When you drink nettle tea, you’re actually drinking lots and lots of different vitamins and minerals that can help your body. People have known for a long time (even as far back as 3000 BC¹) that nettle tea is good for the body, but it was only in the 20th century that scientists were able to detect all the different vitamins and minerals, and measure their quantities.
Here is the list of vitamins and minerals found in nettle leaves, which get transferred into the nettle tea.
Vitamins found in nettle leaves (100g of fresh leaves)¹
Vitamin C 238 mg – Promotes immune system health
Vitamin E 14.4 mg – An antioxidant which also promotes healthy skin
Beta-carotene (Vitamin A) 5 mg – For healthy eyes, deficiency can cause blindness
Vitamin B3 0.62 mg – B vitamins boost energy levels by regulating metabolism
Vitamin B2 0.23 mg
Vitamin B6 0.068 mg
Vitamin B1 0.015 mg
Minerals found in nettle leaves (100g of fresh leaves)¹
Calcium 853 mg – Essential for bone health
Potassium 532 mg – Plays an important role in the nervous system
Magnesium 96 mg – Maintains energy levels
Phosphorus 75 mg – Essential for bone health
Sodium 16 mg – Plays an essential role in the nervous system
Iron 13 mg – Vital for blood health, prevents anemia
Manganese 3 mg – Works with calcium to ensure bone health
Zinc 0.9 mg – Important for immune system health
Copper 0.52 mg – Produces essential enzymes that allow organs to work properly
Selenium 0.0027 mg – Essential for thyroid function
Aside from all the vitamins and minerals, there is also:
Water 76.9 g
Protein 6.5 g
Fiber 5.3 g
Fat 1.6 g
Caffeine 0.0 mg (this is why nettle tea is caffeine free!)
As you can see, this is quite a long list and it helps to explain why nettle tea is so good for the body when each and every cup you drink contains all these different vitamins and minerals.
Interesting things about these vitamins, minerals, and more
There are many different forms of vitamin E. But the one inside nettle is special because it is the one that the human body prefers, and is absorbed better by the body.²
Sodium & Potassium
Nettle tea has a very low ratio of sodium to potassium, which helps protect against cardiovascular diseases (heart disease) and cancer.¹
A common question is “does nettle tea contain caffeine?” As you can see, there is no caffeine in nettle tea because the nettle leaves, from which the tea is made, do not naturally contain caffeine. If you are drinking a blend of nettle and other teas, you should check the packet to see if it is caffeine free.
There is no sugar in nettle tea (unless you add it) so that makes it a great healthy drink which can help you lose weight.
The nettle is extremely rich in proteins. Actually, twice as much as spinach.¹
Amino acids, are molecules that combine to form proteins which are the building blocks for your body’s cells, muscles and organs! They are also essential to the immune system’s ability to fight of diseases. Nettle leaves have lots of amino acids.
An anti-coagulant has been identified in nettle leaves. This substance is a derivative of heparin¹, which is used medically as a blood thinner to prevent the formation of blood clots.³
It should be noted that the nettle tea does not have any fat! The small amount of fat in the nettle leaves will remain inside the green material and does not get transferred to the tea.
Why is all this important?
Now that you know what is inside nettle tea, you can without doubt appreciate why it is such a healthy drink. All the vitamins and minerals work together to help the body stay healthy. All this is scientific evidence that supports the use of nettle as a medicinal plant for conditions such as arthritis, allergic rhinitis, or benign prostatic hypertrophy.¹
What to read next
¹ Kavalali, G. M. et al. Urtica: The genus Urtica (Medicinal and Aromatic Plants – Industrial Profiles). CRC Press, 2003
² Rigotti, A. “Absorption, transport, and tissue delivery of vitamin E”. Molecular Aspects of Medicine 28 (5–6): 423–36. 2007
³ Guyton, A. C.; Hall, J. E. Textbook of Medical Physiology. Elsevier Saunders. p. 464. 2006