Urtica dioica

Nettle

If you’ve had the experience of walking through a meadow or trail in the woods and found yourself with a bristly rash on exposed parts of your limbs, you may have brushed up against some stinging nettle. Nettles are an herbaceous perennial flowering plant, native to Europe, Asia, northern Africa, and North America. The plant has many hollow stinging hairs called "trichomes" on its leaves and stems, which act like needles that inject histamine, formic acid and other chemicals that produce a stinging sensation. It’s very high nutritional content has made it a popular food source steamed and eaten like spinach (it does loose the “sting” when cooked), taken as a tea made from the dried leaves to assist in the nutrition of expectant or nursing mothers, or for general tonic properties for good health. Shakespeare makes mention of nettle when his character Hotspur warns, " ‘Tis dangerous to take a cold, to sleep, to drink, but I tell you, out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety" (I Henry IV, Act II Scene 3). It is a plant that has endeared itself to us throughout the ages.

Product Image

What is Nettle Used For?

Nettle leaf has a long history of use for modulating the body's inflammatory pathways and supporting upper respiratory health. Nettle Root has been used to support healthy prostate function and there are human clinical studies supporting its use for this purpose.

View Important Precautions

Product Image
Highlights

What is Nettle Used For?

Nettle leaf has a long history of use for modulating the body's inflammatory pathways and supporting upper respiratory health. Nettle Root has been used to support healthy prostate function and there are human clinical studies supporting its use for this purpose.

View Important Precautions

Active Constituents of Nettle
Nettle is a good source of vitamins A, C and E as well as B1, B2, B3 and B5. It is rich in protein, calcium, iron, folate, potassium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, selenium and zinc. It also contains alpha and beta hydroxysitosterols, appreciable amounts of quercetin and rutin.
Parts Used
Leaf, Seed, Root
Additional Resources
1.) Konieczynski, P. and Wesolowski, M. Water-extractable magnesium, manganese and copper in leaves and herbs of medicinal plants. Acta Pol.Pharm. 2012;69(1):33-39. 2.) Patten G. Medicinal plant review: Urtica. Aust J Med Herbalism 1993;5(1):5-13. 3.) Luczaj, L. and Szymanski, W. M. Wild vascular plants gathered for consumption in the Polish countryside: a review. J.Ethnobiol.Ethnomed. 2007;3:17.
Important Precautions
Not for use during pregnancy or lactation. If you have a medical condition or take pharmaceutical drugs please consult your doctor prior to use.
Disclaimer
This information in our Herbal Reference Guide is intended only as a general reference for further exploration, and is not a replacement for professional health advice. This content does not provide dosage information, format recommendations, toxicity levels, or possible interactions with prescription drugs. Accordingly, this information should be used only under the direct supervision of a qualified health practitioner such as a naturopathic physician.