Stinging Nettle Infusion Recipe

A healthy habit I’ve included in my natural lifestyle is to drink stinging nettle infusion. But hold on what? Stinging nettle?! That bothersome weed that you never can seem to get rid of in the garden?! Yes. I meant exactly that one!

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Stinging nettle is a nutritive herb full of minerals essential for a healthy body. By making an herbal infusion with this wonderful herb, all those healthy nutrients will be released in the water and become available for you to drink up so your body can use them.

I love that stinging nettle infusions are so simple to make and easy to implement in a healthy daily routine. Continue reading to learn more about stinging nettle, its health benefits and how to make stinging nettle infusion yourself!

What is Stinging Nettle Infusion?

Stinging nettle infusion is an herbal tonic made by infusing dried stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) in water for several hours. In the steeping process, the nettle will release many of its beneficial plant compounds and mineral content, making the water dark green.

You could say that an herbal infusion is like a very long steeped herbal tea. The difference between herbal tea and herbal infusion is the steeping time and amount of herbs you use in the process.

While tea steeps for about 5 minutes with a small amount of dried herbs, infusions steeps for about 5-12 hours and need a larger quantity of herbs. By steeping an herb in hot water for many hours gives the herb time to release all their nutrients, active ingredients and aromatic oils into the water.

The Benefits of Stinging Nettle Infusion

Stinging nettle is a very nutritive herb that is also generally safe to take for a longer time. It’s even safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Because of its high nutritive content, drinking nettle infusion comes with a lot of benefits for many people!

These are some of the benefits of drinking stinging nettle infusion.

1. High in micro nutrients

Nettle leaf is incredibly rich in nutrients. It’s high in minerals like calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, copper, potassium and manganese. It also contains vitamin A, C K & B-vitamins and other compounds like antioxidants.

Many of these micro nutrients are essential for our health because they play an important role in hundreds of bodily functions. For example, minerals are important for bone health, brain function and hormone production.

2. Anti-inflammatory properties

Stinging nettle has anti-inflammatory properties. It contains compounds that are able to reduce inflammation by blocking their production. Inflammation is often the root cause of many diseases. Therefore, drinking stinging nettle infusion will help against all sorts of inflammatory conditions and symptoms such as arthritis and joint pain.

3. Soothes pollen allergy

Stinging nettle has shown to soothe seasonal allergies. This by inhibiting the production of inflammatory compounds and by acting like a natural antihistamine.

4. Good for urinary tract health

Nettle has traditionally been used to treat urinary tract infections as it is a diuretic and has antimicrobial properties. Diuretic means that it helps reduce water build up in the body. Drinking nettle tea infusion results in your kidneys making more urine, which can then help flushing bacteria out.

5. Can lower blood pressure

Nettle has also traditionally been used to lower blood pressure. Firstly, it stimulates the production of nitric oxides in the body, which help relaxing the muscles of blood vessels making them dilate. This in turn making the blood flow more easily through the body and lowers blood pressure. 

Secondly, it has calcium channel blocking effects, which relaxes the contractions of the arteries and the heart and so lowers blood pressure.

Where to get Stinging Nettle?

Now that you know some benefits of drinking stinging nettle infusion, you probably wonder how you can get your hands on some!

You can either forage stinging nettle yourself or buy it in a local or online store. If you decide to buy it, make sure it is organic so it’s free from pesticides!

If you decide to forage stinging nettle yourself, make sure to harvest them away from car roads or other polluted areas. You can find stinging nettle anywhere in damp, disturbed and nutrient rich ground, such as in gardens, forests, meadows and along stream banks.

The best time to harvest stinging nettle is spring time when the plants are young and the leaves are fresh. Not only then are the plants most medicinal, but you will also find the taste much milder than that of older nettle plants. 

How to make Stinging Nettle Infusion

Making stinging nettle infusion is very simple. You only need two ingredients: dried or fresh stinging nettle and hot water. Simply boil some water and let it cool down to about 80°C/175°F. Then pour it over two handfuls of dried stinging nettle (double the amount if using fresh herbs) in a glass jar. Let it steep for 5-12 hours, preferably overnight so it’s ready to drink when you wake up!

Before you start making this nutritious herbal infusion, there are some things to keep in mind:

• • Use glass or another safe material like stainless steel to steep the infusion in. Do NOT use plastic as it can leach microplastics and toxins into the infusion!

• • Boil water in a stainless steel water boiler and not in a plastic or aluminum water boiler because it can pollute the water.

• • Don’t pour boiling water over your dried nettles. Let the water cool down to at least 80°C/175°F. As leaves and flowers are sensitive to high heat, boiling water can destroy some of the healing properties and actives ingredients.

Stinging Nettle Infusion Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 L water
• 2 handfuls dried stinging nettle (about 30g/1oz) 

Instructions

1. 1. Boil a liter of water and let it cool down to about 80°C/175°F. This is because when making infusion, the water shouldn’t be boiling hot because it can destroy some of the active ingredients.
   2. Take a mason jar and put about a handful or two of dried stinging nettle in it.
   3. Pour the 80°C/175°F water in the mason jar and let it steep for 8-12 hours, preferably over night.
   4. Strain the leaves away press out all remaining liquid and your left with your stinging nettle infusion! Drink it directly or store in the fridge for up to three days.

So that’s everything about stinging nettle infusion! I make a batch a few times a month and enjoy a glass of it almost daily.

You can also make your own infusion with other beneficial herbs like dandelion flowers, wild rose petals or chaga!

If you like these types of healthy homemade beverages, you should definitely try one of the following recipes!

• Soothing Golden milk recipe
• Homemade Kombucha recipe
• Healthy Chaga tea recipe
• Immune boosting ginger shot recipe

Links

• • 5 Herbs for Menstruation
  • Stinging nettles leaf (Urtica dioica L.): Extraordinary vegetable medicine
  • Randomized controlled trial of nettle sting for treatment of base-of-thumb pain
  • Plant extracts from stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), an antirheumatic remedy, inhibit the proinflammatory transcription factor NF-kappaB
  • Nettle extract (Urtica dioica) affects key receptors and enzymes associated with allergic rhinitis
  • Mechanisms underlying the antihypertensive properties of Urtica dioica