Nettle Tea and the Adrenal Glands

[Lauterbach]

As I am now on 6Mg of Pred/day and thus approaching (or maybe already in) the “Adrenal Zone”, I was interested to read this in a book on Natures’ Pharmacy. “Stinging nettle nourishes the whole system, specifically the adrenals and kidneys. It then states that the leaves are high in chlorophyll which acts on the hormonal system and recommends the use of Nettle Tea.

Up to now I thought that nettle tea was only good for soothing the stings acquired when picking the nettles necessary to make to tea. But seeing as nettles have appeared in abundance this year it might be worth giving it a go.

Has anyone tried Nettle Tea as a stimulant to the Adrenal Glands ?

[PMRpro Ambassador]

No - because it is unlikely to work!!! It may be relaxing (if you like the taste, I don't) and so supporters of natural remedies think it is good for adrenal function but nothing will persuade your adrenal glands to produce cortisol except being poked by a low pred dose. It probably won't do any harm but even natural teas are not advised for some people and it is a good idea to check.

medicinenet.com/what_are_th...

It will make you pee - it is a good diuretic - but beware the marketed blended versions as some contain licorice whhich doesn't mix well with pred. It might also upset the balance if you are on BP medications.

[piglette]

Nettle soup is very nice if you use young nettles, I did not know nettles helped the adrenal glands though. I always thought you should use dock leaves for nettle stings. I grow nettles for the ladybirds.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to piglette]

You can make all sorts of lovely things - like a flavouring for dumplings, cream cheese, sausages and gnocchi, cooked like spinach. for pesto, with wild garlic and dandelion to make a veggie lasagne!

[piglette in reply to PMRpro]

I must get my gardening gloves on. I think the nettles are a bit tough now though. They probably need cutting back to get new growth.

[Rachmaninov2 in reply to piglette]

I have some impressive nettles which I left, hoping they would attract butterflies. So far I haven’t seen any on them this year.

[piglette in reply to Rachmaninov2]

I don’t see so many butterflies this year, just lots of cabbage whites!

[Rachmaninov2 in reply to piglette]

Yes the same here, lots of cabbage whites and also Gatekeepers.

[Rachmaninov2 in reply to Rachmaninov2]

Here’s a photo of a Gatekeeper.

Gatekeeper butterfly.

[123-go in reply to Rachmaninov2]

Had to look this up. Apparently it's an important pollinator.

[Rachmaninov2 in reply to 123-go]

Yes, had lots in the garden this year. They only seem to be interested in the plant in the photo, I bought it as a Jacobs Ladder but I’m not sure that it is.

[123-go in reply to Rachmaninov2]

Whatever the plant is it's very pretty.

[Rachmaninov2 in reply to 123-go]

🙂

[Tahiri in reply to Rachmaninov2]

Looks a bit like my Jasmine,

[Rachmaninov2 in reply to Tahiri]

Yes the small flowers do look like Jasmine but the plant is different. 🙂

[123-go in reply to piglette]

Saw a couple of red admirals today and got quite excited. Ran-well, hurried-in to get my phone to take a pic but of course by the time I got outside they had gone.

[piglette in reply to 123-go]

Still just Cabbage Whites, but I do have a “monster” in my pond!

Albino newt?

[123-go in reply to piglette]

Wow! That's a new(t) one on me. 😩

[piglette in reply to 123-go]

It was a new one on me too, several people helped to find out what it was. I did not like to go down the garden after I first saw it. Goodness knows where it came from.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to piglette]

Have you not got ordinary newts in the pond?

[piglette in reply to PMRpro]

No, just the monster

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to piglette]

Got any neighbours with ponds? Maybe it was dumped ...

[piglette in reply to PMRpro]

Went in the recycling bin!

[123-go in reply to piglette]

As long as you don't hear that music from the the film- duunnn dunnn duunnn dunnn...

[piglette in reply to 123-go]

😁😁😁

[Highlandtiger in reply to piglette]

It's very cute!

[piglette in reply to Highlandtiger]

My nephew said it was disgusting!

[Canarylady in reply to piglette]

How lovely

[piglette in reply to Canarylady]

It did eat all the tadpoles on the other hand!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to piglette]

Wot - no froggies?????

