Nettle Tea Could Be Your Savior During Allergy Season

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It just plain sucks to feel stuck with a perpetual case of the sniffles, and far too many of us suffer from this seasonal discomfort. Approximately 30 percent of children and 40 percent of adults deal with allergies, and some of us don’t want to resort to over-the-counter, chemical-laden meds to treat our symptoms (they often come with annoying side effects). Luckily, Mother Nature can help.

Stinging nettle, an aggressive little plant that can leave you with a painful rash instead of allergy relief if you’re not careful, has a long medicinal history that dates back to medieval Europe. It can provide natural relief for painful muscles and joints, eczema, arthritis, gout, anemia and urinary problems. And let’s go ahead and add allergies to that list — hay fever, to be specific.

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Hay fever is the body’s overreaction to an environmental component (that isn’t necessarily hay). You likely experience it if you sneeze a lot, your nose is runny or stuffy, or if your eyes or mouth or skin feel itchy. Sound about right? Then it may be worth adding nettle to your diet for some relief.

Research suggests that nettle capsules help reduce the sneezing and itching that come with hay fever. And in another study, 48 percent of participants said that freeze-dried nettle was more effective than legit allergy medications they had tried. While more research is necessary to determine the efficacy of nettle use in the general population, scientists say that it has a clear ability to reduce the histamine the human body produces in its immune response to an allergen.

But nettle capsules aren’t the only way to ingest the benefits of this prickly plant. Tossing dry nettle leaves into a cup of hot water and brewing your own tea is also an effective method. Each cup of nettle tea contains vitamins A, B and K, as well as riboflavin, niacin and folate. It’s also rich in calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, zinc, copper and magnesium. (Damn, that’s a solid cup of tea.)

If you’re interested in giving nettle tea a try for allergy relief, go for it. Just check with your doctor first, because a fair number of people can be allergic to the nettle plant (which would really defeat the purpose) and it can interact with other medications you might already be taking. Nettle use is also contraindicated in pregnant women and people with kidney problems.

Oh, and pro tip: Unless you love the taste of seriously grassy teas, we recommend blending with another allergy-friendly herb or spice like peppermint or turmeric.