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How to Make Nettle Infusions to Heal your Adrenals, Support Better Nutrition, Improve Detoxification, and more!
Nettle leaf herbal infusions have been a staple in our nutritional plans for over 6 years now. When a person’s HTMA and symptoms match well with nettles, they tend to have such a huge shift in their symptoms. Nettle infusions are truly a miracle herb!
I call the nettle infusions the “shining star” for most people. They can help rather quickly for those dealing with fatigue, brain fog, frequent urination, insomnia, allergies (and thus histamine issues), liver detox, adrenal issues, and more. Let’s learn how to make Nettle infusions to heal your adrenals, support better nutrition, improve detoxification, and more.
Health Benefits of Nettle Infusions
Who knew an herb could have so many uses? Stinging Nettle infusions can truly be considered a cure-all. They help with adrenal health, kidney and liver detox, blood sugar regulation, hormonal health, they help increase milk supply for nursing mothers, they help prevent and treat anemia, and they are a natural anti-histamine.
Why are nettles so great for all of these ailments? They are full of calcium, magnesium, iron, B complex vitamins, C complex, vitamins A, D and K as well as protein, cobalt, trace minerals, potassium, iodine, boron, manganese, zinc, copper and sulphur.
Nettles actually help to release uric acid from the joints, making it a great remedy for arthritis as well. Nettles treat neurological disorders, congestion, joints/muscle pain, allergies, celiac’s disease, skin complaints, UTIs, and all women’s issues. They are also used for enlarged prostate glands, parasites, regulating blood pressure, goiter, Lupus, and they help to purify the blood.
Stinging nettles are a blood purifier. They were used in medieval times for gout, arthritis, anemia, eczema, to stimulate circulation, to increase milk supply, diuretic, kidney and bladder stones, and for inflammation of urinary tract. You can read even more about the benefits of nettles here.
Dried roots or root extract are especially helpful for enlarged prostate, uterine hemorrhage, heavy menstrual bleeding, and as an anti inflammatory.
What don’t stinging nettles do?! Nettle infusions are one of the most powerful foods you can add to your diet- the liquid that you get after steeping the nettles overnight contains the most bioavailable nutrients you’ll ever find. So why bother wasting $50 a month for multivitamin pills that may or may not be absorbed? A pound of dried nettles is around $15 and that will last you several months, especially if you make 2-3 quarts from the herbs.
Nettle Infusions are an Herbal Multivitamin
Most multivitamin supplements on the market are full of synthetic nutrients that are not very well absorbed. Nettle infusions are a MUCH better solution when you want to replenish many nutrients all at once. The thing about nutrition is that it’s not just about getting in high amounts of nutrients- it’s also about getting the proper co-factors that nutrients need so that they can be absorbed correctly. You will only find these essential co-factors in food forms and you get them in the proper balance. Food and herbs are so much easier for the body to utilize compared to pills.
You can get the recommended daily amount for many nutrients in 1 quart of nettle infusions. This makes them a cheap, effective, and delicious way to get in your nutrients. And the best part is that since it’s from natural source your body will know exactly how to utilize it all correctly, and there is less chance of a reaction compared to synthetic nutrients.
Nettles nourish the adrenals, liver and kidneys. Nettles are also perfect for pregnant and nursing woman suffering from adrenal fatigue because they are used for boosting milk supply and anemia. Many herbalists say that nettle infusions are better than multivitamins. The infusions are full of B vitamins, iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, sulfur, boron, and trace minerals.
If you want a real multivitamin, then look no further than nettle infusions. You can get a HUGE amount of nutrition just from this amazing green liquid. From this source:
- calcium (1000 mg per quart of infusion)
- magnesium (300 mg per quart of infusion)
- potassium (600 mg per quart of infusion)
- zinc (1.5 mg per quart of infusion)
- selenium (.7 mg per quart of infusion)
- iron (1.5 mg per quart of infusion)
- manganese (2.6 mg per quart of infusion)
- plus chromium, cobalt, phosphorus, copper, sulphur, silicon, and tin.
