The rise of nettle tea

By Jeremy Dunning

June 16th, 2009
Posted in Health, Herbal Teas

The annual nettle eating contest in West Dorset may be a peculiarly English piece of whimsy, but the link between health and the “stinger” is well-known.

In the Dorset competition around 50 challengers are given two foot long stalks of stinging nettles and have one hour to eat as many leaves as possible. The winner is the person with the longest length of empty stalk.

This has mad Englishness written all over it but the history of eating stinging nettles or drinking nettle tea is long and has perfectly good health reasons.

Jeremy Dunning has been finding out what these are.

Growing numbers of consumers have been turning to nettle tea.

The evidence is that increasing numbers are looking for more natural remedies to help sustain good health.

The plant has antiseptic, antiparastic, astringent and antibacterial properties and can even be used as an analgesic.

It is excellent for stopping bleeding.  For a nosebleed, soak a cloth in a decoction of nettle and place it under the nose.  The tea can be drunk for the same purpose.

Nettle Tea can be taken to ease the symptoms of hayfever, rashes and other allergic reactions, including the effects of insect bites.

The drink can be gargled for a sore throat or as an astringent.  Externally, it is good for bruises (in the same way as witch hazel) and also for chicken pox.

Nettle Tea is often recommended for sufferers of gout and arthiritis, because it helps to reduce the levels of uric acid in the body.

Chronic rheumatism has been treated since Roman times by Urtication (flogging with nettles).

The sap can also be used to ease the pain of a nettle sting.

Nettle has long been used as a dietary supplement.  It contains large quantities of iron, Vitamins A and C, iron, potassium, calcium and magnesium and is recommended for people with anaemia (iron deficiency).

It is supposed to be very useful if you are suffering a hangover after over-indulging the night before, or if you have recently stopped smoking and want to cleanse your body of the poisons contained in cigarettes.

As with something that has so much good attached to it, there are warnings attached.

Pregnant women should not use nettle as it affects the menstrual cycle and could lead to miscarriage in extreme cases. Nettle may interfere with blood thinners, diabetes and heart medications, and lower blood pressure.

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Contact Jeremy Dunning at jemdunning@hotmail.com

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