Nettle herbal infusion

Well, I finally made my herbal infusion last night.  For those who are not familiar, herbal infusions are basically herbal teas, also known as tisanes.  Herbal teas are not to be confused with commonplace non-herbal teas such as green tea or black tea which are made from the leaves of tea plants.  What distinguishes herbal teas from non-herbal teas is that they can be made from the roots, leaves, flowers, seeds or berries from a plant.  Herbal teas also have medicinal properties and do not contain any caffeine.

I chose stinging nettle for my herb of choice because it is easily accessible at my local farm.  Other herbs which I've been wanting to use such as comfrey or yarrow, I'd most likely have to go out and forage for.  I learned that there are health benefits to stinging nettle; it is high in vitamins A, C, K, calcium, potassium, and iron.  Also, herbalists recommend dried nettle or nettle extract as a nourishing tonic during pregnancy.  Anyways, on to the process of making it...

After learning my lesson the first time after unsuccessfully drying them because of unwanted dirt in the roots, I re-picked the nettle cutting only the tops.  I then dried them for about a week on a piece of wire mesh.  (It is ideal to dry them in a way that gets air to both sides of the plant, hence the wire mesh.  Or you can just hang it upside down.)

Drying nettle

After drying, I cut off some long stems that hadn't dried and then proceeded to crush the leaves with my fingers.  An herb grinder would've been ideal, but who needs to pay for that when you can just use your hands.

Dried nettle leaves

To make an herbal infusion (in bulk) you'll need: 

• 1 oz. dried herb to 1 liter (4.2 cups) boiling water
• a large glass jar with a tight-fitting lid

Directions are simple:  Boil kettle full of water.  Add 1 oz. dried herb to glass jar and fill jar with 1 liter boiling water.  Put tight-fitting lid on and let steep for a minimum of 4 hours.  After steeping for allotted time, strain out the nettle from the water.  Store the tea in fridge to prevent spoilage.  Herbalist, Susan Weed, recommends using the leftover tea you don't drink as water for house plants or you can use it to wash your hair as a final rinse.  Note: To get the most medicinal value out of an herbal infusion, drink a cup 2-3 times a day.

Also, if you'd like to use the dried herbs per cup instead of making it all at once in bulk, simply use 1-2 teaspoons dried herb for each cup of water. Let steep for ~10 minutes and then strain and drink! 

I let mine steeps for 7 hours.  I completed this process before going to work and when I came back I had fresh tea waiting for me!  It tastes a lot like yerba mate when mixed with my favorite coconut creamer, but that's just me.