- Nettle is super-charged with vitamins:
- Vitamin A from {beta carotene}(5000 IU per quart of infusion)
- Vitamin B complex, especially thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folate
- Plus Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Vitamin K ”
- From my research, each quart of nettle infusions have about 3mg of BORON as well.
How to Make Nettle Infusions
Making infusions might seem daunting at first but I promise that they are super easy! Once you do it once, you’ll get the hang of it and get it done in 5 minutes from that moment on.
- Get some Mason Jars– 1 quart is best but you can use bigger ones for double batches.
- Heat up 1 quart of water to near boiling. As it’s heating up, add 1/4-1 whole cup of dried herbs to an empty quart Mason jar. Start on the lower end for the herbs if you are new to infusions so you can slowly increase the amount you are using.
- Add the water to the herbs in your jar. Put a lid on it and let it sit anywhere from 4 hours to overnight.
- Strain the herbs when you’re ready with a nice strainer like this. You can use the herbs for a second weaker batch or compost them! The weaker batch can be use for drinking, feeding plants, in a bath, or even as a hair rinse.
- Enjoy your infusion! Ideal amount would be 2-4 cups a day for adults (technically you’ll have just under 4 cups left depending on how much liquid your herbs absorbed). For most kids ages 1+, just 1-2 cups a day is great.
- If using 2 herbs at once, you can do ½ cup of each herb per quart of water and follow the same instructions above. If you don’t like the taste of them mixed, you can rotate them each day or every other day. Some prefer nettles for every day use and then use RRL starting about 5 days before menstruation starts and 2-3 days as it starts. You can definitely test it out to see what feels best for you.
Get 1 pound of Nettle Leaf here- Perfect for Infusions!
Do Nettle Infusions Have Side Effects?
For the most part, nettle infusions are relatively well tolerated. Since we have been able to work with many people over the years there are some times where nettles would not be indicated, or there should be other items used with it.
Some of my clients add sodium to their nettles as this is one of the few nutrients the infusions lack. Some take a pinch of salt before drinking their nettles or they add some salt water sole to it. This helps to keep Na/Mg/K balanced a bit. This helps prevent dizziness that can happen as a result of lowered sodium levels, which is one of the most common side effects we’ve seen reported with nettle infusions.
Nettles are one of the best things I see that help out with balancing a Ca/Mg/K imbalance. Even with high calcium on the HTMA, we can deal with calcium deficiency and bio-unavailability. Nettles are amazing at fixing calcium issues as they help to get calcium where it belongs. Since
Like most herbs, nettles are considered to be a drying herb. Using other herbs like marshmallow root or aloe vera can help with adding some moisture. Ginger is also a popular one to use to help with adding some warmth. Herbs are so amazing and it is awesome to get benefits from multiple herbs at once! Healthy fats are also essential for proper hydration as well, which is often an overlooked reason for dryness. Read this post for more clarification on this.
If nettles just don’t feel right for you, there are several other infusions you can try. Chickweed tends to be the next best one to go for if you don’t do well with nettles, but you can read my whole post on herbal infusions here.
Nettle Infusion Recipe Ideas
One of the very few complaints I hear about nettle infusions is the taste. They are very green and grassy tasting. Some people immediately love them and some find that they actually get used to them over time even if they don’t like them at first. But if you just cannot get the nettles down but really want the health benefits, then here are some suggestions you can try.
Many of these ideas came from my amazing Mavens in my Facebook group! They helped me to compile this list of ideas so that they would all be able to enjoy nettles the way they wanted to.
- Add 1/4 cup of cranberry juice per quart of nettles
- With warm with coconut milk (canned) and raw honey
- With Blueberry herbal tea and raw honey
- Lemon or lime squeezed in, splash of apple cider vinegar and some honey or maple syrup makes it lemonade-ish
- Mix with red raspberry or oatstraw (do 1/2 cup of 2 herbs in one quart of water)
- Some add molasses, maple syrup, or raw honey
- use in Kombucha brewing
- Use with dandelion tea or decoctions, like this recipe
- mixed with alfalfa then add juice like tart cherry then a splash of maple syrup and wedge of lemon and a ton of ice
- add anise seed, stevia leaf, and thyme
- “Bulletproof” nettles (for the really brave!): 8-12oz nettles warmed up, 2 raw eggs, 1 scoop Collagen, 2T coconut oil, 1T butter, 1T MCT oil, Ceylon cinnamon, Stevia, and and then Blend away
I hope that you can enjoy any herbal infusion that helps your health!
