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A light hand holding a dropper with purple dead nettle tincture in it. There is an amber bottle in the background and a large glass jar with dried nettles.
Nico

How To Make Purple Dead Nettle Tincture

Commonly considered a weed, purple dead nettle is full of minerals and vitamins and offers wonderful support to the immune system. Here is a simple way to make purple dead nettle tincture and preserve the plant’s range of herbal benefits.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Additional Time 56 days
Total Time 56 days 10 minutes
Servings: 1 Bottle
Course: Tinctures
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Equipment

  • An airtight container with a tight-fitting lid – I use a glass pint mason jar with parchment paper between the metal lid and tincture or extract to prevent the alcohol from corroding the metal. - I use these
  • A small amber glass bottle with dropper tops - I use these
  • A fine mesh strainer, cheesecloth, or coffee filter - I like this unbleached cheesecloth
  • A small funnel
  • A knife – for chopping up fresh purple dead nettle

Method
 

  1. Fully wash the fresh nettles.
  2. Use a knife to chop the purple dead nettle up into small pieces. The reason to chop up the plant is to maximise the surface area of the plant that is exposed to the alcohol. You can use the entire plant (stems, leaves, flowers).
  3. Add the nettle to a sanitised clean mason jar (or any glass jar you have).
  4. Submerge the plant material in alcohol and make sure it’s completely covered.
  5. Add the lid and shake the jar to ensure all of the plant parts are covered by alcohol.
  6. Leave the jar to sit in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight for 6-8 weeks.
  7. Aim to shake the jar 3-4 times a week to keep everything covered in alcohol.
  8. After 6-8 weeks, use a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth to strain off the tincture. If you foraged wild nettles, I’d recommend using cheesecloth to ensure that any remaining dirt is filtered out of the tincture.
  9. Use a funnel to add the tincture to an amber glass dropper bottle.
  10. Add the date and label the tincture to make sure you don’t forget what it is.

Notes

How much purple dead nettle tincture to take?

I like to take 1 dropper full per day and increase the dosage to 2 to 3 times per day during allergy season.

How long does purple dead nettle tincture last?

Like many homemade alcohol-based herbal products, this tincture has a long shelf life if stored away from direct sunlight. I like to use the tincture within 1-2 years.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!