Nettle Tea: Recipe, Detox Claims and Safety

Nettle tea is a water infusion of stinging nettle leaves that takes about 2 hours 10 minutes to make and yields about 1 cup (240 mL).

What is nettle tea?

Nettle tea is made by steeping the leaves of the stinging nettle plant in water, then straining them out. It is one option among drinks often called herbal detox tea, although no tea is needed to detoxify the body.

This recipe uses dried, food-grade nettle leaf and a refrigerated steep to make a chilled drink. Use a product sold for tea rather than foraged nettle unless you can identify and handle the plant safely: fresh nettle can sting the skin.

How do you make nettle tea?

Prep and straining time: About 10 minutes
Refrigerated steep: 2 hours
Total time: About 2 hours 10 minutes
Yield: About 1 cup (240 mL)

Ingredients

• 1 cup (240 mL) water
• About 1 tablespoon, or 1/16 cup (2 g), dried, food-grade nettle leaf

Dried leaves vary in size, so a scale gives a more consistent measure than a spoon. Choose plain nettle leaf if you want an unsweetened drink without other herbs.

Instructions

1. Heat the water to a boil.
2. Place the dried nettle leaf in a heat-safe cup or small vessel and pour the water over it.
3. Let the mixture cool briefly until the vessel is safe to handle, then cover and refrigerate it promptly.
4. Steep in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
5. Strain out the leaves and serve the nettle tea chilled.

For another combination, use the AI detox recipe generator.

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Keep the tea refrigerated and drink it within 24 hours of preparation for best flavor. Discard it sooner if it becomes cloudy, slimy or sour-smelling; do not leave it at room temperature for more than a few hours.

What does nettle tea do for detox?

Nettle tea contributes water, which helps you stay hydrated. Hydration supports normal body functions, including the work of the organs that process and eliminate waste.

The liver and kidneys do most of the body's detoxification, while the lungs and gut also help eliminate waste. Sweat removes only trace amounts. There is no good evidence that nettle tea flushes toxins or makes these organs detoxify more effectively.

Nettle leaves contain nutrients, but values for cooked nettle leaves do not tell you how much of each nutrient ends up in strained nettle tea. The amount extracted can vary with the leaves and preparation. Read more about nettle tea benefits and the limits of the evidence.

How much nettle tea should you drink, and when?

The recipe makes about 1 cup (240 mL), a practical serving to try. There is no established, evidence-based amount of nettle tea for detox, and more is not necessarily better.

Drink it at a time that suits you, alongside your usual meals and fluids. If you find that it makes you urinate more often, you may prefer to have it earlier in the day. Do not use nettle tea in place of food, prescribed treatment or a medically recommended fluid plan.

What are the side effects of nettle tea?

Nettle tea may cause stomach upset in some people, and an allergic reaction is possible. Stop drinking it if you develop a reaction; seek urgent medical care for trouble breathing or swelling of the face, lips or throat.

Ask a clinician or pharmacist before using nettle tea if you take diuretics, lithium, blood pressure or diabetes medicines, or warfarin. Herbal preparations can vary, and possible interactions with nettle tea are not well established. Do not stop or change prescribed medication without medical advice.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, ask a clinician before using nettle tea because reliable safety information is limited. Check with a child's healthcare professional before giving it to a child, and seek individual advice if you have kidney or heart disease or have been told to restrict fluids. See the guide to nettle tea side effects for more detail.

Nettle tea FAQs

Does nettle tea contain caffeine?

Plain nettle leaf tea is naturally caffeine-free. Check the label of a blend, since other ingredients may contain caffeine.

Can you sweeten nettle tea?

Yes. Add a sweetener to taste after straining, bearing in mind that it can add calories to the drink.