Nettle-Tea.net

In my experience with nettle tea, I’ve often been asked what it tastes like. Many people are put-off by herbal teas and unfairly assume that they won’t like them. It’s sort of like offering a non-vegetarian a soy burger. That horrified look is usually the same one I get when I suggest someone drink nettle herbal tea.

If I’m able to convince them to give it a try, however, most people find nettle tastes quite pleasant. It reminds me a bit of hay, but with some honey and lemon, it’s very good and can even be enjoyed as iced nettle tea.
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The stinging nettle plant, and particularly nettle tea, has been used throughout history for healing and promoting health. Our ancestors knew the power this little herb held, and humans have always had a fascination for the plant. It has even been made the stuff of proverbs, most likely for its ability to both harm and heal.

“Though you stroke the nettle ever so kindly, and yet it will sting you.”

“He that handles a nettle tenderly is soonest stung.”

While it’s difficult to determine when nettle tea was first used, we can assume it was being administered as far back as the Bronze age, when the plant was also used to make cloth.
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Nettle tea has a pleasing taste all it’s own, but new-comers to the world of herbal tea may find the taste a little bland. It’s been compared to slightly bitter hay, in fact, but many people find it soothing. If you aren’t crazy about the taste of plain nettle tea, you can always add honey, or better yet – a little lemon and mint.

This nettle tea recipe yields one cup, but it can easily be doubled or tripled for larger batches. It can be served hot or cold, depending on your personal preference.
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Harvesting nettles is a bit of a pain, sometimes literally if you’re clumsy, but the fresh nettle tea that results makes it well-worth the effort.

Nettles are best harvested in spring, after flowering but before the plant seeds. After seeding, the chemical composition of the plant is changed, so make sure you time it just right.

Finding A Nettle Patch

You can harvest wild nettle plants if you don’t have them in your garden. Look for nettles growing in moist, partially-shaded woodland areas. The nettle plant thrives in most areas of the United States in roadsides, ditches, forests and fields. Consult a good herb field guide to help with identification.
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