Recipes · Tonic
Nettle Leaf Infusion
Reader ratingsA dark-green, mineral-tasting overnight infusion of dried nettle leaf, the herbalist’s classic “nourishing” drink, served warm or over ice.
In European folk herbalism nettle is a spring tonic, and modern herbalists steep it overnight as a “nourishing infusion”.
Safety
- Wear gloves when handling fresh nettles, which sting on contact. Harvest only from clean areas away from roadsides and sprayed fields, and only if you can identify the plant with certainty.
- Nettle leaf may lower blood sugar and blood pressure and has a mild diuretic effect. Check with your clinician if you take diabetes medicines, blood-pressure medicines, diuretics or lithium. It is also rich in vitamin K, so tell your prescriber if you take warfarin and keep your intake steady.
- There is not enough safety data for pregnancy, and traditional herbals advise avoiding nettle leaf while pregnant. Ask your clinician first.
- Infusions steeped for hours are a good growth medium for bacteria. Steep in the refrigerator if you go past 4 hours, keep the drink cold, and discard it after 24 hours.
Why it’s good for you
Dried nettle leaf is traditionally prized as a mineral-rich green, and this long steep makes a dark, earthy, caffeine-free drink.
Evidence
Limited evidence
Mostly small, early, or laboratory studies.
The human trials mostly used leaf capsules or extracts rather than infusions. A 1990 randomized trial of freeze-dried nettle in 98 people with hay fever (69 completed) rated it better than placebo on global assessments but only slightly better on daily symptom diaries, and meta-analyses of 8 to 13 trials in type 2 diabetes found lower fasting glucose and a small drop in systolic blood pressure, with results that varied widely. Nettle’s reputation as a mineral-rich “nourishing” tea is traditional rather than trial-tested.
General information from research and traditional use — not medical advice, and not a treatment for any condition. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or managing a health condition, check with your clinician first, and seek care for symptoms that are severe or do not improve.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Put the nettle leaf in a clean quart jar or teapot. Pour in the boiling water, stir, and cover tightly.
- Steep for at least 4 hours at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator (up to 8 hours). The long steep makes a very dark green, mineral-tasting infusion.
- Strain through a fine sieve, pressing the leaves, and discard them.
- Drink 1 to 2 cups, warm or over ice, with lemon or mint if you like. Refrigerate the rest and finish it within 24 hours.
Tips
- Fresh nettles work too: use about 2 packed cups of tops, wear gloves, and steep the same way. Hot water, cooking and drying all remove the sting.
- The flavor is earthy and a little like seaweed tea. Lemon, mint or a splash of apple juice help.
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