In my garden some nettle came up by themselves. I found them the way I didn’t want to find them….ouch!!! I reached for the fork and dug them out with every intention of throwing them into the compost but my intuition told me to pot them or my pot told me to intuit them? I’ve always herd that they make a great tea that is very nutritious so today I found a tea preparation recipe from
http://www.susanemead.com/benefits-of-nettles.html ….
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How To Prepare Nettle Tea
1. Place 1 oz. of organic, dried nettles in a glass, quart-sized jar.
Canning jars work well for this, and it will be just under half-full of the nettles.
2. Pour just-boiled water (preferably without chlorine or fluoride) over the nettles, filling the jar all the way to the top.
Cap snugly, but not too tight.
3. Let it steep for 4 hours or overnight.
4. Strain the liquid out, squeezing any excess from the plant material, and store it in your refrigerator for up to 3 days.
5. Discard the left-over nettles in your compost or under your trees
and bushes–it will help them be healthy, too! Plus it’s a more
respectful way to
treat the plant than the garbage.
6.
Drink 1 cup to 1 quart daily, either iced or heated, depending on your
tastes. But try to avoid the microwave as it destroys nutrients.
I suggest starting
with 1-2 cups for the first few days, then 1 quart/day until you feel
great! At that time, 1-2 cups/day is usually sufficient for
maintenance. For those who have that mid-afternoon crash, try to drink
some of your nettle tea at 2-3 PM for a great pick-me-up.
Feel free to add a little honey or stevia (no sugar or artificial sweeteners) for flavor. Fellow
Herbalist Susun (yes that’s the right spelling) Weed says that even if you need
to add whiskey to enjoy the tea, it’s worth it! Some like the taste right away,
others acquire the taste for it within two weeks–especially when they see the
results!
After just 1-2 weeks of drinking a daily quart of nettle tea, you should notice a difference in the way you feel.
Sometimes you begin to feel better in as little as four days! Most people feel more energetic and sleep more soundly when
consuming this nutrient
powerhouse. And within a short time, you will likely see your hair
become shinier, nails stronger and skin more supple, as well!
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I’ll start this preparation before work today and see how I go in the next few weeks …. let you know my experimental findings…. I love being a real scientist …. : )
