Stinging nettle, Urtica dioica, comes by its name honestly. Stems and leaves of the plants bear countless tiny, stinging hairs that cause intense pain and itch if you handle the plant without gloves. Some people prefer to skip the hazardous harvesting and buy their stinging nettle at health food stores and specialty shops. Herbal products come in the form of teas, capsules and "nettle blend" extracts. Check labels to determine what parts of the nettle plants manufacturers include in their products and what medicinal benefits they claim.
Nettle Products
Nettle loses its sting when cooked or processed, making the fresh plant suitable for use as a spinach-like green vegetable or as a therapeutic tea. You may also find freeze-dried nettle capsules and nettle extract products in health food stores. Most products contain either the leaves or roots, because each part possesses different therapeutic properties, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Plant Uses
In general, herbalists suggest using fresh or dried stinging nettle leaf and root for separate issues, while the plant's other parts are not used. Products made from the leaves may combat hay fever by acting as an antihistamine, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Herbalist Barbara Griggs additionally suggests eating nettle leaves or drinking nettle leaf tea to treat aching joints, stimulate hair growth and detoxify the system. The root primarily treats the condition know as benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH. This enlarging of the prostrate affects virtually all older males, according to New York University's Langone Medical Center. BHP makes urination difficult or painful and increases the number of times men need to urinate at night. Nettle root is a well-known treatment for the problem in Europe. Look for fluid extracts of either the leaf or the root, depending on the health problem you wish to address.
Nettle Blend Products
At least one manufacturer, Herb Pharm, produces a "stinging nettle blend" extract, as well as a "nettle blend" extract. Of the botanicals in the stinging nettle blend extract, 65 percent come from fresh nettle leaves and 35 percent from the plant's dried seed and calyx. The product known as nettle blend contains 50 percent leaf, 25 percent root and 25 percent seeds. In both cases, the nettle parts are extracted separately with distilled water and organic grain alcohol and are then blended, according to the manufacturer,
Product Uses and Considerations
Herb Pharm's web site promotes both nettle blend extracts as "broad spectrum" products to boost general health. Medical web sites such as UMMC and New York University's Langone Medical Center focus on stinging nettle's leaves or roots for medicinal use rather than on the seeds or calyx. Because both products contain at least one-quarter of these lesser-known plant parts, they may not be as potent as teas or extracts made up solely of nettle leaf or nettle root. Ask a reputable practitioner before buying nettle blend extracts or other nettle products to find the one best suited for your health issues.
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