Stinging nettle is a perennial plant. The stem grows from 2 to 7 feet high and bears serrated, pointed leaves. The small, greenish flowers grow in clusters from July to September.

Nettle contains many helpful ingredients: chlorophyll, vitamin C and vitamin A, bio-available minerals, including calcium, silicon, and potassium chloride, protein, and dietary fiber.

Nettle is effective in treating hay fever because of the antihistamines in the leaf. Nettle is sometimes used to open the bronchial airways and loosen congestion in people with asthma or allergies. And Nettle is indeed effective in treating inflammatory skin conditions.

Nettle helps people with arthritis by reducing the dosage of drugs and thus their side effects. Nettle also contains large amounts of silicon and boron that ease symptoms of bursitis, arthritis, and tendonitis. Nettle is able to treat urinary tract infections and increase the production of urine. It is a mild laxative, and can increase the efficiency of kidney and liver function. As a bitter herb, nettle purifies the blood and is thus used to treat ulcers, asthma, bronchitis, hemorrhoids, jaundice, nephritis, and spasmodic dysmenorrhea.

Nettle has been used to treat diarrhea, dysentery, hemorrhages, febrile affections, gravel, nephritic complaints, chronic diseases of the colon, eczematous affections, eczema of the face, neck and ears, and chronic cystitis. Externally it has been used for bleeding wounds, burns, scalds, nettle rash (yes, you can use nettle to treat nettle pain), urticaria, and nosebleed.

Nettle is a standard herbal treatment of symptoms in men with BPH. The prostate becomes enlarged and causes men to develop problems with urination. Nettle helps both in urination during the day and in not as frequent visits during the night. How does this work? Nettle keeps the body from converting testosterone into 5-alpha-reductase, an enzyme that makes the prostate gland begin to grow again after 40. However nettle does not decrease the enlargement of the prostate. In combination with either pygeum bark extract or saw palmetto, nettle has been, in some, as effective as the drug finasteride. Some believe it can even stimulate hair growth.

Nettle is also a natural diuretic. It helps the body eliminate uric acid and bacteria that cause urinary tract infections and kidney stones. The diuretic action of nettle may also help lower blood pressure and relieve premenstrual bloating. Much controversy surrounds the advice that pregnant or nursing women should not take nettle. The one side says it might cause uterine contractions. The other says this is not a danger when taken moderately. Perhaps it is related to when the nettle is harvested. If it is harvested before flowers appear, it seems to be safer.

Nettle can be grown yourself, or purchased as a dried leaf to make into tea, or as capsules, tablets, and tinctures. Dried root products, often combined with saw palmetto, are also available for prostate treatment. Some just like to sprinkle the powder on their food. If you store the leaves, do so in a dark, dry, and cool place.

Due to its diuretic action, prolonged use of nettle can cause an electrolyte imbalance. Also, people who take nettle on a regular basis should make sure they get enough potassium in their diet. For more on [nettle leaf|nettle leaves|nettle leaf benefits|the nettle leaf herb], visit More Than Alive, a website dedicated to promoting [bulk herbs|bulk dried herbs] and their benefits to human health.