Nettle Leaf (Urtica dioica)
Medicinal Profile of
Nettle Leaf (Urtica dioica)
Nettle leaf is one of the most time-honored herbs in Western herbalism, known as both a food and medicine. Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is the fresh plant with stinging hairs that release formic acid and histamine, while nettle leaf refers to the harvested and prepared leaves (dried, steamed, cooked, or powdered) that no longer sting and are used in teas, capsules, or cooking. Rich in deep green minerals, nettle leaf acts as a gentle yet powerful tonic. It has a unique dual action: clearing what is heavy and boggy while rebuilding what is weak or depleted. This makes it especially helpful for people who feel both puffy or stagnant and at the same time tired or undernourished. Taken long-term, nettle helps one feel more grounded, energized, and clear, a stabilizing and rebuilding ally for everyday wellness. Unlike many tonics that lean only toward building or draining, nettle does both, gently balancing the body’s terrain.
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👉 Tastes describe the initial impression a food or herb leaves on the tongue, and they reveal its deeper actions in the body, shaping digestion, circulation, and tissue response.
Salty – The salty taste indicates high mineral content and works to nourish, rebuild, and stabilize depleted tissues.
Astringent – The astringent taste tones and tightens tissues, reducing excess moisture or laxity while supporting structural integrity.
Slightly Bitter – The bitter taste stimulates digestion, circulation, and metabolism, awakening sluggish systems.
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👉Qualities describe the felt nature of a substance or practice, and how it acts in the body beyond nutrients or chemistry.
Heavy – Provides substance and grounding, countering depletion or lightness.
Dry – Helps reduce excessive moisture, dampness, or bogginess in tissues.
Circulating – Encourages movement of fluids and energy, dispersing stagnation.
Stabilizing – Restores balance by reducing irritability, inflammation, or overstimulation.
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Nettle leaf is exceptionally rich in bioavailable minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iron, making it one of the most mineral-dense greens. It provides notable amounts of vitamin C for immune resilience, vitamin K for blood clotting and bone health, and B vitamins for energy metabolism. Its high chlorophyll content supports detoxification and oxygenation of tissues. In addition, nettle contains complete plant proteins (including all essential amino acids) in small amounts, making it an ideal tonic food for rebuilding strength.
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Infusion (Tea) – Dried leaves steeped in hot water to extract minerals and vitamins.
Strong Overnight Infusion – Leaves steeped overnight for a highly mineral-rich, nutritive drink.
Capsules / Powders:
Encapsulated dried nettle leaf is convenient for daily tonic use. Powder can also be added to smoothies or food.Freeze-Dried Capsules:
Retain more volatile compounds compared to heat-dried forms. Especially noted for acute allergy support and fast antihistamine action, where standard dried preparations may not act as quickly.Food Use – Fresh young nettle leaves cooked like spinach or added to soups.
Topical Poultice / Wash:
Infused water or crushed fresh leaves can be applied to the skin for minor irritations or as a hair rinse to support scalp and hair health.Glycerite (Alcohol-Free Extract):
Made with vegetable glycerin, this preparation is sweet, shelf-stable, and well-suited for children, sensitive individuals, or those avoiding alcohol. Provides mild nutritive and antihistamine benefits.Fresh Juice:
Fresh nettle leaf juiced in season provides potent minerals and chlorophyll. Best used in small amounts due to intensity.
Indicated Patterns by Affinity
👉 Indicated patterns describe the functional state of the body and its organs and/or tissues, showing whether they are dry, atrophied, too damp (pressure), stagnant, lax, inflammed, sluggish, tense or underactive. The Primary Indicated Pattern is the main state where this remedy works best. Secondary Indicated Pattern(s) are the patterns that often develop over time when the primary state is left unaddressed. The primary pattern must be supported first, as this allows the secondary patterns to naturally ease or resolve.
👉Affinities are the organ systems and tissues where the remedy acts most strongly.
