herbs - Nettle (Urtica dioica)

What is it?

Stinging nettle or Urtica, which comes from the Latin uro, meaning “I burn” is indicative of the painful stings caused by the tiny hairs on the leaves. Ironically the leaves are also the main medicinal parts of the plant. The root is also sometimes used by herbalists. Nettle grows everywhere in the northern hemisphere and has been used for centuries.

Action

Nettle leaf is nutritive as it contains high levels of chloropyll and minerals such as Iron, Calcium and silica. It also provides flavonoids, vitamin C, lectins and polysaccharides. Nettle has anti-inflammatory, diuretic and haemostatic properties. Nettle leaves are highly valued in country medicine for their tonic and blood purifying powers.

The root of nettle is thought to contain compounds that affect enzymes and proteins, which carry sex hormones in the body.

Uses

Our experts recommend nettle for the following disorders:

• Anaemia – due to its high Iron content
• Osteoporosis
• Post partum haemorrhage
• Urticaria

Other information

Other uses of nettle include:

• Arthritis – internally and topically
• Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) – Nettle root
• Hayfever – anti-histamine
• Pregnancy – improves breast milk flow, also rich in Iron and Calcium
• Rheumatic conditions and gout- helps eliminate uric acid
• Water retention
• Cook fresh nettle like spinach or in soup. Wear your gardening gloves to pick them and don't gather these or any other herbs along busy roadsides where they may be contaminated with toxins and heavy metals from exhaust fumes.
• Nettle tea can be easily made from the loose dried herb or purchased as teabags.
• Nettle is also available as tablets, capsules or tincture.
• Topically, fresh nettle leaves are intentionally used to sting the skin to help relieve symptoms of arthritis.
• Some studies suggest that taking nettle at the same time as diclofenac (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) may give more relief to inflammatory disorders than diclofenac alone.
• Nettle can be used in tincture form for children 1 year of age and above. Herb tincture dosage is lower than adult levels. A simple guide for children is one drop per stone of weight.

Cautions

• Generally there are no side effects from nettle tea or nettle herbal supplements, although some sensitive individuals may be allergic.



• Using nettle leaves topically may cause a rash, in addition to the stings.



• Nettle is regarded as a safe herb in pregnancy and during breast-feeding.



• When this article was written there were no well-known negative drug interactions with nettle.

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