Stinging nettle is a nutritious plant popular in Western herbal medicine. Nettle use has been recorded as far back as the Bronze Age (3000 BC – 1200 BC). Young leaves can be used to make curries, herb soups, and sour soups similar to cooking spinach leaves. Nettle tea consists of the leaves from the stinging nettle plant infused in hot water. It tastes similar to vegetable broth and can have a mild or strong taste depending on the concentration. In herbal medicine, nettle has been used as a tonic, to help painful muscles and joints, as well as arthritis, eczema, anemia, and gout. Its leaves are abundant in fiber, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidant compounds.