The body is a whole and we must treat it as such! I have my Bachelor of Science in Natural Health Sciences, certificates in Herbal Studies from Herbal Academy, and I am constantly learning more about health to help my clients and followers.
My goal is to help you unleash your own inner healer! You already hold the power to heal inside you. My role is as a guide to help you realize this potential.
Does the very hot water destroy the vitamin c content please?
Most sources I have read say that it’s just a trace amount of vitamin C, but not all of it will be destroyed. I wouldn’t rely on nettles for vitamin C though as there are many other better sources. https://www.sassyholistics.com/whole-food-vitamin-c/
If I cannot get my daughter to commit to the infusions, can you tell me how you feel about herbal tinctures? She does very well using these. Thank you.
Tinctures are great for the action of the herb, but they do not have the nutrient content that infusions do.
Thank you for all of this info.
What is RRL?
Red raspberry leaf 🙂
Do you store at room temperature or in the fridge ?
In the fridge 🙂
I have a major water retention issue (I avoid salt as much as I can). When I drink Nettle infusions, especially more than one cup, I drop inches around my waist really quickly (I am also 30 lbs over weight, even though I don’t eat processed food, refined grains or any that are inflammatory) Dropping waist inches from nettle considered normal?
Hey Amanda! Yes, nettles are really helpful for water retention, and they support the detox system which is usually what needs work when weight is a problem.
Can you please tell me how someone would “not feel right with this or not tolerate the nettle infusion?” Just trying to figure out if I should try it and what I should look out for if my body is not tolerating.
It’s mostly what I mentioned in the section about side effects- dizziness is a big sign of not tolerating nettles. Any increase in dry type symptoms as well- dry sinuses, dry skin, dry mouth. Some feel more fatigue or having an increase in bathroom trips (these last ones happen most often if starting too quickly with it though, not necessarily a bad reaction).
How much dry nettle leaf to equal the nutritional value you have listed in content above? The link to sage and honey page is no longer viable. Thank you!
That is what is in one full quart of nettle infusion: 1 cup dried nettle in 1 quart water.
Thanks for confirming.
hey there, thanks so much foryour information, i was just wondering if we can use fresh nettle for the infusions? we have stinging nettle every where in our garden and i use to infuse 3 fresh leaves to make a tea in spring time to help with hayfever. would this be ok? i too have a histamine intolerance
many thanks
Hi Ronda! I do think you can use fresh nettle, but the amount you use might be different. You could likely do a web search for “fresh nettle herbal infusion” to see if you can find that info.
Hi! I’ve been drinking maybe only 3/4 cups of my steeped nettles a day which I’m seeing is less than what I need, yes?
Also, when you say it’s a drying herb does that mean it could cause dry skin/hair? And adding marshmallow root would prevent that? If so, how much marshmallow root should I add?
Also, I’m curious for your thoughts on adding dried hibiscus to my nettles for steeping.
My current nettle ratio is 4 cups nettles and 12-14 cups water.
Thanks!
hey Sarah! Yes, that is a very low amount. Most need to drink more to see big benefits.
Yes, it could cause those dry symptoms so using a moistening herb can help. This only really applies if you already have a dry type constitution though and are prone to these issues.
Hibiscus could be great 🙂
So is this ok to do daily right? Also, I seen the comment above about vitamin C but seen nertle infusions listed on the site for vitamin C. So does that mean it would be sufficient or need to use another form?
For most people it’s ok for daily use. It really depends on what you’re dealing with. And I wouldn’t depend on nettles for vitamin C- citrus fruits are even better.
Where do I get the nettles? Somehow I missed that!!
Hey Sandy! There is a photo of nettle leaf that says “get nettles here” which goes to Frontier brand, one of our faves.