Nettle

• Painful, stiff joints. People use tea, extracts or the fresh sting hoping to ease joint pain. Interviews describe relief and a small hand-osteoarthritis sting trial found less pain, but a knee trial found no added benefit. A separate small study of dried leaf extract alongside usual rheumatoid-arthritis care reported differences in some inflammatory markers, but no significant between-group pain difference. Tea and stinging have not been shown to reduce joint inflammation. More on joint pain and the sting. [4] [5]
• Minor urinary complaints. Leaf tea and certain extracts are traditionally used to increase urine flow, not to treat an infection. [1] [2]
• Urinary symptoms from an enlarged prostate. The root, not ordinary leaf tea, is traditionally used after a doctor has excluded serious causes. [3]
• Hay fever. People try nettle for sneezing and a runny nose; study results are mixed, with relief not consistently greater than placebo. First study · later study.
• Oily, flaky skin. Certain aerial-herb powders have a traditional oral use. That does not mean applying tea to the skin. [1]
• Hair and scalp. Historical nettle hair washes were used for dandruff and hair loss; that does not establish new hair growth. Traditional-use record.
• As a vegetable. Well-cooked nettle leaves provide nutrients including minerals. Eating leaves differs from drinking an infusion. Food research.
• Blood glucose: studied, not self-treatment. A leaf-extract trial reported better measurements in people with type 2 diabetes who continued their medicines. This does not make ordinary tea a treatment. Leaf-extract trial.

Yes, some people touch painful joints with fresh stinging nettles to try to ease pain. They brush or tap the plant against the skin. This traditional practice is called urtication; the stinging hairs are not the same as tea. The sting can burn for hours and cause a rash.

In interviews with 18 people who had chosen to use nettles this way, 17 reported less joint trouble. These self-selected experiences matter but cannot show how often others benefit. Read the interviews.

A small hand-osteoarthritis study found less thumb or index-finger pain and difficulty with everyday tasks. A later knee study found similar pain improvement with nettle and a comparison plant. Pain relief is possible, but not established for every joint. Hand trial · knee trial.

Rheumatism is a broad term; osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis differ. These sting studies do not show that nettle slows rheumatoid arthritis, reduces inflammation inside the joint or repairs damage. Do not replace treatment. Skin-reaction research.

The sting and blood flow: nettle hairs introduce substances including histamine into skin. Histamine can widen tiny skin vessels. That explains a local reaction but does not prove that improved blood flow inside the joint relieves rheumatic pain. Changes in pain signalling have also been proposed. The mechanism of any relief is still uncertain. Nettle and skin · histamine and skin blood flow · possible explanations.

• Leaf and aerial herb: used for tea, juice, powders and extracts, traditionally for minor urinary or joint complaints. A specific dried leaf extract was studied for rheumatoid-arthritis markers, not tea. [4]
• Root: a separate material used for urinary symptoms of an enlarged prostate.
• Fresh nettle on skin: causes a sting, unlike tea or extracts. This describes a practice, not a home-treatment protocol.
• Well-cooked young leaves: eaten as a vegetable. Pick only plants you can identify; raw hairs can irritate the mouth.

Follow the leaflet for the actual medicinal product. There is no single dose across parts, preparations or complaints; tinctures may contain alcohol. [1] [2] [3]

Dandruff, hair loss and tonics. Historical herbal texts describe nettle hair washes and its use as a tonic or “blood purifier”. Uses for gout, digestive complaints and cough were also recorded. These describe what people did, not proven treatment, detoxification or guaranteed hair regrowth. Historical root and leaf uses · aerial-herb uses.

How long? European assessment of the specified aerial-herb medicines advises medical assessment if minor urinary symptoms persist beyond two weeks, or joint and skin complaints beyond four weeks. Those are not waiting periods for pain, fever or worsening: seek help earlier. Leaf and root products have their own instructions. [1] [2] [3]

Children and teenagers: medicinal aerial-herb tea for urinary complaints and specified joint products are discouraged below age 18; other listed urinary forms and oral skin powder below 12. Leaf-only products have their own rules. Ask a clinician or pharmacist about a particular product. These medicinal limits do not prohibit normally cooked leaves as food. [1] [2]

• A red, hot or swollen joint, especially with fever: get it assessed rather than treating it with a sting.
• Pain on urination, blood in urine, fever or inability to urinate: contact a clinician. Tea does not treat an infection.
• Pregnancy, breastfeeding or fluid restriction: medicinal nettle products are discouraged in pregnancy and breastfeeding. Do not use a urinary-flushing course if told to limit fluids.
• Medicines or use by a child: ask a clinician or pharmacist about the exact product. Do not change arthritis or diabetes medicines based on this page.
• Adverse effects: stomach upset, itching or rash may occur. Fresh stings can burn for a long time; avoid with nettle allergy or broken skin.

Aerial-herb safety [1] · leaf [2] · root [3] · skin reaction.