[piglette in reply to PMRpro]

🐸🐸🐸❓❓❓

[Stickgal316 in reply to piglette]

Cool!

[123-go in reply to PMRpro]

Now I'm craving dumplings and sausages!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to 123-go]

I was tempted by a wild garlic sausage in the butchers today - I resisted ...

[123-go in reply to PMRpro]

I was tempted by a sliver of carrot cake today and I succumbed. Regrets, 🎼 I have a few...

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to 123-go]

I am succumbing to baked cinnamon figs and mascarpone ...

[123-go in reply to PMRpro]

Figs are very healthy but then so are carrots. 😉 Enjoy!

[madhouse1 in reply to PMRpro]

Sound yummy!

I love figs, dates, prunes and apricots X

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to madhouse1]

They were - VERY yummy!!!!! Thinking about it - figs and apricots mixed, grilled and mascarponied would be rather fine!

[madhouse1 in reply to PMRpro]

You’re making me hungry. We were brought up in these fruits stewed with custard as kids. Mum was very frugal with sugar in anything but still loved them as a pudding. Good for us too! Enjoy! Xxx

[SnazzyD]

As soon as there are general claims like, “good for the hormonal system” I start to pull up my drawbridge. There are so many hormones, each with their own set of regulatory processes and triggers, so I can’t see how one thing can beneficially affect all of them and if it does, do I want that? Cortisol output is not only governed by the adrenal glands making it, but the parts of the process that a) notice there isn’t enough Cortisol in the system and b) make other hormones that tell each part of the chain to pass the message to the adrenal glands at the right time in the right amount. So when we talk about sleepy adrenal glands we really the whole process starting in the brain as well. We used to eat nettles like spinach when I was a child. Put me off the tea for life.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to SnazzyD]

Yes, I looked at one of the articles - cures everything usually means cures nothing ...

[Pr0jection]

Long before I got PMR we were drinking nettle tea but stopped for some reason, although I have some left in the cupboard still.. A friend swears by it whenever her arthritis flares up. Your post has reminded me to take a look at the sell by date, and whether or not to start drinking it again. However, if it makes you pee more then maybe it's not such a good idea for me as I already pee for England since being on pred!

[Hidden]

I make nettle soup to feed the veg on my allotment, it smells disgusting wouldn't occur to me to drink it, they'll be recommending comfrey tea soon which smells even worse!

[Rachmaninov2 in reply to Hidden]

I’ve made nettle soup as a feed for veg. and agree, the smell is horrible. I’m not keen on nettle tea either.

[43tripandskip]

I have drunk a cup of nettle tea every morning for forty years. It made no difference to me when I got PMR six years ago, but I just enjoy the refreshing taste first thing in the morning.

[Pixix]

Unfortunately when I had my last allergy tests they told me I’m allergic to nettles (explains why I had such a bad reaction when I fell off a shire horse into a bed of them!!

[Blossom20]

Good idea! But I doubt that the amount in a tea would be enough to do anything much. Nettle is good for the acid alkaline balance and helps to get rid of toxins as well as other things. I've just started going to a herbalist to help things along.Let us know how you get on.

[Karenjaninaz in reply to Blossom20]

Blossom, having worked in the medical field, where I actually measured blood for the acid base balance, I laugh when people with a sales pitch say “it’s good for the acid base balance”. Ask him/her what studies been done and blood drawn to actually measure the acid base balance after such a tea? The ph of the blood is between 7.35-7.45 in healthy people. It will deviate from that if a person is extremely ill with, say, sepsis(acidosis) or being excessively artificially ventilated(alkalosis) to mention a few. “Get rid of toxins”? Normally, the liver does that just fine.

I don’t think a herbalist has the sophisticated training to treat an esoteric toxin or even understand the implications of acid/base balance.

A warning sign when is the practitioner sells the remedies.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Karenjaninaz]

Ditto, ditto, ditto!!! Maybe we should start a choir ...

One article I read told me what a valuable source of protein nettle extract was ...

[Lollybygolly]

I love mint nettle and dill tea - I actually bottle it and have it cold with a lemon and cucumber slice in summer. Nettles and mint aren’t so good once they’re flowering but all this rain has produced a second growth which looks very nourishing.