We know the benefits of drinking water, so why not up your hydration game with additional nutrients and drink herbal tea infusions instead of plain old H20? With a little planning, you can take your water intake to the next level with very little effort. One of my staples is an herbal tea blend that will help strengthen your hair and nails and encourage growth thanks to nutrient dense nettle. Here’s the scoop…
Stinging nettle is an abundant and nourishing herb that has been used as food and medicine for centuries. Nettle tea is known for its high mineral content, which supports healthy hair, nails and skin among other things. Infusing dried nettle leaves in water for a number of hours is one of the easiest ways to benefit from this traditional plant medicine.
Stinging nettle is teeming with vitamins, minerals, and trace minerals along with potent phytonutrients like chlorophyll and carotenoids. More than 100 chemical components have been identified in nettle, including the minerals iron, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper as well as the vitamins A, C, K, and B. Phytonutrients include chlorophyll, beta-carotene, lutein, quercetin, and more—all of which are incredible for hair, nails and skin. The benefits of nettles go well beyond the surface, however. Nettles have antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal effects as well as powerful antioxidant abilities that decrease oxidative stress in the body. Nettle’s analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties make it an effective pain reliever and arthritis treatment. If you have allergies, consistently drinking nettle tea is one of the most effective natural remedies available.
With so much to love about nettles, let’s get started on that tea blend! A general guideline for making mineral-rich infusions with herbs like nettle is to use about a heaping tablespoon of dried herb per eight ounces water. The infusion should be covered and steeped for a minimum of a few hours or up to ten, allowing it to come to room temperature before straining and refrigerating. The long steeping time allows for a more nutrient-dense tea, while the hot water and the cool water pull out different constituents from the herbs. To add flavor and additional benefits, I add mint to my nettle tea blend. Rose is a nice touch, too.
Before I go to bed, I make the following blend in a mason jar and let it steep on the countertop overnight. In the morning I strain the tea and refrigerate for all-day drinking. Here’s how to make yours…
- Add 2 heaping tablespoons of dried stinging nettles and 1 heaping tablespoon of dried mint to a clean mason jar.
- Add 24 ounces of boiling water to the mason jar, stir the loose tea leaves and cover the jar. Allow the tea to steep overnight or at least 4 hours.
- Strain the leaves and refrigerate your herbal infusion. Sip all day and enjoy. Cut with cold water or ice if the flavor is too strong.
Do you drink nettle tea? Have you noticed the benefits?
I drink tisanes every day and formulate my own. Nettles are a component of my high-calcium tea which I drink daily … being an organic vegan I rely on herbs to fill in some of my calcium. Can also take a nettles tincture.
Nettles’ flavor is mild so I add it to a lot of cooking and my green tea but usually I mix in a teaspoon in 1/4 cup cottage cheese and crunch away. I started it for inflammation and general health several months ago and got back online to see if it might be why my nails quit tearing and remain long and strong. I also add powdered ginger to my water often starting from about the same time so maybe it’s a combo effect. Some things that actually work!