Abundant, free, nutritionally dense — and the root is a different medicine from the leaf. — Urtica dioica
remedyNettle Urtica dioica — hand-drawn plate, stylised. Not for identification — use a field guide and verify with a second source before eating any wild plant.
Nettle (Urtica dioica) is the flagship foraged medicinal: abundant, native, genuinely nutritious, and with one of the better evidence bases among wild plants.
Leaf and root are different medicines. Nettle leaf is a nutrient-dense food and a traditional spring tonic — high in minerals and used for iron-poor diets. Nettle root has randomised trial evidence for benign prostatic hyperplasia, reducing symptoms in men, which is a distinct and much stronger claim than the leaf's.
The leaf's "blood-building" reputation deserves care. Nettle leaf contains iron, but the amount is modest and the iron in plants is poorly absorbed unless eaten with vitamin C and without phytate. Nettle tea is not a treatment for anaemia. Actual iron-deficiency anaemia needs diagnosis and usually iron supplementation, and the red flags for anaemia — breathlessness, chest pain, black stool — are medical.
The sting is a feature and a nuisance. Blanching or drying disarms it completely, which is why dried nettle is easy to handle. Wear gloves for fresh material.
It is the one plant here that is clearly better foraged than grown. It grows in enormous quantities in exactly the conditions it likes.
What the studies found
Meta-Analysis2022Mini reviews in medicinal chemistry
Effects of Urtica dioica on Metabolic Profiles in Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Clinical Trials.
UD consumption may result in an improvement in levels of FBS, HbA1c, CRP, triglycerides, and SBP, but did not affect levels of insulin, total-, LDL-, and HDL-cholesterol, BMI, and DBP in patients with T2DM.
Randomized studies of Serenoa repens, alone or in combination with other plant extracts, have provided the strongest evidence for efficacy and tolerability in treatment of BPH in comparison with other phytotherapies.
Randomized Controlled Trial2021Journal of dietary supplements
Efficacy and Safety of a Traditional Herbal Combination in Patients with Type II Diabetes Mellitus: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
The results suggest that traditional herbal combination may safely improve glycemic control in type II diabetic patients with no significant adverse effect. [Formula: see text].
Randomized Controlled Trial2021International journal of environmental research and public health
A Placebo-Controlled, Pseudo-Randomized, Crossover Trial of Botanical Agents for Gulf War Illness: Reishi Mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum), Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica), and Epimedium (Epimedium sagittatum).
Further research is required to determine if stinging nettle is indeed helpful for the treatment of GWI, and what dosage is optimal.
Randomized Controlled Trial2017Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine
Silymarin, Olibanum, and Nettle, A Mixed Herbal Formulation in the Treatment of Type II Diabetes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Clinical Trial.
The study showed a potential antihyperglycemic and triglyceride lowering effect of the herbal formulation, while it did not have any significant cholesterol or blood pressure lowering effect.
| | |
|---|---|
| Life | Perennial; spreads by rhizome |
| Propagation | Do not plant it deliberately — forage it, or contain it absolutely |
| Light | Sun to part shade |
| Soil | Rich, moist, nitrogenous — it is a soil-indicator plant |
| Harvest leaf | Young leaf, spring, before flowering, with gloves |
| Harvest root | Autumn, after top growth dies |
| Dry | Leaf shade/ambient; root 45-55 C, sliced |
Wear gloves. The sting is formic acid plus histamine.
Harvest only the top few leaf-pairs in spring — older leaf is gritty with calcium crystals and can irritate the urinary tract
Blanch or dry to disarm the sting
Do not harvest from roadsides or nitrogen-rich ground that may be polluted — nettle concentrates what is in the soil
Preparation
Tea (leaf) — 1-2 teaspoons dried leaf per cup, 10 minutes. The spring tonic.
Cooked greens — blanch briefly; the sting is destroyed and it is a genuinely good vegetable.
Nettle soup — the traditional spring dish.
Root tincture or decoction — for the prostate use; the trials used standardised root extracts, usually over several months.
Nettle beer or ferment — traditional, and a pleasant way to use a large spring harvest.
Dried leaf powder — added to food for minerals.
Cautions and interactions
Nettle tea is not an anaemia treatment. Iron-deficiency anaemia needs diagnosis and usually supplements.
Do not harvest old leaf — the crystals irritate the urinary tract.
Nettle may interact with anticoagulants, antihypertensives and diuretics.
Avoid medicinal doses in pregnancy without advice.
Do not harvest from polluted or roadside ground — nettle accumulates what is in the soil.
When this is not a self-care problem — get help
Breathlessness, chest pain, dizziness or black stool — possible anaemia or GI bleeding; medical assessment.
Difficulty passing urine, or inability to pass urine — urgent care; do not self-treat a prostate problem.
Known interactions
May interact with anticoagulants, antihypertensives and diuretics; may affect blood sugar.
Effects of Urtica dioica on Metabolic Profiles in Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Clinical Trials. Mini reviews in medicinal chemistry 2022; doi:10.2174/1389557521666210929143112 PubMed 34587883
Phytotherapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Public health nutrition 2000; doi:10.1017/s1368980000000549 PubMed 11276294
Efficacy and Safety of a Traditional Herbal Combination in Patients with Type II Diabetes Mellitus: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of dietary supplements 2021; doi:10.1080/19390211.2020.1727076 PubMed 32081056
A Placebo-Controlled, Pseudo-Randomized, Crossover Trial of Botanical Agents for Gulf War Illness: Reishi Mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum), Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica), and Epimedium (Epimedium sagittatum). International journal of environmental research and public health 2021; doi:10.1016/bs.apha.2019.10.004 PubMed 33915962
Urtica Dioica Root Extract on Clinical and Biochemical Parameters in Patients with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, Randomized Controlled Trial. Pakistan journal of biological sciences : PJBS 2020; doi:10.3923/pjbs.2020.1338.1344 PubMed 32981268
Silymarin, Olibanum, and Nettle, A Mixed Herbal Formulation in the Treatment of Type II Diabetes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Clinical Trial. Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine 2017; doi:10.1177/2156587217696929 PubMed 29228792