Nettles for Allergies
Nettle is an amazing plant, not only is it a very versatile culinary plant but it has numerous medicinal properties.
Nettle is a Spring green and according to Western herbalist and Ayurvedic herbalism one purpose of eating bitter greens in early Spring is to help transition the body from hibernation/sedentary mode to more movement and activity mode in the Spring. Nettles is a great example of this. Keep in mind the nettle leaf and roots have different medicinal uses and in this post I'm focusing on the leaves. Nettles leaves have a high content of chlorophyll, hence the beautiful bright green leaves!! And chlorophyll is like caffeine to the cells--> it ramps up metabolism and helps wake up the body from hibernation. Nettles are packed with nutrients especially high in iron which can be hard to find in the plant kingdom and nettle leaves are surprisingly high in protein.
Win-win!
One downside to Spring is the millions who suffer from allergies...nettle to the rescue again! Nettle leaves are high in quercetin a natural antihistamine and nettles has a long history of being used to treat allergies. In fact it is one of my favorites for this time of year and often relief can happen in just a few short days without the mind dulling or sedative effects of antihistamines
Nettle leaves make a great tea if you do not like the Earthy taste then you can mix with mint leaves or linden to make a tasty tea. To extract the most minerals out of nettle leaves a cold infusion is best. This is fancy for saying leave the nettle leaves in room temp water overnight for brewing tea. In the morning the tea will be a deep green.
You can add honey or cut with another flavor tea and drink it up!
Fresh leaves 1/2 cup per quart of water and dried 1/4 cup/ QT will make a strong tea.