Nettle Tea for Health & Beauty

With the advanced medical technology we have available to us today, it’s no wonder there’s been a revolution in skincare. New skincare inventions are created every day, patented, and sold. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing—we do love a good, fancy skincare product—it’s also good to remember the basics.

Enter: nettle leaf tea.

Stinging nettle aka Urtica dioica is found in every US state except Hawaii. Worldwide, it’s indigenous to northern Africa, North America, Asia, and Europe. It tends to gravitate towards areas with high annual rainfall, but still, this plant is tough enough to grow anywhere. Lucky for us, because its benefits are almost innumerable.

In traditional Native American cultures, stinging nettle is used most often in storytelling as a form of comic relief (here you can envision a bumbling tourist falling into a stinging nettle plant—ouch). The plant itself must be boiled before it’s safe to consume, but the unaltered plant was sometimes used in some ceremonies and rituals as a form of strength. Energetically, stinging nettle is thought to symbolize boundaries and protection.

In more mainstream uses, many research studies have confirmed the therapeutic benefits of nettle, which we’ll talk more about. However, as a warning: stinging nettle must be properly processed before it can be consumer, or it may cause itching, burning, and swelling. If you’re out on a hike and see the plant, keep your distance, unless you know you can properly harvest it (and are allowed to do so).

High Vitamin Content

One of the most widespread therapeutic benefits of nettle is the high nutrient content. Stinging nettle is particularly high in iron, and, combined with its high levels of vitamins A, C, K, and B, it’s basically a catch-all for getting an extra dose of feel-good nutrients. Nettle also happens to be chock full of calcium and magnesium, which are two minerals Americans tend to be deficient in.

Easing Inflammation & Wound Healing

Stinging nettle is widely known for its incredibly anti-inflammatory benefits. Several studies show that by ingesting nettle, inflammatory markers are greatly reduced. This includes issues like arthritis and other forms of chronic inflammation. Many skincare ailments are a form of inflammation—think acne—so reducing inflammation internally and externally is one of the best steps you can take.

Nettle has often been used topically for wound healing and is especially well-known for easing burns. Although in this blog we’re mainly discussing nettle used internally as a tea, it’s also safe to use the tea on your skin once it’s cooled. The topical usage will help support whatever results you’re trying to achieve, since most problems are rooted in an inside-out issue. In other words: if you have an issue like acne or eczema, not only will drinking nettle tea regularly potentially heal these issues, applying it topical may bring you faster relief and quick results.

Liver Health

Stinging nettle is well-known as a liver detoxifier. This means that it helps support the liver’s natural cleansing process. In particular, it aids the liver with its natural antioxidant properties that help clear toxins, heavy metals, and chronic inflammation. While this alone is reason enough to drink nettle tea, liver health has been linked to skin health.

When the liver is sluggish or inefficient, the toxins and fats it’s supposed to be processing build up in your body. The body’s response is to attempt to eliminate these toxins by flushing them out through other systems, like through the skin. Often, when these contaminants pass through the skin, they irritate it. Conversely, the body will attempt to use the unprocessed fats your liver is unable to detox by using them as sebum (created by the oil-producing glands in your skin). This can disturb the natural balance of your skin because these fats are not “clean”; they contain inflammatory toxins. Ultimately, an unhealthy liver usually leads to a dull complexion, dry, itchy skin, and acne. 

Here’s When You Shouldn’t Use Nettle

Nettle is considered very safe, but there are a few contraindications for it. Namely, you need to be careful if you take any diuretic medications, as nettle is naturally a diuretic, and combing it with a diuretic medication could cause you to become severely dehydrated.

You should always check with a healthcare specialist before you start taking any new supplements or herbs, but you should especially check with your doctor if you take any of the following:

·      Lithium

·      Diabetes medication

·      Diuretics

·      Blood pressure medication

·      Blood thinners

Here’s How to Use It

Nettle is amazingly simply to use. Simply steep dried leaves in almost-boiling water for five minutes. Take care not to steep the tea longer than five minutes, as it will make the tea extremely bitter. If you’d like, you can add dried hibiscus to the nettle leaves in a 1:2 ratio to add a bright, citrus flavor to your tea. You can also add stevia, honey, or agave nectar for a bit of sweetness. For the best results, drink one cup a day. As always, check with your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. Herbs can cause allergic reactions and interact with medications, so it’s best to check with a healthcare practitioner if you have any medical concerns or health conditions.

Otherwise, enjoy!

The author of this blog, Layla Hanson, is a writer and project manager for Infinity Aesthetics, specializing in holistic media production. You can see her popping in and out of the office from time to time to snap photos for our Instagram and website. Feel free to say hi and offer to pose for a picture!