Best nettle teas and the benefits explained

Stinging nettles once served as a death knell for playtime.

If you accidentally found yourself wading through a brush of seemingly harmless shrubbery to retrieve a ball and exited with painful, red welts on your calves and thighs – off you went to the school nurse for a glass of water and, if you were lucky, some numbing ointment. Foiled by the nettles once again. So, how could something that we avoided like the plague as children have positive health effects when brewed into tea?

Stinging nettle, or Urtica dioica, is a shrub native to northern Europe and Asia with characteristic heart-shaped leaves which taper to a point and green or cream flowers which form in clusters. The leaves are covered in microscopic, stiff hairs which release a painful stinging chemical when they come into contact with skin.

For centuries, ancient medicinal practices have made use of the humble plant to treat everything from joint and muscle pain to eczema, arthritis, gout and anaemia as well as issues pertaining to the urinary tract and oedema. In traditional Chinese medicine, stinging nettle (Xun Ma) is associated with the liver and is said to smooth digestion and kill parasites. In Western herbalism, it’s most commonly used to treat allergies and hay fever.

According to the White Rabbit Institute of Healing, in Ancient Greece stinging nettle was used as both a diuretic and laxative. In ancient folklore, it was deemed a powerful plant which could break curses and jinxes. The Wild Swans is a prime example, with the heroine of the fairy tale having to weave shirts from nettles to save her brothers from a curse that had transformed them into swans.

Aside from the numerous ancient medicinal benefits, nettles contain lots of vitamins and minerals which help to support strong and healthy bones – including calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc and vitamin K (which also supports blood clotting).

Earthy and somewhat grassy with sweet undertones, some have compared the taste of nettle to that of spinach or seaweed. Nettle tea is also entirely caffeine-free.

Don’t fear the sting when enjoying a steaming cup of nettle tea. It’s perfectly safe to drink, as the stinging chemical dissipates with the heat of boiling water. Like everything, be sure to drink nettle tea in moderation. While it’s recommended to help clear urinary dysfunction and infection, it can sometimes have laxative effects.

We’ve rounded up a selection of the eight best nettle teas to try.