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Congestive (Primary Indicated Pattern) – Nettle tones and clears boggy, stagnant urinary tissues, improving filtration and reducing excess dampness.
Examples: edema, sluggish urination, urinary gravel.Nettle’s astringent and drying qualities tone boggy urinary tissues, while its salty taste encourages fluid clearance through diuresis.
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Hypometabolic (Primary Indicated Pattern) – Nettle strengthens and rebuilds depleted muscles and bones through deep mineral nourishment.
Examples: brittle bones, poor recovery after exertion, fatigue-related aches.Nettle’s salty taste reflects its mineral density, while its heavy and stabilizing qualities feed and rebuild bones, muscles, and connective tissue.
Inflammatory/Excitation (Secondary Indicated Pattern) – Its stabilizing qualities can reduce joint irritation and reactivity when heat is present.
Examples: arthritic flare-ups, inflammatory joint pain.Nettle’s stabilizing qualities calm hot, irritated joints, reducing reactivity.
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Atrophic (Primary Indicated Pattern) – Nettle enriches and nourishes depleted blood and glandular systems, supporting resilience and vitality.
Examples: anemia, weak energy, hormonal depletion.Nettle’s heavy, nutritive quality enriches the blood and nourishes endocrine tissues when depleted.
Congestive (Secondary Indicated Pattern) – Nettle clears out stagnation from the blood, lightening toxic congestion and improving circulation.
Examples: sluggish liver clearance, skin eruptions linked to blood congestion.Nettle’s circulating and drying qualities clear stagnation in the blood, improving elimination and reducing toxic load.
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Inflammatory/Excitation (Primary Indicated Pattern) – When the immune or respiratory system becomes over-reactive and overstimulated, producing excess inflammation, irritation, or histamine activity.
Examples: hay fever, allergy flare-ups, eczema.Nettle’s stabilizing quality moderates over-reactivity in the immune system and cools inflammatory cascades.
Congestive (Secondary Indicated Pattern) – When the immune or respiratory system shows buildup of mucus, fluids, or stagnation, leading to boggy tissues, blocked sinuses, or damp congestion that slows normal clearance.
Examples: boggy sinuses, damp congestion contributing to allergies.It’s drying and astringent qualities reduce excess mucus or fluid buildup.
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Hypometabolic (Primary Indicated Pattern) – When the digestive system is sluggish and underactive, leading to poor assimilation of nutrients, weak appetite, and slow metabolic fire.
Examples: sluggish metabolism, poor assimilation of minerals, weak appetite due to low fire.Nettle’s slightly bitter taste awakens sluggish digestion and its salty quality supports nutrient absorption.
Congestive (Secondary Indicated Pattern) – When the digestive system accumulates excess dampness, fluids, or stagnation, resulting in heaviness, bloating, loose stools, or sluggish elimination. Examples: loose stools with bogginess, sluggish elimination.
The drying, astringent quality clears damp heaviness in digestion.
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👉 Medicinal actions describe the specific ways a food influences organ systems and body functions.
Urinary System
Diuretic – Increases urine flow, aiding clearance of excess fluids and metabolic wastes.
Astringent (Urinary) – Tones the bladder and urinary passages, reducing leakage and improving resilience.
Mild Antilithic – Helps prevent the formation of gravel or stones through improved urinary flow.
Musculoskeletal System
Nutritive Tonic (Mineralizing) – Deeply nourishes bones, muscles, and connective tissues with high mineral content.
Hair Growth Tonic – Strengthens hair and nails through mineral nourishment.
Anti-inflammatory (Musculoskeletal) – Reduces inflammation in joints and connective tissues, easing arthritic pain and swelling.
Blood & Endocrine System
Alterative (Blood Cleanser) – Gradually clears metabolic waste and toxins from the blood, improving circulation and skin health.
Hematopoietic Support – Provides iron and nutrients to support blood formation and alleviate depletion such as anemia.
Blood Tonic – Builds and enriches blood quality, useful in anemia.
