Stinging nettle

Urtica dioica

Herbs & Roots. Western & European and Dr. Sebi's list.

Also called Common nettle, Nettle leaf, Nettle root

Spanish: Ortiga

May lower blood sugar

Stinging nettle is a wild plant whose cooked leaves are eaten as food and whose root extract is studied for prostate symptoms.

Did you know? Nettle stings work through tiny hollow hairs that break off in the skin and inject chemicals such as histamine, which causes the burning.

What it may help, and how strong the proof is

Men's health. Root extracts were tested in men with an enlarged prostate. Small trials show some symptom relief, with mixed quality.
Early proof
Allergies. Freeze-dried leaf was tested for hay fever in a few small trials, with mixed results.
Early proof
Anemia & blood building. Often said to build blood because it contains iron, but no good trials show that.
Not supported

Parts of the body

Hormones & reproduction, Lungs, Immune system, Blood

Traditional use

European herbalists used nettle as a spring tonic, for joint pain, and for urine flow. Cooked nettles were also a common spring food in rural Europe.

How it is classified

Herbal actions: Nutritive, Diuretic, Alterative. Energy: neutral.

How people take it

Cooked leaves are eaten like spinach or steeped as tea. Prostate studies used root extract capsules, and allergy studies used freeze-dried leaf. No standard dose is proven.

Tea, capsule, tincture, food and powder.

Where to get it

Grows wild in damp soil, fields, and fence lines across Europe, Asia, North America, and North Africa. Sold as dried leaf, root extract capsules, tea, and tinctures.

Be careful

Fresh leaves sting, so wear gloves when picking them, and cooking or drying removes the sting. It may lower blood sugar and blood pressure, and it may act as a mild diuretic. Rare allergic reactions occur.

Avoid if: pregnancy; kidney disease; heart disease.

Mixing with other things

Works well together
Nettle root, a separate part of the same plant, is a traditional partner for urinary and prostate symptoms.
Works well together
Traditional spring tonic blends often combine the two.
Works well together
Both appear in folk spring tonic blends.
Works well together
Stinging nettle root is a common partner in European prostate blends.
Works well together
Common partners in spring greens and tonic blends.
Use caution
Diabetes medicine (metformin, insulin, glipizide, Ozempic)
May lower blood sugar, which could add to diabetes medicines.
Use caution
Blood pressure medicine (lisinopril, amlodipine, losartan)
May lower blood pressure, which could add to blood pressure medicines.
Use caution
Water pills (furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide)
Acts as a mild diuretic and can add to water pills.

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The honest take

Nettle is a safe, nutritious food, and its root has real human trials for prostate symptoms while its leaf has been tested for hay fever. The trials are small, and their quality varies. Claims that it builds blood or detoxes the body are not supported.