Nettle tea

Nettle tea is a herbal infusion — a tisane — made by steeping the dried (or fresh) leaves of the stinging nettle, Urtica dioica, in hot water. Like chamomile or peppermint it is not made from the tea plant Camellia sinensis at all, so it is naturally caffeine-free; "tea" here just means a hot-water infusion. Drying, blanching or steeping completely neutralises the plant's sting — the tiny hollow hairs that inject formic acid and histamine when the living leaf is touched are destroyed by heat and drying — so the brewed drink is entirely harmless. The cup is a pale green to greenish-gold, light-bodied and clean, with a soft, distinctly vegetal aroma often described as somewhere between green tea, spinach and fresh-cut hay, and a mild, savoury, slightly grassy taste with only a light astringency. It is one of the oldest and most widely drunk wild-plant tisanes in Europe, taken as an everyday "spring tonic," a mineral-rich green infusion and a folk remedy.