Nettle infusion for energy and nourishment
tammy March 5th, 2007
Need an energy pick-me-up? Try Nettles! Susun Weed, my very first herbal mentor, says that nettle infusion is an excellent nourisher of the kidneys and adrenals and will banish water retention so it doesn’t return. I’ve read that it is also an excellent uterine tonic — with regular use it will banish PMS, reduce heavy bleeding, and eliminate cramps! Wow. Nettles is a nourishing herb, which means it can be taken like food, every day if necessary. It contains tons of vitamins and minerals and is just good for you, like any deep green vegetable. Instructions for making an infusion are at the bottom of this page.
I have personally tried nettle infusion as a tonic, and I can attest to the fact that it did increase my energy and caused the swelling from retained fluid in my ankles to go down, almost immediately. However, I really did not like the taste of nettles and so did not continue drinking it long enough to experience some of the long term effects. It has a very earthy aroma and taste, very “loamy.” It is deep dark green like spinach broth. Even though I felt immediately wonderful when I drank it, getting it down the hatch was something I had to make myself do. Consequently, I have tended to avoid it since that first attempt.
Recently, however, I decided to give it another try. The benefits of such a concentrated, low calorie source of nourishment really do seem to outweigh my aversion to its taste. This time when I made it, it tasted soooo much better! Many natural healers and herbalists advocate the idea that if something doesn’t taste good to you, that maybe you should listen to your body and not have it. I think the body is very wise in knowing what it needs and that there is a lot of truth to that approach. Since I loved it so much this time and I couldn’t drink enough of it, maybe this was the right time for me. I have decided to continue with it for a while to see what long term benefits come of it. Besides my body wisdom, I think another reason it tasted better was because the dried herb I used this time was much fresher than what I had used initially. More on that near the end of this post.
I also started my husband on nettle infusion at the same time as me. In fact, my trying to help him is what inspired me to give it another go in the first place. My husband is a diabetic, and has also been experience a lot of anxiety attacks lately. I have read that anxiety with no real environmental danger could be a sign that the adrenal glands are stressed. Since he is a diabetic, I know that one of the complications of that condition can be stressed kidneys, and since the adrenals are so near to and work so closely with the kidneys, nettles came to mind as the perfect nourishment he might be needing. He is on pharmaceuticals for his diabetes, but any nourishment he takes in addition to that can only help and not hurt. Nettles is a nourishing herb and there are no side effects when you use nourishing herbs. It is just as safe as eating spinach for dinner.
As I mentioned earlier, the dried herb I used with this batch was very fresh and fragrant — much different from the stuff I got at the whole foods store when I first began experimenting with nettles about a year ago. This batch was from Mountain Rose Herbs, www.mountainroseherbs.com. I also bought a lot of other herbs from them that I use regularly, and they are all of such excellent quality! I think that unless I am able to harvest and dry my own herbs, I will get all my herbs exclusively from Moutain Rose in the future. I just love them!
How to make nettle infusion
Put one handful of dried nettle in a quart jar, pour boiling water over, stir, and pour again to fill the jar. Cover tightly and let sit for 4-8 hours. Pour the infusion through a strainer to filter out the herb. Drink the liquid freely, either hot or cold, but be sure to use it up within a couple of days, or it may spoil. If it bubbles or smells funny, it is probably spoiled. Give the spent herb back to mother earth — just sprinkle it around in your garden or yard. Use spoiled infusion to water your house plants. It makes an excellent fertilizer.
Variations:
- Add peppermint to the brew. Gives a pleasant minty taste! This is my favorite way.
- Some like to mix the infusion 1/2 and 1/2 with juice
- Some add salt and/or miso, to make it taste more like a spinach broth
- Others add honey and/ or cinnamon
- Try your own variations!
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[...] written before about how much energy you can get from drinking nettle infusions, but I don’t think I mentioned what a great replacement this and other nourishing infusions [...]