Endocrine Supportive – Nourishes and stabilizes endocrine glands, especially the adrenals and pancreas, to restore balance.
Immune & Respiratory System
Anti-allergic – Modulates histamine response, reducing reactivity and easing seasonal allergy symptoms.
Anti-inflammatory (Immune) – Stabilizes overactive immune and inflammatory responses, calming hyper-reactivity.
Immune Calming – Modulates reactivity, especially in allergies.
Digestive System
Bitter Tonic – Mildly stimulates digestive secretions and liver activity, supporting sluggish metabolism.
Nutritive Tonic – Deeply nourishes tissues and metabolism with mineral content.
Reproductive System
Galactagogue – Stimulates and increases breast milk production, when low supply is linked to mineral deficiencies or overall depletion.
Topical Medicinal Actions (Infused oil, Fresh Poultice, Strong Infusion)
Anti-inflammatory:
Reduces local redness, swelling, and irritation when applied as a poultice or compress.Counterirritant (Urtication):
Fresh nettle stings have traditionally been used to stimulate circulation and relieve joint or muscle pain by increasing localized blood flow.Circulatory Stimulant:
Applied topically, nettle can bring warmth and movement to stagnant tissues, supporting recovery from chronic joint stiffness or sluggish circulation.Vulnerary (Wound-Healing):
Infused washes or compresses help minor cuts, abrasions, and skin irritations to heal more quickly.Antipruritic (Anti-Itch):
Can soothe itchy skin conditions (e.g., eczema, rashes, bug bites) when used as a cooled tea wash or compress.Astringent:
Tightens lax, boggy tissues externally; useful as a wash for weepy skin eruptions or inflamed mucous membranes.Hair & Scalp Tonic:
Traditional rinses with nettle infusion strengthen hair, reduce dandruff, and support scalp circulation. -
👉 Constituents are the natural compounds in a food that give rise to its actions in the body.
Chlorophyll – Gives nettle its deep green color; supports oxygenation of blood, detoxification, and wound healing internally.
Flavonoids (quercetin, rutin, kaempferol) – Provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions, reduce histamine response in allergies, and protect blood vessels.
Vitamins (A, C, K, and B-complex) –
Vitamin A: supports skin, eyes, and mucous membranes.
Vitamin C: boosts immune resilience, enhances iron absorption.
Vitamin K: vital for blood clotting and bone health.
B-complex: supports metabolism and nervous system function.
Minerals (iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, silica) – Build strong bones, muscles, connective tissue, and blood; correct depletion in hypometabolic/atrophic states.
Amino Acids & Proteins – Supply building blocks for tissue repair and stamina, making nettle more “food-like” than most herbs.
Silica – Specifically strengthens connective tissue, hair, nails, and bone structure.
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1st to 2nd Degree – Depending on how its prepared, Nettle leaf can be gentle and food-like when used as a nutritive tonic or it can have deeper actions as a diuretic, alterative, and anti-inflammatory when used consistently or prepared strongly.
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May potentiate the effects of diuretic medications.
Could alter blood sugar balance when combined with hypoglycemic drugs.
May increase effects of antihypertensive medications.
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Very dry types → if someone is already extremely dry (constipation, dry skin, brittle hair) without congestion, nettle’s astringency may aggravate dryness over time. Pair with moistening allies (marshmallow, licorice, linden, oatstraw) to balance it out.
Advanced kidney disease → because nettle increases urination, it could stress kidneys that are already failing. Needs practitioner oversight.
On multiple medications → nettle may amplify effects of diuretics, antihypertensives, or blood sugar medications.
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Traditional Sources
Culpeper, N. The Complete Herbal.
King’s American Dispensatory.
Grieve, M. A Modern Herbal.
European folk medicine traditions.
Modern Sources
Hoffmann, D. Medical Herbalism.
Bone, K. & Mills, S. Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy.
Yarnell, E. Naturopathic Urology and Men’s Health.
Winston, D. Herbal Therapeutics.
