Love Drinking Tea? Try Nettle Tea for Better Health

Updated on January 21st, 2020
Benefits of nettle tea

Who does not love a hot cup of tea? The comfort beverage for a long time, a steaming hot cup of tea can get rid of the blues any day. What’s more? Tea has many natural antioxidants that cleanse your body. Nettle tea is a tea made from the leaves of the stinging nettle plant.

The ancient Egyptians used stinging nettle to treat arthritis and back pain, while Roman troops rubbed it on themselves to stay warm. The leaves of the stinging nettle provide a variety of nutrients, including vitamins A, C, and K, as well as several B vitamins.

Here Are the Benefits of Nettle Tea

1. Excellent Source of Nutrients

It contains minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium. There are fats such as linolenic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, and oleic acid. The tea contains all essential amino acids.

It contains polyphenols like Kaempferol, quercetin,caffeic acid, coumarins, and other flavonoids, and pigments like beta-carotene, lutein, luteoxanthin, and other carotenoids. Such antioxidants help defend your body from damage done by free radicals. One of the benefits of stinging nettle tea is that it may raise blood antioxidant levels(1).

2. Helps Reduce Inflammation

Tea for Inflammation
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Inflammation is the body’s way of healing itself, and fighting infections. Chronic inflammation, however, may cause significant harm. The stinging nettle has a number of compounds that may help reduce inflammation. In test-tube studies, stinging nettle reduced levels of multiple inflammatory hormones by interfering with their production(2). Stinging nettle tea may relieve inflammatory conditions like arthritis.

3. Treats Enlarged Prostate Symptoms

Commonly known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), an enlarged prostate might lead to significant discomfort during urination. According to some studies, nettle tea may help treat this BPH syndrome. According to animal research carried out, nettle may prevent the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone, which happens to be a more powerful form of testosterone. Stopping this conversion may help reduce prostate size(3).

[Read: Amazing Tea Facts]

Nettle tea may give you an energy boost, without the harmful effects of caffeine. You may benefit from nettle tea without suffering the side effects of caffeinated drinks. These side effects may also include anxiety, insomnia, and an increased heart rate. Drink nettle tea in the morning, and you may get a morning kick, without the fear of an energy crash in the afternoon, or sleep problems during bedtime.

5. Helps relieve Burns

burns
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According to a study published in the World Journal of Plastic Surgery, nettle tea extract may heal second-degree burns. Results indicate that nettle may speed up healing, making it a viable alternative for common treatments.

6. Gentle diuretic

Nettle tea has the properties of a regular cup of tea in terms of it being a diuretic. It helps flush away harmful toxins from your body and helps you feel good.

Hence, there are many nettle tea health benefits that make it an amazing beverage to add to your diet.

How to Use?

You may purchase nettle tea lose or in teabags. You may also grow and harvest the leaves yourself. If you have fresh leaves, you may decide the ratio of nettle to water. Generally, two cups of water for every one cup of leaves should do.

First, add water to the leaves. Then, bring the water to boil. Then turn off the stove, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Next, pour the mixture through a small strainer. Finally, add a bit of honey, cinnamon or stevia, if you so wish. You can take 2 to 4 cups of nettle tea in a day.

Myths and Side Effects

One of the most interesting myths is that nettle tea causes a rash. The nettle plant causes the rash only if you come in direct contact with it. Hence nettle tea is safe.  Some of the first time side effects include a mild stomach upset, fluid retention, and diarrhea. Also, nettle tea interacts with some medicines like blood thinners, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Nettle tea must not be used during pregnancy, as may trigger uterine contractions and preterm labor.

Kindly consult with your doctor before you drink nettle tea, if you happen to have any of these medications.

Nettle tea is a great natural diuretic. One of the benefits of stinging nettle tea is that it is a natural antioxidant. If you are a tea person looking for a switch from your regular brew, perhaps a bag of nettle teal might be your next purchase. Who knows, the nettle leaf tea may benefit you immensely.

[ Read: Jasmine Green Tea Benefits ]


FAQs

1. How to Make Stinging Nettle Tea?

Add the leaves to water, boil, and then add any other ingredients that you might wish.

2. Is Nettle Tea Good for Hair?

Thanks to its nourishing, diuretic, and anti-inflammatory properties, nettle tea may be a natural beautifier to skin and hair. Nettle tea for hair and skin may help clear acne and eczema, and encourage thicker, shinier and new hair growth.

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