iii: Herb of the Month
Nettle (Urtica dioica) