Nettle tea: benefits and harms, recipes, reviews

Nettle tea is a vitamin healing drink, which is often used in herbal medicine due to its beneficial properties. It is used to get rid of various diseases, strengthen the immune system, lose weight and as a sedative. For greater effectiveness, the drink should be consumed in combination with other means, but to maintain the body in good shape, you can use it on its own.

Nettle tea is often used as a remedy for many diseases.

The composition and value of the drink

Nettle contains a lot of water (about 85%), as well as fiber, proteins, fats and carbohydrates. It includes representatives of B vitamins, folic and pantothenic acids, riboflavin, thiamine, pyridoxine, phytoncides and essential oils. From macroelements, the grass is enriched with magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, chlorine, calcium, from microelements: iron, selenium, manganese, copper, zinc. The seeds of the plant contain fatty oils and ascorbic acid. The roots are enriched with vitamin C. The burning hairs contain formic and other acids.

It is known that nettle tea is useful due to the presence of biologically active elements in the herb. For example, during heat treatment, the leaves of a plant secrete substances that reduce pain, in addition, they are considered a good natural pacemaker. The amino acids that make up the weed have a beneficial effect on protein metabolism.

Nettle has a high nutritional value, on par with legumes

Medicinal properties of nettle tea

The beneficial properties of nettle tea are very extensive. If there are no contraindications, a healing decoction can be taken by both women and men, and children from the age of six. The herb is a good anti-inflammatory and hemostatic agent. With its help, you can increase the level of hemoglobin, raise the number of red blood cells in the blood, increase the tone of the smooth muscles of the uterus. The plant is used for metabolic disorders, liver pathologies, anemia, tuberculosis, bladder diseases and hemorrhoids. Grass serves as a prevention of beriberi and atherosclerosis. Many say that it helps in the treatment of varicose veins.

Traditional medicine offers many recipes for tea, decoctions, nettle infusions, which have a diuretic, laxative, wound healing, anticonvulsant and expectorant effect. With the help of herbs, kidney and liver diseases, edema, gout, bronchial asthma, dropsy, bleeding, dysentery and constipation can be cured.

Benefits of nettle tea for women

Due to the content of phytoncides in nettles that suppress the reproduction of pathogens, tea from it helps to improve women’s health: it normalizes the cycle and hormonal levels, and has a positive effect on the functioning of the ovaries. It is known that such a drink contributes to the resistance of the nervous system to stress.

For many women, plant-based decoctions help to get rid of extra pounds, especially if the weight appears due to disturbances in the work of the endocrine glands.

Benefits of nettle tea for men

For men, the benefits of a drink that includes burning grass are as follows:

• increase in testosterone levels;
• improvement of spermatogenesis;
• increase in muscle mass gain;
• increase in potency.

Many men who regularly drink nettle tea claim that the drink improves their general condition, normalizes the digestive system, and eliminates pathologies in the urogenital area.

Experts say that the biologically active elements contained in the plant help restore hair growth in men, as well as prevent hair loss.

Can children drink nettle tea?

If the child is not prone to allergies to plants, then tea prepared on the basis of nettle will be very useful for the child’s body. The drink serves as an excellent immunomodulator and is able to increase resistance to infections and viruses. With frequent use, a healing decoction will enrich the growing body with iron, protect against anemia and improve health. During a cold, nettle tea will eliminate inflammation in the lower and upper respiratory tract, help get rid of cough.

In childhood, the drink can be consumed after reaching the age of six

Nettle tea recipes

There are many recipes for making tea from stinging nettle, and since the herb itself has a specific taste, it is most often used in combination with other plants and products. If you put the zest (slices) of an orange or lemon, a few currants, raspberries and cherry (cherry) leaves into the drink, then it will become much more aromatic and sweeter, it will acquire an interesting shade. Usually, fresh nettle leaves and stems are used to make tea, but especially thrifty housewives prepare the plant in a dry form. And they prepare a useful decoction based on it throughout the year.

from fresh leaves

Before making tea from nettle leaves, the plant should be prepared: place the raw materials in cold water for 10-15 minutes, wash thoroughly. Then put in a saucepan, pour water, bring to a boil and cook over low heat for a quarter of an hour. The strained broth is ready for use.

It is better to stock up on a plant in the forest, away from roads and industrial enterprises.

From dried leaves

During the preparation of tea from dry nettle leaves, raw materials must be infused so that all vitamins and nutrients have time to stand out from the plant. The recipe is better to use the following:

1. 6 art. l. Pour the herbs into a deep bowl.
2. Add 1 liter of boiling water.
3. Close the container tightly with a lid.
4. Leave on 20-30 minutes.
5. Strain through a sieve.

