A number of herbal allies are especially well-suited for spring—alterative herbs being one of our favorites. Alterative herbs are a great support to the liver and are useful for gentle cleansing and detoxification. The great news is that they can be incorporated into your daily wellness routine with simple recipes, like nettle vinegar, to help the body transition from the winter season to spring.
An Introduction to Alterative Herbs
Alterative herbs are often referred to as “blood purifiers.” These herbs tend to have nutritional properties, support detoxification processes, and work to tonify and restore tissues throughout the body (Priest & Priest, 1982). Herbalist David Hoffmann explains that alteratives “gradually restore the proper function of the body and increase health and vitality” (Hoffmann, 2003, p. 23).
Alterative herbs include (not an exhaustive list):
- Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) leaf
- Burdock (Arctium lappa) root
- Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) leaf and root
- Nettle (Urtica dioica) leaf
- Oregon grape (Berberis aquifolium) root
- Yellow dock (Rumex crispus) root
Alterative herbs can be consumed as foods or simple herbal preparations, which makes them fairly easy to include as part of a daily regimen. Since Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine often attribute liver congestion to heat trapped in the liver, you’ll find that many alterative herbs are cooling in nature and are used to aid the body in clearing trapped heat and improving liver function.
In this article, we’d like to share a recipe for Nettle Vinegar to help gently cleanse the body and support the liver. This recipe comes from our FREE ebook, Herbal Support for Spring: How to Cleanse, Detox, and Refresh. In it,we dive into the topic of spring cleansing and detoxing and how herbs can assist us during this seasonal renewal. We will look deeply at the custom of spring cleansing and examine how herbal and lifestyle practices can assist during this time. We’ll also review 6 herbs you can use to support your body during the spring season, and we offer 9 restorative recipes.
You can download this ebook for FREE right here: https://theherbalacademy.com/get-herbal-support-spring-ebook-herbal-academy/
Nettle Vinegar
Nettle vinegar utilizes the nourishing aspects of nettle (Urtica dioica) leaf and provides a simple way to include this herb in your diet on a regular basis.
You will need a non-reactive container like a glass jar, and ideally, a non-reactive lid because vinegar can corrode metal. If a non-reactive lid cannot be procured, place a piece of parchment paper between the jar and the lid.
This recipe comes from the Cooking with the Seasons, Spring Edition ebook in The Herbarium.
Nettle Vinegar
Ingredients
Dried nettle (Urtica dioica) leaf
Raw, unpasteurized organic apple cider vinegar
Directions
- Fill a clean, dry glass jar ¼ full of dried nettle leaf.
- Pour enough apple cider vinegar to fill the jar, ensuring nettle leaf is covered by a couple of inches.
- Cover the jar with a small piece of parchment paper to prevent the vinegar coming into contact with any metal, and cap with a lid.
- Let this mixture sit in a cool, dark location for 3-6 weeks and shake occasionally. During this time, the dried nettle may soak up some of the vinegar. Check the jar occasionally and add extra vinegar as needed to prevent the herb from poking out above the liquid.
- Strain and reserve the nettle vinegar to use in a vinaigrette dressing recipe of your choice. You may also use this vinegar in the same way as you would use regular apple cider vinegar, such as mixing into refreshing beverages, including in marinades, and adding a splash to soups. You can even dilute it and use it as a facial toner or hair rinse!
- If stored properly in a cool, dark cabinet, your Nettle Vinegar should last a year.
Herbal Support for Spring: How to Cleanse, Detox, and Refresh
If you would like to learn more about herbs for spring cleansing and detoxing, and also get your hands on some lovely seasonal recipes, then be sure to download our free ebook, Herbal Support for Spring: How to Cleanse, Detox, and Refresh!
This 64-page ebook is full of helpful herbal information, beautiful photos, and practical lifestyle tips to help you live your best life during spring. Enjoy!
You can download Herbal Support for Spring: How to Cleanse, Detox, and Refresh for free here: https://theherbalacademy.com/get-herbal-support-spring-ebook-herbal-academy/
REFERENCES
Hoffmann, D. (1998). The herbal handbook: A user’s guide to medical herbalism. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press.
Priest, A.W., & Priest, L.R. (1982). Herbal medication: A clinical and dispensary handbook. London, United Kingdom: L.N. Fowler & Company, Ltd.
