What Is Nettle Herb?
Nettle herb, also known as stinging nettle, is a plant that is covered with small hairs that release a painful, stinging chemical when they come into contact with skin. Although stinging nettle is extremely unpleasant to encounter by accident, it can also be rendered into natural medicines. Beneficial uses of nettle herb have been documented in scientific studies. Does this Spark an idea?
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Features
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Stinging nettle grows all over the world and does particularly well in nitrogen-rich soils, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Stinging nettle is a shrub that usually grows 2 to 4 feet tall. It blooms between June and September. Its leaves are heart-shaped and tapered at the ends. The plant produces yellow or pink flowers. The stinging hairs are mostly on the underside of the leaves and stems.
Medicinal Uses
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Stinging nettle has been used for hundreds of years to treat muscle and joint pain, eczema, arthritis, gout and anemia, according to the University of Maryland. More recently, nettle has also been used to treat urinary problems during the early stages of an enlarged prostate, urinary tract infections, hay fever, sprains, tendinitis and insect bites.
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How to Take
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Stinging nettle can be bought for medicinal uses in dried-leaf, capsule, extract and cream forms, or as a tincture, which is a solution of the herb in alcohol. Sometimes nettle treatments are taken as a tea made from nettle leaves or roots.
Studies
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Studies have fairly consistently shown the benefits of nettle to treat prostate-related urinary problems, according to the University of California, San Diego Medical School. A preliminary trial has also shown that capsules made from nettle leaves may help to reduce sneezing and itching from hay fever. More studies are needed to confirm the finding, however, according to the university. Other uses of nettle are based in tradition and their benefits have not been supported by scientific studies.
Positive Drug Interaction
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In one study, nettle was found to boost the pain relief provided by the drug diclofenac when the two were taken in combination. Diclofenac is used to treat arthritis. The study found that patients who took diclofenac in combination with nettle achieved the same pain relief as those who took twice as much diclofenac without nettle. More studies are needed to confirm the finding, according to the University of California.
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