How to Make Nettle Tea (Perfect for Indoor and Seasonal Allergies!)

Looking for natural allergy relief from your seasonal or indoor allergies? Nettle tea might be the answer! Keep reading to see how stinging nettle tea can help with allergies, plus learn how to make my favorite stinging nettle tea recipe that actually tastes good!

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Whether you have indoor allergies or outdoor allergies, one thing is certain: allergy symptoms suck.

Between the itchy eyes, runny nose, and constant sneezing, it can be hard to get anything done, much less actually enjoy your life.

I’ve struggled with severe indoor allergies for years (both dust and pet dander), and one of the ways I help manage it is by drinking nettle tea every day. While I do still need some over-the-counter medications to help me deal with my pet dander allergy (oh the things we endure to keep our fur babies!), I would be a sneezy, sniffly mess without my nettle tea.

For me, nettle tea picks up where my other medicines fall short. For other people, though, nettle tea is all they need.

So if you’re struggling with allergies, then give nettle tea a try! You might find that it works well enough that you don’t need anything else.

In this post, I’ll tell you all about stinging nettle and how to make my very favorite blend of nettle tea. I’ve also included a demonstration video, written instructions, and a printable recipe which you can find at the end of this article.

Let’s get started!

Stinging Nettle Tea for Allergies: What You Need to Know

Before we get to the recipe, there are some things you need to know about nettle tea for allergies.

Does nettle tea Really help with allergies?

Yes, nettle tea can absolutely help with allergies!

Since nettle leaves have anti-inflammatory properties and act as an antihistamine, nettle tea offers relief from sneezing, runny nose, watery and itchy eyes, and other allergy symptoms (Source 1, Source 2).

In my personal experience, nettle tea helps me deal with severe indoor allergies. We’re talking dust and cat dander. While I’ve never suffered from outdoor allergies, I do have a friend who swears by nettle leaves when her outdoor allergies flare up each spring.

How often should you drink nettle tea?

I drink nettle tea in the morning and evening, usually about 6 ounces each time. Twice a day is what I need to control my allergies, but my mom has had great success only drinking one cup once per day.

It really all depends on how severe your allergies are. You can try starting out with one cup per day to see if that’s enough to get relief from your allergies. If you still have allergy symptoms, you can try drinking nettle tea twice a day like I do.

Where can you buy nettle leaves?

You can buy nettle leaves (urtica dioica) from Amazon.com, MountainRoseHerbs.com, or any other reputable herb shop. Your local health food store might also carry nettle leaves.

I typically prefer to buy organic nettle leaves, but you can buy conventionally-grown nettle leaves if you like.

How long will a bag of nettle leaves last?

A one-pound bag of dried nettle leaves usually lasts me about 6 months, and that’s with me making a batch of nettle tea every 5 days.

What does nettle tea taste like?

Straight nettle tea has a strong earthy flavor that’s a bit on the salty side. I personally don’t like drinking it straight, but I did drink it that way for about a year before I came up with the recipe here. My new recipe lets me enjoy the tea without having to add any sweeteners to it.

Nettle Tea Demonstration

You can watch me make nettle tea in this video:

How to Make Stinging Nettle Tea

It’s really easy to make stinging nettle tea. I’ve tried a couple different recipes over the years, and this is the one that I think tastes the best. This recipe combines earthy nettle tea with a fruity tea and freshly squeezed lemon juice for a zingy tea that’s as refreshing as it is beneficial!

Supplies

• Kettle or pot
• (2) quart-sized mason jars
• 2-quart pitcher
• Lemon squeezer
• Nut milk bag (can also use muslin cloth or a fine mesh strainer)

INGredients

• 2/3 cup stinging nettle leaves
• 4 Celestial Seasonings Wild Berry Zinger tea bags
• 1 lemon, juiced (or about 3 Tbsp. lemon juice)
• 8 cups filtered water

Instructions

1. Bring 8 cups of filtered water to a boil in a kettle or pot. Once the water boils, set it aside to cool for about 5 minutes so it isn’t too hot for your glass jars.

2. Put 2/3 cup nettle leaves into one of the quart mason jars and 4 Wild Berry Zinger tea bags into the other one.

3. Pour about a cup of hot (not boiling) water into each of the jars and swirl the jars to soak the tea leaves before filling the rest of the way. Place a lid partially over the jars so the steam can escape.

4. Steep the Wild Berry Zinger tea bags for 6 minutes. Remove the tea bags and leave the jar on the counter to cool to room temperature before placing in the refrigerator.

5. Let the nettle tea leaves steep on the kitchen counter anywhere from 8 hours to overnight.

6. Place a nut milk bag or muslin cloth over the rim of a 2-quart pitcher and strain the nettle tea into the pitcher through the cloth to catch the tiny pieces of tea leaves. You can then gather the bag/cloth and gently squeeze the excess tea from the leaves, but don’t squeeze too hard. Excessive squeezing releases the bitter tannins and makes the tea taste bitter.

7. Pour the Wild Berry Zinger tea into the 2-quart pitcher with the nettle tea and add the lemon juice. If the tea doesn’t reach the 2-quart line, add enough filtered water to make 2 full quarts. Stir well and refrigerate.

Recipe Notes

I like to drink 6 ounces of nettle tea in the morning and another 6 ounces in the evening every single day. This is enough to keep my allergies at bay. You may need to drink more or less than this depending on how severe your allergies are.

Be sure to drink your nettle tea within 5 days. I can usually finish a batch well within that time frame. However, if you don’t think you’ll drink that much, you can always make a smaller batch.

Printable Recipe for Refreshing Nettle Tea

Here’s a printable version of the nettle tea recipe that you can print and keep for easy reference:

Nettle Capsules for Allergies: An Alternative to Nettle Tea

I’m a huge fan of stinging nettle tea for allergies because it’s a cost-effective solution that also happens to be a tasty beverage.

However, if you don’t have time to brew your own nettle tea or if you need a simpler alternative for travel, you can buy nettle capsules. I like the Solaray brand, and even though the bottle recommends two capsules twice per day, I can usually get away with one capsule in the morning and another in the evening.

Final Thoughts on Using Nettle Tea for Indoor and Seasonal Allergies

Stinging nettle leaves have fantastic anti-inflammatory and antihistamine properties, so nettle tea is a wonderful way to get natural allergy relief from your indoor or seasonal allergies.

Give it a try and see if you can tell a difference!

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How to Make Nettle Tea (Perfect for Indoor and Seasonal Allergies!)