How to Make Nettle Oil Infusion

Nettle's benefits outweigh the sting from its leaves and stem.

With stinging hairs on its leaves and stem, nettle is considered a weed, but it is also a highly nutritious addition to the diet when made into an oil infusion. Making an oil infusion simply involves extracting a plant's essential oils by brewing its leaves or stem in boiling water. Once nettle is cooked or dried, its stinging properties are not active. Nettle oil infusion is drunk as a tea. Wear gloves when harvesting live nettle, and make your own infusion to enjoy the plant's healthful benefits.

Things You'll Need

• 1 cup dried nettle leaves
• Clean glass jar with tight-fitting lid
• 1 quart water
• Pot
• Strainer

Instructions

1. Crush 1 cup of dried nettle leaves, and place the crushed leaves in a clean glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.

2. Boil 1 quart of water in a pot. Pour the boiled water over the crushed nettle leaves in the jar. Place the lid on the jar tightly.

3. Steep the crushed nettle leaves in the water for at least four hours and up to 10 hours. Keep the jar at room temperature on a shelf or counter until the oil infusion is steeped.

4. Strain the liquid from the crushed leaves. Remove the plant material, and dispose of it, Use the nettle oil infusion immediately or store it for up to three days in a refrigerator.

Tips & Warnings

• The plant material you remove from the nettle oil infusion may be used as compost.

References

• SusunWeed.com; How to Make Nourishing Herbal Infusions; Susan S. Weed
• "New Life Journal"; Nettle: My Favorite Herb for Women; Corinna Wood; May 2006