Urticaceae · leaf, root

Stinging nettle

Urtica dioica

Human clinical trialsFood-like / generally well tolerated

Two official parts. Leaf mapped to human rheumatic and allergic-rhinitis-type trials; root mapped to lower-urinary-tract symptom trials in older men.

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Safety first

Cooked young leaf is a food. Fresh plant stings. Leaf and root are different drugs: leaf in rheumatic/allergy-type trials, root in prostate-symptom trials. Root does not replace a urologic workup.

Tradition vs trials

Traditional record. Commission E recorded leaf as a diuretic and rheumatic supportive, and root for micturition difficulties in benign prostatic enlargement.

Trial literature. Human data exist for both parts. Effect sizes are modest; products differ. Prostate cancer still needs a clinician, not a root capsule.

Practical ranges

Educational ranges — not a prescription. Culinary use is not an extract.

leaf
Commission E-type leaf ranges are often 8–12 g/day as tea or equivalent
German Commission E / ESCOP — Educational range only — not a prescription. A licensed clinician individualizes product, dose, and duration.
root extract
Prostate-trial extracts vary; monograph native-root ranges are often several grams daily or equivalent extract
ESCOP — Educational range only — not a prescription. A licensed clinician individualizes product, dose, and duration.

Pregnancy, nursing, children

Pregnancy. Culinary cooked leaf is food-like; medicinal root extracts lack adequate pregnancy data.
Nursing. Culinary cooked leaf is food-like.
Children. Culinary cooked leaf is food; medicinal extracts are not automatically pediatric.

Contraindications

do not replace evaluation of edema, hematuria, or prostate red flags
known nettle allergy

Key interactions

diuretics / antihypertensives · note
Theoretical additive fluid-pressure effects with leaf.
anticoagulants · note
Vitamin-K-rich leaf could theoretically affect warfarin stability at food-scale intakes.

Open drug–herb checker