FAQs
Nettles make us strong! Vinegar also has numerous health enhancing properties and can help with weight loss and aid digestion. It is one of the oldest medicines known to humanity and can be used safely inside and out. Another great use for nettle vinegar is for a healthy scalp rinse.
What can I substitute nettle with? ›
Nettle Substitute
Surprise, surprise: The best substitute for cooked nettle is cooked spinach. The two greens can be used in almost the same exact ways.
What can I mix with stinging nettle? ›
Studies in people suggest that stinging nettle, in combination with other herbs (especially saw palmetto), may be effective at relieving symptoms such as reduced urinary flow, incomplete emptying of the bladder, post urination dripping, and the constant urge to urinate.
How do you make nettle tonic? ›
Steep the Nettles:
Pour 4 cups of boiling water over the nettles. Cover and let them steep for about 10 to 20 minutes. The longer you steep, the stronger the infusion will be. For an even richer taste, consider doing overnight infusions with nutrient-rich herbs like nettle.
Who should not drink nettle? ›
Avoid if you're pregnant or breastfeeding because there isn't enough information on its safety. Use with caution if you're elderly because of the potential of causing low blood pressure. And use stinging nettle with caution if you have diabetes because of the potential that it may lower or raise blood sugar levels.
Does nettle cleanse the liver? ›
Packed with a variety of polyphenolic compounds and pigments, nettle leaf detox drinks reduce liver inflammation. A regular cleanse with nettle leaf detox drinks can help lower blood pressure and improve the heart's antioxidant defenses.
Are nettles related to Marijuanas? ›
The genus Cannabis was formerly placed in the nettle family (Urticaceae) or mulberry family (Moraceae), and later, along with the genus Humulus (hops), in a separate family, the hemp family (Cannabaceae sensu stricto).
Is stinging nettle bad for your liver? ›
Stinging nettle extracts are generally well tolerated and have not been implicated in instances of serum aminotransferase elevations or cases of clinically apparent liver injury.
Does nettle tea increase testosterone? ›
Stinging Nettle doesn't stimulate testosterone production, but it may lead to elevated levels of testosterone. The first key to Nettle is preventing a mechanism called aromatase, which converts testosterone to estrogen. A second key is that Nettle may help separate testosterone from red blood cells (SHBG).
Is stinging nettle safe for kidneys? ›
Nettle tea benefits the kidneys by increasing urine output and uric acid removal. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, it improves kidney function and urinary flow. Nettle tea is a natural diuretic that promotes proper fluid flow in the kidneys and bladder, preventing kidney stones from forming.
Urtica dioica is thought to bind to sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) via its polar extracts and cause elevated serum estrogen levels. The local estrogen bioactivity in breast tissue may subsequently lead to gynecomastia or galactorrhea [2].
When should you not eat stinging nettles? ›
Nettles should not be eaten once they have flowered but can be cut back to produce young flowerless nettles in no time. A very abundant and under used superfood that is very easy to identify if a little painful to collect without gloves.
What does nettle do to hair? ›
In fact, nettle is one of the oldest recorded remedies used for treating and preventing hair loss. This is primarily due to the high amount of sulphur and silica in nettle, which improve hair health by strengthening the hair shaft. Regularly using nettle shampoo can promote hair re-growth and reduce hair loss.
How many cups of nettle tea should you drink a day? ›
There's no one recommended portion size for nettle leaf or nettle leaf products, though the Arthritis Foundation suggests these amounts for arthritis benefits: 1 cup of tea three times a day. Up to 1,300 milligrams a day in capsule form. As a tincture (a solution in alcohol), 1-4 milliliters, three times a day.
What does nettle detox? ›
Nettle tea is a natural diuretic that promotes proper fluid flow in the kidneys and bladder, preventing kidney stones from forming. According to research, nettle tea can help flush toxins from the urinary tract as well as support the medications used to treat urinary tract infections.
How does nettle cleanse the blood? ›
Nettle Health Benefits
Exerts an anti-histamine and anti-inflammatory effect making it incredibly helpful for allergies, hay fever and asthma where histamine levels are raised. Natural blood cleansing action as its rich in chlorophyll and key minerals that help build healthy blood.
Does nettle help detox? ›
"Nettle leaves are potent. They have properties which cleanse your body, blood, flushes out toxins and facilitate maintaining a clearer skin," noted Shilpa Arora ND, a renowned health practitioner, nutritionist and certified macrobiotic health coach.
