea is not consumed as a stimulant, but to promote health as a detoxification or urinary tract cure with up to three cups a day, you should also make sure that you drink enough water in the form of mineral water!

Nettle tea side effects

For sensitive individuals, drinking nettle tea can cause stomach upset. Allergy sufferers react with a rash and itching and should avoid the tea. And you should also avoid the tea if you have reduced heart or kidney function. Excessive consumption threatens dehydration.

During pregnancy, many women are looking for natural products to get rid of water retention in the tissues. However, the consumption of nettle tea during pregnancy is controversial. Both the possible side effects such as restlessness and muscle pain and the strong dehydration can have a negative effect on the development of the pregnancy. Most doctors therefore advise against consuming nettle tea during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Nettle tea FAQs

How many cups of nettle tea a day?

In order to be able to really benefit from the nettle tea effect, the dosage should be about two to three cups per day – in the case of rheumatic complaints even up to eight cups . You should also make sure that organic nettle leaves are used for the treatment.

How do you make fresh nettle tea?

For fresh nettle tea , either a handful of young leaves are used or two to three tablespoons of dried leaves are used. Pour half a liter of boiling water on the nettle leaves and let the tea steep for ten minutes.

How does nettle tea affect the body?

stimulates the metabolism and purifies. inhibits inflammatory processes, eg in rheumatism, due to the flavonoids it contains. has a diuretic effect and thus helps with cystitis. strengthens the immune system.

What happens if you drink nettle tea every day?

Drinking nettle tea stimulates the metabolism and strengthens connective tissue, as well as hair, nails and skin. Because the stinging nettle supplies the body with various plant substances, magnesium, potassium, silicon and vitamin C.

How do you harvest nettle correctly?

Gardening gloves are best. If you don’t have gloves at hand and aren’t afraid of touching the nettle and its burning hairs, you can proceed boldly without gloves. You should make sure that you pick the leaves from the bottom up.

When to collect nettles for tea?

The best time to harvest the youngest possible shoots of nettle is in April or May. In theory, you can harvest nettles once the plants have grown large and vigorous enough. This is usually between May and September, which is why this period is best for harvesting.

How long does dried nettle tea need to steep?

Pour 1/4 l of boiling water over a heaping tablespoon of dried nettle leaves and leave to stand for 10 minutes . You can also do a nettle tea cure, for example to detoxify. However, the tea should be drunk for at least 4 weeks, but not longer than 8 weeks.

Is nettle tea blood thinning?

Nettles and basil can thin the blood – research has shown. However, it was not the green leaf that was used here, but an aqueous extract, i.e. nettle or basil tea.

Can you drink nettle tea in the evening?

A stinging nettle tea is good for detoxifying the body, but due to its strong diuretic effect, it should be drunk throughout the day rather than just before going to bed . And in the evening, herbal teas made from naturally soothing herbs are particularly suitable.

Can you dehydrate with nettle tea?

Nettle tea has a draining effect , as it stimulates urine production and thus the cleaning of the kidneys. The tea is often recommended after a long intake of cortisone to help remove stored water.

What happens if you let nettle tea steep for too long?

Brewing tea for too long does not make you tired. The caffeine content of the tea continues to increase even with a long brewing time. Only its stimulating effect can be less strong than a tea that has only been steeped for a short time due to the increased tannin content.

How do I get rid of stinging nettles?

You can fight the plant permanently by mowing it with the brushcutter and then plowing the ground. You have to remove all the roots so that the nettle does not come back. Otherwise the nettle will sprout again from the root system.

How to dry nettle for tea?

• Hang up shoots in bundles and upside down, e.g. in the attic
• dry in a shaded and airy place
• alternatively dry on sieves or cloths
• never dry in the sun (fade, burn, lose active ingredients).

It is better not to hang up the roots to dry, but place them on a sieve in a dehydrator. Beforehand, they are cut into pieces of about 3 to 5 cm to speed up the drying process.

When can you cut nettles?

Care measures are actually not necessary in the case of the stinging nettle . Cutting back to the ground in summer promotes the formation of new shoots, so that you can harvest almost all year round.

Can nettle tea be harmful?

After drinking nettle tea from the leaves, the herb or the roots , allergic reactions such as skin irritation, itching, skin rashes and stomach irritation can occur in individual cases.

Can you get diarrhea from nettle tea?

In sensitive people , nettle tea can lead to gastrointestinal problems such as nausea, diarrhea and heartburn. In individual cases , the consumption of nettle tea can also cause allergic reactions.