Supplement Guide: Stinging Nettle

Urtica dioica

Origin: The leaves and stem of the stinging nettle plant, a stalk-like plant found in the U.S., Canada and Europe.

Dosage: Tea, capsule, tablet, tincture, extract or whole leaf; capsules, up to 1,300 mg daily; tea, 1 cup, three times a day; tincture, 1 ml to 4 ml three times a day; nettle leaf applied directly to the skin.

Claims: Reduces inflammation, aches and pains of osteoarthritis.

What we know: The antimicrobial, antioxidant, analgesic and anti-ulcer properties of stinging nettle have been studied in Germany and Turkey. Stinging nettle is high in potassium, calcium and magnesium and may be helpful for gout.

Studies: A German study shows that hox alpha, a new extract of stinging nettle leaf, contains an anti-inflammatory substance that suppressed several cytokines in inflammatory joint diseases. In a Turkish study, stinging nettle extract showed antimicrobial effects against nine microorganisms, as well as anti-ulcer and analgesic activity. Stinging nettle root extract combined with sabal fruit extract was shown to be superior to placebo for treating prostate hyperplasia (a precancerous condition), and was well tolerated.

Nettle may interfere with blood thinners, diabetes and heart medications, and lower blood pressure.

Rita

18 Nov 2009, 13:11

I tried Stinging Nettle leaf capsules after reading this article and have not taken an over the counter pain medicine since. I do not take prescription meds for arthritis. I have only had arthritis for about a year, so my pain is probably not be as bad as someone who has had it longer. It is inexpensive and I definately recommend trying it.

Just passing through...

10 Jul 2009, 08:15

I'm cross-linking here. A comment left on a Columbus Dispatch board referred to this link, so I am posting the story reference here. I think folks who visit here will find this interesting. Best wishes to all...

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/06/15/nettlecl oth.ART_ART_06-15-09_B1_LRE6CEQ.html

bob

18 Jun 2009, 09:48

i read the dispatch article and bought the nettle in capsules.i noticed the first night i did not make that 3:00AM bathroom run and it has continued to work.

James

11 Apr 2009, 19:04

I am 55 and have severe arthritis and degeneration around L4-5 disks. A botanist friend had been doing research in traditional remedies, including Urtica ssp. (stinging nettle). She convinced me to try urtication as part of her research. Urtication is the application of fresh leaves directly to the skin. I have always been very skeptical of natural remedies in general and was certain that the claims for nettle's effectiveness were greatly exaggerated, so I wanted the opportunity to discredit at least one claim. I agreed to urtication as an experimental trial as long as it was done according to the descriptions in the herbal. I was looking forward to demonstrating its ineffectiveness to confirm my suspicions, and she wanted a first-hand anecdotal trial for a research. I was also suffering from a neck sprain that persisted for weeks, and the 800 mg ibuprofin my doctor prescribed was not helping much, so I was expecting absolutely nothing.
I hadn't read the herbal's full description, so I was taken aback when I saw what I had gotten myself into the next day - but I had given my word and I was expecting to walk away saying "I told you it wouldn't work." I hadn't noticed the part about having the wrists tied and the whole backside exposed and bent over. She had to wear gloves to hold the bundle of nettles that were freshly picked. Even though the whisking was light, I waited until the stinging and itching was too much to stand, and she stopped after about three to four minutes. I hadn't expected the irritant to continue building still further in intensity for another five minutes after she stopped as it penetrated into the skin, so I was yelling and dancing in agony for over ten minutes. I was expecting nothing but a big disappointment, so the implications of having the wrists tied during urtication hadn't fully dawned on me.
The nettles left big welts, but they were nearly gone in 20 to 30 minutes. An hour later there was no trace at all of any redness.
The pain and itching was gone entirely from the nettles in a half hour, despite the extreme agony. All that was left was a mild tingling. But the biggest surprise (besides the incredible intensity of the agony of the urtication) was that when the discomfort was gone in a half hour, so was the chronic sprain and all my joint pain -- entirely gone, and the relief lasted for five full weeks; no NSAIDs or DMSO were needed; no pain anywhere -- the pain was very bothersome before - moderate to worse than moderate joint pain.
The 10-20 minutes of agony from the nettles was far, far worse than I had ever dreamed it would be; but the relief from all joint pain for so many weeks was even more noteworthy and totally unexpected; practically a miracle. The chronic sprain never returned and there were no negative side effects afterwards besides slight exhaustion from all the screaming and thrashing about -- and possibly a slightly elevated mood for days afterwards.

Sylvia

12 Mar 2009, 08:41

My brother has RA, and I am hoping he will soon start using stinging nettle for his pain. Conventional medicine and pain killers don't quite do the job. He will be starting Protocel, also, in a few days.

joseph

04 Mar 2009, 06:21

Am a student in kenya and am doing resaerch on stinging nettle regarding its ORIGIN,BENEFITS TO OURS BODIES,PREPARATION FOR CONSUMPTION,AND DEMERITS. please assist me do it

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Supplement Guide: Stinging Nettle

Supplement Guide: Stinging Nettle

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