Nettle herb and leaves are primarily ingested in the form of tea. The drug is available as filter bags, but also as a component of numerous tea blends (bladder and kidney teas). In addition, the herb and leaves can also be taken as mono- or combination preparations in the form of drops, candies, coated tablets and capsules.
The root is taken less as a tea, but more in the form of film tablets and other preparation forms containing the dry extract. Some combination preparations in the urology group also contain nettle root.
Dosage of nettle
The average daily dose is 8-12 g of nettle herb/leaves or 4-6 g of nettle root, unless otherwise prescribed.
Prepare nettle
To prepare a tea from nettle herb, 1.5 g of the finely chopped herb (1 teaspoon corresponds to about 0.7 g) is either poured over 250 ml of boiling water or added to cold water and boiled briefly. After 10 minutes, everything is passed through a tea strainer.
For use as a diuretic, a cup of the tea can be drunk several times a day. For a tea made from nettle root, 1.5 g of the coarsely powdered root (1 teaspoon equals 1.3 g) is mixed with cold water, boiled for about 1 minute and strained after 10 minutes.
Contraindications for nettle
In the case of existing water retention in the tissues (edema) due to impaired cardiac or renal activity, no flushing therapy with nettle herb/leaves should be performed. No contraindications currently exist for nettle root.
4 special notes
- When performing flushing therapy, adequate fluid intake (at least 2 liters/day) must be ensured.
- If there is an enlargement of the prostate, a doctor must be visited regularly to control the growth.
- If you find blood in the urine, fever and persistent symptoms for a period of more than 7 days should also see a doctor.
- The drug should be stored dry and protected from light.