It is better to collect nettles for the purpose of harvesting in the fall, and it is important to ensure that all parts of the plant are free of damage and pests. The raw materials should be dried in a dry, protected from sunlight place for about one and a half months, then the grass should be rubbed and put away for storage.

Nettle tea with honey

If you add honey to nettle tea, it will turn out to be more tasty and will speed up the process of replenishing the body with useful substances. To prepare such a drink, fresh, washed grass (100 g) should be brewed in 0,5 liters of water, boiled for five minutes, allowed to cool slightly, add honey to taste. You can drink tea 100 ml four times a day.

with berries

Nettle tea will become even tastier and healthier if you add berries to it. They can be used fresh, dried or frozen. Sea buckthorn, cranberries, currants, raspberries and gooseberries are perfect for a drink. For three servings of tea you will need:

• nettle – 50 g;
• berries – 20 g;
• water – 0,8 l.

Stages of preparation:

1. Put the prepared herb into the teapot.
2. Pour berries on top (frozen ones should be thawed beforehand).
3. Bring water to a boil, pour into a container with a nettle-berry mixture.
4. Let it brew 10-15 minutes.

Berries in tea can be crushed to give juice

With rosehip

A drink made from burning grass with the addition of rose hips is an excellent way to strengthen the immune system. To prepare it, you should pour boiling water over the products, 3 tbsp. l. everyone, put on fire. After boiling, cover the container and let the broth brew for several hours.

with spices

Spiced nettle tea is especially beneficial for breastfeeding women. It helps to increase lactation and restore the body after childbirth. To prepare such a drink, mix nettle, fennel seeds and anise in a teaspoon. Pour the collection with a glass of boiling water and leave for 60 minutes. Strain the liquid, divide into three parts, take during the day between meals.

With herbs

Tea from nettle and chamomile and other herbs gives an excellent effect in the treatment of various ailments:

• with St. John’s wort – relieves coughing attacks, cleanses the lungs;
• with lemon balm – relieves stress;
• with chamomile – soothes;
• with mint – refreshing.

Brew medicinal tea under the power of each person. To do this, pour 100 g of herbs into 500 ml of boiling water, soak for 10 minutes under a tightly closed lid.

For losing weight

Prickly grass is a choleretic and diuretic, so nettle tea is used for weight loss. Due to the abundance of useful components, the weed is able to cleanse the body of toxins and excess fluid, which helps to reduce body weight. In addition, nettle improves the functioning of the intestines, normalizes metabolism, lowers blood glucose levels and has a mild laxative effect.

To make tea for weight loss, you will need:

• fresh nettle – 50 g;
• lemon juice – 15 g;
• water – 250 ml.

Cooking process:

1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Dip the prepared grass into it.
3. Let it boil for 5 minutes.
4. Add lemon juice to warm tea.

Nettle leaves help reduce hunger

How to drink nettle tea

Reviews about the benefits of nettle tea are numerous, and the herb can only cause harm if it is used incorrectly. Therefore, it is important to drink the drink in the recommended dosages and subject to the indications. It is usually advised to take one cup three times a day 20 minutes before meals, or according to the following instructions:

1. To purify the blood during intoxication, nettle tea is infused for an hour, consumed before meals, 100 ml each.
2. With beriberi, the drink is drunk 50 ml five times a day half an hour before meals.
3. Nettle seed tea with honey is useful for coughing. It is consumed several times a day, one cup.
4. For the treatment of stomach ulcers, an infused decoction of dried nettle is used. It should be drunk in small sips.
5. Tea from 7 g of nettle raw materials diluted in a glass of boiling water will help to cope with anemia. This remedy is taken three times a day, 30 ml.

Limitations and contraindications

A contraindication for drinking nettle tea is the presence of diseases:

• thrombophlebitis;
• atherosclerosis;
• heart failure;
• polyps and cysts in the uterus;
• high blood pressure;
• allergy.

To achieve a positive effect, it is important to remember not only the benefits of nettle tea, but also the dangers, especially if you use it without observing the dosage. It is undesirable to drink the drink in the summer, because due to the diuretic effect, dehydration of the body can occur. Caution should be treated with nettle for people with high blood clotting.

You should consult your doctor before drinking nettle tea.

Conclusion

Nettle tea is a remedy that supplies the body with nutrients and vitamins. The drink is a source of youth and good mood, helps to restore strength and overcome fatigue, tones, saturates with energy given by nature.

But it should be understood that nettle tea cannot become a full-fledged medicine and should be used in conjunction with pharmaceutical preparations. Consult a specialist for advice on its use.