Nettle juice is a natural health infusion for the entire body. It has nourishing, tonic, and revitalizing effects.
Studies have shown that nettle is an unexpectedly nutritious plant, being comparable in terms of proteins, fibers, and carbohydrates to cereals such as wheat or barley.
Nettle contains vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron, sodium, fatty acids, and antioxidants, such as carotenoids, phenolic compounds, and flavonoids.
Due to its rich nutritional content, nettles help increase the vitality of the body.
In ancient times, those suffering from arthritis or muscle paralysis would rub fresh nettles on their affected limbs.
Nettle stinging was an effective procedure for warming the joints and extremities. The plant produces a strong stimulating effect on circulation.
The ancient Egyptians also used nettle tea to alleviate joint pain and back pain (lumbago).
The use of nettle extract in rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatism, eczema, and allergic rhinitis is well documented.
If you suffer from rheumatic pain, muscle pain, lumbago, or sciatica, you can use nettle in the form of juice, ointment, tea, or extract.
If you cannot use nettles externally, you can do a cure with infusion or juice.
Nettle Juice Cure for Rheumatic, Joint, and Muscle Pain
For noticeable effects, nettle juice should be consumed in large quantities, about 2-3 glasses a day. Specifically, a cure can consist of 500-700 ml of nettle juice per day.
You can squeeze fresh nettles directly. However, you should know that the resulting juice is not very pleasant and can be hard to drink in concentrated form.
Therefore, it should be diluted with water and possibly flavored with lemon juice and sweetened with honey.
Another method would be to combine nettles with carrots and apples to obtain a more pleasant-tasting and much more nutritious juice.
For one handful of nettles, you can use one large carrot and one large apple.
What Benefits Does Nettle Juice Have?
You drink this juice for any kind of pain: back pain, shoulder pain, knee pain, spinal pain, muscle pain, menstrual pain.
Nettle juice has calming, anti-inflammatory, purifying, regenerating, and anti-anemic effects.
Moreover, it acts as a general internal healer. It boosts immunity against diseases and resistance to effort. It can prevent cardiovascular diseases and anemia.
Nettle juice helps not only in alleviating pain and reducing inflammation but also in cleansing the entire body after the winter period.
The plant is renowned for its purifying and regenerating effects, especially at the blood level.
It aids in detoxifying the liver and kidneys. Its purifying effects are also visible on the skin, which becomes clearer and healthier.
Preparations made from nettles help eliminate excess uric acid from the body. They are useful in gout, urinary infections, and edema.
How to Prepare Nettle Juice and Tea?
Nettle juice is very simple to prepare: the nettles are washed well, crushed in a blender or in a mortar and pestle, and taken in two tablespoons a day, either as is or in a little water or tea. Additionally, nettle tea can be used as a remedy: pour 250 ml of boiling water over a tablespoon of dried leaves or a tea bag, let it steep for 15 minutes covered, then strain and drink the tea as is or sweetened with a tablespoon of honey. You can drink 3 cups a day.
Precautions and Contraindications for Nettle
Nettles can be safely consumed when dried or cooked, but care must be taken when handling them raw for juice preparation. It is recommended to use protective gloves because the tiny hairs on nettle leaves can irritate the skin.
Handling nettles with bare hands will inject the skin with substances such as acetylcholine, histamine, serotonin, formic acid, and leukotrienes, which can cause itching, irritation, and welts. In rare cases, nettles can cause a severe allergic reaction that puts life at risk by triggering anaphylactic shock. If you are allergic to various substances, it is important to inform your allergist if you intend to take a nettle supplement or consume cooked nettles.
Pregnant women should not consume nettle juice or any other nettle-based preparations, as they can trigger uterine contractions, increasing the risk of miscarriage. It is also advisable for individuals undergoing treatment with blood-thinning medications, diabetes medications, antihypertensives, diuretics, or lithium to consult a doctor before trying nettle juice, nettle tea, or other nettle-based remedies.
