Stinging Nettle

What Is Stinging Nettle?

Stinging nettle is considered a weed in most places it grows.

This is a shame because it makes for excellent medicine.

It’s very adaptable and can be grown in very harsh growing conditions. The stinging leaves make it undesirable by most people.

Despite its undesirable traits, the leaves are a high source of trace minerals and have potent anti-inflammatory, antiallergenic, and hypotensive effects. The roots are mainly used to treat hormone-related dysfunctions for its ability to inhibit SHBG competitively.

What Is Stinging Nettle Used For?

The leaves and root of nettle are used very differently. The leaves are high in minerals and are often used to treat convalescence, allergies, arthritis, and as a diuretic. The roots are commonly used for benign prostatic hyperplasia, alopecia, and hormone-related male pattern baldness.

Traditional Uses

Western Herbal Medicine

In the past, nettle has been used as a diuretic, to build the blood, for arthritis, rheumatism, improve hair appearance and health (topical) ^{1Reference 1Taylor · 2005The healing power of rainforest herbs: A guide to understanding and using herbal medicinals}.

Both Galen and Dioscorides have mentioned the leaf for use with asthma, pleurisy, and spleen conditions, and noted its diuretic and laxative effects ^{1Reference 1Taylor · 2005The healing power of rainforest herbs: A guide to understanding and using herbal medicinals}.

In Europe, especially Germany, stinging nettle is used for rheumatic and other inflammatory conditions, prostate diseases, and as a diuretic. ^{1Reference 1Taylor · 2005The healing power of rainforest herbs: A guide to understanding and using herbal medicinals}.

In current Western herbal medicine, the root and leaves are used for different conditions. The leaves are used as a diuretic and for arthritis, prostatitis, and allergies. The root, on the other hand, is used mainly for benign prostatic hyperplasia, and to treat or prevent baldness or alopecia. ^{1Reference 1Taylor · 2005The healing power of rainforest herbs: A guide to understanding and using herbal medicinals}.

South America

In Brazil, the entire plant was traditionally used for excessive menstrual bleeding, diarrhea, diabetes, urinary disorders, and respiratory conditions. It was also used topically here for a range of skin conditions. ^{1Reference 1Taylor · 2005The healing power of rainforest herbs: A guide to understanding and using herbal medicinals}.

In Peru stinging nettle is used for muscular pain, arthritis, ulcers, diabetes, digestive conditions, nosebleeds, and rheumatism. It was also used externally here for a range of inflammatory and pain conditions, as well as head lice. ^{1Reference 1Taylor · 2005The healing power of rainforest herbs: A guide to understanding and using herbal medicinals}.

North American Aboriginals

In early North American medicine, the leaves and stems were infused and then soaked into bandages to be used as a type of vulnerary to heal wounds. Early North American herbalist also recommended nettle leaves as a nutritious food for weight loss programs and support ^{1Reference 1Taylor · 2005The healing power of rainforest herbs: A guide to understanding and using herbal medicinals}.

Other Non-Medicinal Uses

In the past, nettle was used as a source for textile fibers in the place of flax or hemp. The oil was also used as a burning oil in Egypt ^{3Reference 3Bone K · 2013Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy}.

Botanical Information

Stinging Nettle is a member of the Urticaceae, or “nettle” family of plants. The family includes about 2625 different species, and 53 genera. The Urtica genus itself contains about 80 different species.

Habitat, Ecology & Distribution

Generally, stinging nettle is found in waste areas, and areas with nitrogen rich soils ^{3Reference 3Bone K · 2013Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy}.

Harvesting, Collection & Preparation

This herb can easily be grown at home in the garden or in a window sill. Just be cautious of the stinging hairs on the leaves and wear gloves whenever handling this plant.

Pharmacology & Medical Research

Allergies

Some of the traditional uses on treating allergies, and in particular allergic rhinitis have been supported by a couple of studies identifying the mechanism of action for this condition it was suggested that these effects were the result of nettle’s ability to inhibit various inflammation triggering cytokines, prostaglandins, and leukotrienes. ^{1Reference 1Taylor · 2005The healing power of rainforest herbs: A guide to understanding and using herbal medicinals}.

Inflammation

Some of nettle leaf’s ability to combat inflammation is suggested to be through its ability to block the production of various inflammatory cytokines, prostaglandin and leukotrienes ^{1Reference 1Taylor · 2005The healing power of rainforest herbs: A guide to understanding and using herbal medicinals}.

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

The root is suggested to be much more useful than the leaves of the plant for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Several older studies have begun investigating the possible mechanisms of action for this. Some of these findings have suggested that a lignan component of stinging nettle was able to reduce the binding activity of human sex hormone binding globulin in vitro. They work by competitively binding to this hormone which prevents it from binding to 5-alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Various in vivo studies have reported a reduction in prostate growth after long-term oral treatments of stinging nettle root. ^{3Reference 3Bone K · 2013Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy}.

Hypertension

Nettle leaf water extracts were noted to lower blood pressure, reduce heart rate, and had notable diuretic action. It was even found to be more effective than the pharmaceutical furosemide at decreasing blood pressure and increasing urine output and sodium excretion. ^{1,3Reference 1Taylor · 2005The healing power of rainforest herbs: A guide to understanding and using herbal medicinalsReference 3Bone K · 2013Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy}.

A vasorelaxant action from a stinging nettle root extract was reported to act through a release of endothelial nitric oxide, and an opening of potassium channels. A negative inotropic effect in the atria of guinea pigs was also reported with the oral intake of nettle root extracts ^{3Reference 3Bone K · 2013Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy}.

Nettle leaf has also been found to inhibit platelet aggregation in vitro ^{3Reference 3Bone K · 2013Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy}.

