It’s nettle season, and we shouldn’t miss out on these beneficial weeds! They have preventive and curative properties and deserve a place in our spring menu.
If you don’t like the intense iron taste of nettles, you can prepare them as a sweet syrup.
What Benefits Do Nettles Bring Us
Nettles are both food and medicine. They have detoxifying, purifying, tonic, energizing, and nutritious properties.
First of all, they perform a general cleaning in the body. Chlorophyll, the pigment involved in photosynthesis, is responsible for eliminating waste from the body.
In addition to purifying the blood of toxins and refreshing it, nettles increase the level of red blood cells that support hemoglobin.
Consuming nettles improves blood circulation and oxygenation of the body’s cells. It increases the body’s natural resistance to infections and diseases. They contain antioxidant vitamins and more, such as A, C, B1, B2, and K.
Nettles are also a good remineralizer. They provide iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and silicon.
Nutritionists recommend them in the diet for people with anemia, low immunity, asthenia, fatigue, exhaustion, weakness, high stress, and nervous disorders.
They are good for bones, joints, the urinary system, and skin. They strengthen hair and combat excessive hair loss, dandruff, and allergies.
Nettle is a regenerative plant, helping to prevent degenerative processes that lead to diseases.
Nettle Syrup Recipe
- Wash the nettles well, removing all visible impurities. Chop them finely with a knife and place them in a 400-gram glass jar. The jar should be filled three-quarters full, so if necessary, pack them down or add more as needed.
- Pour in the honey, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon to obtain a homogeneous mixture.
- Close the jar with a lid and place it in a cool, airy place.
- Let the nettles macerate in the honey for one month.
- After 30 days, strain the resulting syrup through a sieve or cheesecloth.
- The filtered nettle syrup is transferred into a dark-colored bottle and sealed tightly.
How to Use
The nettle syrup with honey can be consumed daily during the spring. Take 3 tablespoons a day, one tablespoon before each of the main meals. The treatment can last 3-4 weeks. This will help boost immunity. People suffering from external or internal allergies, or autoimmune conditions, should take a higher daily dose, 4-5 tablespoons of syrup. In these cases, a treatment of 1-2 months is recommended. The nettle treatment can be resumed in the fall. Nettles can also be consumed in other forms, such as tea or tincture. Dried nettles can be added to dishes, such as soups.
