Have some nettle tea if you’re suffering from hayfever at the moment – studies have shown it to act to prevent allergic symptoms by multiple mechanisms (Roschek et al., 2009), although its uses don’t stop there by any means. There are generally a lack of studies on nettle leaf, although many on nettle root, which is now commonly used in benign prostatic hyperplasia.
A recent randomized placebo-controlled trial on 50 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus indicated a significant reduction in measures of damaging oxidative stress (Namazi et al., 2012), at about 5g of nettle leaf per day over 8 weeks. But even if you’re fighting fit, why not take it anyway, as a slightly soup-like alternative to tea? It’s a great tonic and if you wait until the seeds appear, use them as well – they’re reportedly fed to show horses to boost glossiness of coats and pre-clinical studies even show benefit in kidney failure.
References
Namazi N, Tarighat A, Bahrami (2012) A The effect of hydroalcoholic nettle (Urtica dioica) extract on oxidative stress in patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomized double-blind clinical trial. Pak J Biol Sci.15;15(2):98-102
Roschek B Jr, Fink RC, McMichael M, Alberte RS. (2009) Nettle extract (Urtica dioica) affects key receptors and enzymes associated with allergic rhinitis. Phytother Res. 23(7):920-6.