Phytochemistry

Stinging nettle is best understood by plant part, because the leaf, the root and the stinging hairs each carry a distinct chemistry. The famous sting comes from a slurry injected by the hollow leaf hairs: formic acid together with the biogenic amines histamine, serotonin and acetylcholine, the hairs themselves stiffened with silica ^{1,2,4Reference 1Taylor · 2005The healing power of rainforest herbs: A guide to understanding and using herbal medicinalsReference 2Hoffmann · 2003Medical herbalism: The science and practice of herbal medicineReference 4Bhusal et al. · 2022ReviewNutritional and pharmacological importance of stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.): A reviewView study →}. The leaf is a mineral- and flavonoid-rich tissue whose signature antioxidants are rutin, quercetin and other flavonol glycosides (isorhamnetin, kaempferol, astragalin) alongside chlorogenic acid, the coumarin scopoletin and the sterol β-sitosterol ^{4Reference 4Bhusal et al. · 2022ReviewNutritional and pharmacological importance of stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.): A reviewView study →}. The root — the part used for benign prostatic hyperplasia — is defined instead by sterols, the lignan secoisolariciresinol, and the lectin Urtica dioica agglutinin (UDA), a small 89-amino-acid protein, plus polysaccharides ^{3,4Reference 3Bone K · 2013Principles and Practice of PhytotherapyReference 4Bhusal et al. · 2022ReviewNutritional and pharmacological importance of stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.): A reviewView study →}.

By dry mass the whole plant is unusually nutritious — protein accounts for roughly 30% and minerals roughly 20% ^{4Reference 4Bhusal et al. · 2022ReviewNutritional and pharmacological importance of stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.): A reviewView study →} — which underlies its traditional use as a restorative food and mineral tonic.

Reported leaf constituents also include acetophenone, agglutinins, butyric acid, caffeic acid, carbonic acid, chlorophyll, choline, coumaric acid, folacin, friedelins, koproporphyrin, lecithin, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, neoolivil, palmitic acid, pantothenic acid, quinic acid, stigmasterol, succinic acid, terpenes, violaxanthin, and xanthophylls ^{1,2,3Reference 1Taylor · 2005The healing power of rainforest herbs: A guide to understanding and using herbal medicinalsReference 2Hoffmann · 2003Medical herbalism: The science and practice of herbal medicineReference 3Bone K · 2013Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy}.

Constituent Summary

Reliable whole-plant percentages are scarce and vary with part, season and soil; protein and mineral figures are share of dry mass, while the bioactives below are largely qualitative ^{1,2,3,4Reference 1Taylor · 2005The healing power of rainforest herbs: A guide to understanding and using herbal medicinalsReference 2Hoffmann · 2003Medical herbalism: The science and practice of herbal medicineReference 3Bone K · 2013Principles and Practice of PhytotherapyReference 4Bhusal et al. · 2022ReviewNutritional and pharmacological importance of stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.): A reviewView study →}.

Leaf — flavonoids, sterol & phenolics

Grouped by class · 9 compoundsExpand all|Collapse all

GroupCompoundAmount

Flavonoid5 compoundsno data

FlavonoidRutinNo data

FlavonoidQuercetinNo data

FlavonoidIsorhamnetinNo data

FlavonoidKaempferolNo data

FlavonoidAstragalinNo data

Sterol1 compoundno data

Sterolβ-SitosterolNo data

Phenolic acid2 compoundsno data

Phenolic acidChlorogenic acidNo data

Phenolic acidCaffeic acidNo data

Coumarin1 compoundno data

CoumarinScopoletinNo data

Root — sterols, lignan & lectin

Grouped by class · 6 compoundsExpand all|Collapse all

GroupCompoundAmount

Sterol2 compoundsno data

SterolSterolsNo data

SterolStigmasterolNo data

Lignan1 compoundno data

LignanSecoisolariciresinolNo data

Protein/Peptide2 compounds1 with data

Protein/PeptideUrtica dioica agglutinin89-amino-acid lectin

Protein/PeptideLectinsNo data

Polysaccharide1 compoundno data

PolysaccharidePolysaccharidesNo data

Stinging hairs — amines & silica

Grouped by class · 5 compoundsExpand all|Collapse all

GroupCompoundAmount

Organic acid1 compoundno data

Organic acidFormic acidNo data

Amine3 compoundsno data

AmineHistamineNo data

AmineSerotoninNo data

AmineAcetylcholineNo data

Mineral1 compoundno data

MineralSilicaNo data

Clinical Applications

The vasodilating actions of the root make it useful for hypertension, and the SHBG inhibiting activity makes it useful for male hormone-related conditions like male pattern baldness and benign prostatic hyperplasia.

The leaves are a reliable diuretic, anti-inflammatory, hypotensive, and antiallergenic through a variety of different mechanisms affecting cytokine production.

Cautions & Safety

The leaves contain small, irritating hairs that may cause significant contact dermatitis in some individuals.

References

1. Taylor, L. (2005). The healing power of rainforest herbs: A guide to understanding and using herbal medicinals. Garden City Park, NY: Square One Publishers.
2. Hoffmann, D. (2003). Medical herbalism: The science and practice of herbal medicine. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press. (Pg. 591).
3. Bone K, Mills S. (2013). Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy. Elsevier health. China. (Pg. 760-771).
4. Bhusal, K. K., Magar, S. K., Thapa, R., Lamsal, A., Bhandari, S., Maharjan, R., Shrestha, S., & Shrestha, J. (2022). Nutritional and pharmacological importance of stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.): A review. Heliyon, 8(6), e09717. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09717