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Stinging Nettle

Posting Date: 07/14/2002

Stinging nettle is native to Europe, but it has become established in North America and now grows in Canada and throughout the United States.

It is best known for its ability to provoke an impressive rash (urticaria) that stings for up to twelve hours after contact with the tiny toxic hairs of the plant.

Stinging nettle must have been very popular at one time, because it has so many uses attributed to it by folk medicine.

It is not well known in this country, but in Europe both the leaves and the roots are listed in herbal medicine formularies. The tender shoots are harvested before they develop stinging hairs, cooked, and eaten as a vegetable.

According to tradition, the juice can stimulate hair growth if it is smeared on the scalp.

Active Ingredients

The leaves and other aboveground parts of stinging nettle are collected while the plant is flowering (from June to September). They contain several mineral salts, particularly those of calcium and potassium, as well as silicic acid (1 to 4 percent), some volatile oils, and a mixture of flavonoids (up to 1.8 percent).

Vitamins C and K and several B vitamins are present, with tender shoots being especially rich in vitamin C and carotene. The stinging hairs deliver histamine, formic acid (also found in ant stings), serotonin, and acetylcholine.

In the root, which is used for different purposes, beta-sitosterol and some related compounds make up as much as 1 percent of the material and are probably important in the activity of the herb.

Stinging nettle root also contains a complex of lectins known as Urtica dioica agglutinin (UDA) and several polysaccharides such as glucans and arabinogalactans, which are believed to stimulate the immune system. Other components include lignans, fatty acids, and scopoletin.

Uses

In Europe, stinging nettle leaves and aboveground parts are used to treat problems of the urinary tract. These parts of the plant act as a mild diuretic and are taken with ample amounts of liquid to flush out an inflamed bladder or urinary tract. They are sometimes used to prevent the formation of kidney stones.