How to Drink Nettle Tea

Stinging nettle is thought of as weed when it appears in the lawn due to the tiny stinging hairs on the leaves of the plant. These stinging hairs disappear once the leaves are dried or cooked. Nettle can grow as tall as seven feet in the summer months. It is native to Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America. Nettle tea is a good source of potassium, calcium and beta-carotene. The tea also has properties that fight allergies and contains 16 amino acids - the building blocks of protein.

Things You'll Need

• Garden shears
• Thick garden gloves
• Bag or other container
• Kitchen gloves
• 1 tsp. of vinegar,optional

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Instructions

• 1

  Wear protective clothing when gathering stinging nettle.

  Cut the tips of leaves on new shoots of stinging nettle. The tips will have a less bitter taste. All parts of the nettle plant can be used to make tea - roots, leaves and flowers.Because it has so many beneficial properties, the plant is more difficult to locate. Herbalists recommend not digging up the entire plant for the root.

• 2

  Plunge the nettle leaves under lukewarm water in your kitchen sink. Add a teaspoon of vinegar to help clean any dirt, grime or pesticides. Rinse the leaves in fresh water, then lay out the leaves on paper towels or dishcloth to dry.

• 3

  Drinking tea is a healthy choice of beverage.

  Boil one cup of water and pour the water over four or five teaspoons of chopped nettle leaves. Dried leaves, flowers, or root can also be used to make the tea or a combination of any two.

• 4

  Allow the tea to steep for five to ten minutes. Strain the leaves from the tea and dispose of them. The tea will taste bitter, but adding a teaspoon of honey will not rob the tea of its benefits.