- Do seasonal allergies plague you?
- Do you suffer from arthritis due to changing temperatures?
- Are you battling diabetes and/or high blood pressure?
If you answered yes, then Nettle tea is a perfect spring- time tea for you.
Chinook people have known for thousands of years the benefits of drinking nettle tea. Modern science and medicine are just now catching on to the many benefits of nettles. Several studies have been done to prove this traditional plant is full of vitamins, minerals and potent phytonutrients.
Nettles grow all over the Pacific Northwest and can be harvested for personal use. The Natural Resources and Food Sovereignty Committee recommends that you know the environment that you are gathering from. Make sure you aren’t gathering in an area high in pollutants. Harvesting near factories and lands managed by pesticides are not recommend- ed.
Nettles are gathered in the spring when the plant is young and before the stinging hairs have fully developed. Dry harvested nettles for making tea. If you cannot collect and dry your own herbs, you can purchase nettles in bulk at many health food stores and online.
We recommend making a large stove top batch, leftovers can be refrigerated and enjoyed for days. We also recommend using cold water, and simmering the leaves, rather than boiling. If you over boil, you can destroy the healing properties of the nettle.
