Herbal Infusions

If you are new to using herbs for your health, I have a great way for you to get started: herbal infusions.
Basically, an infusion is like a very strong tea that you drink daily for its health benefits. By letting the herbs steep for 5 to 12 hours, you draw most of the vitamins and minerals out, giving you something akin to a natural vitamin supplement. The great thing about this type of supplement, however, is that it is much more easily assimilated than synthetic vitamins.




Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)

  
In my humble opinion, the best herb to use to begin your journey into herbal infusions is stinging nettle. ( Urtica dioica ) Maybe you have accidentally run into this plant. You will surely know if you did, because it has a nasty sting. You may rest assured, however, that when cooked or dried the sting is no longer present. (Incidentally, the juice from the plant is said to counteract the sting.) If you are sure that there are no pesticides used in the area, you can harvest your own. If you can't find any growing wild, or simply don't want to attempt to harvest it, you can buy it at most herb stores. I buy mine at Mountain Rose Herbs .
An infusion of nettles can restore energy, and long term daily use can help combat allergies, hay fever, and Epstein-Barr virus.  It also acts a an kidney and adrenal tonic, improves digestion, and strengthens the respiratory system. On top of all of this, it is also beneficial to your hair and skin.
Mineral-wise, nettle has an incredible amount of calcium and magnesium. It is also very high in chromium and zinc. Other vitamins and minerals that are abundant in nettle are cobalt, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, protein, riboflavin, selenium, (which is showing itself to be importaint in cancer prevention) thiamine, vitamin A and vitamin C. Whew! That's quite a list. Who would have thought that annoying weed in your back yard was actually a nutritional power house.

you can also eat your medicine - how about nettle fritters?

Making an infusion is very simple. Take about 1 ounce of nettle and add it to 1 quart of boiling water.  Stir your infusion to make sure all the herb is submerged. Keep your infusion covered on the counter for at least 4 hours - I try to leave mine overnight. When its ready to drink, just strain out the herbs and you're all set. Drink at least one cup a day, though the whole quart would be ideal. Now, I would be remiss if I did not tell you that the first time you have nettle infusion you may....well....think it's so gross you want to puke. It's very good for you, but the taste leaves something to be desired.  Rest assured that for most people it becomes more bearable the more you drink it, and some people actually end up thinking it tastes good. I'm afraid I'm not one of the latter - but I don't think its as bad as I used to. Someone suggested to me that I eat  it with a piece of chocolate, that definitely helped. Another good idea is to add mint leaves in with the nettle leaves to cover the taste.
One more word of warning. Nettle is a diuretic, so if you tend to be a "dry" person, you may find it too drying. If this is the case, you can add marshmallow root or slippery elm to the mix.  Nettle can also be cooling, so some people like to add a slice or two of ginger. Whatever way you drink it, you are sure to reap its many benefits and will find your daily infusion to be a worthwhile habit indeed.



All pictures via Bing Images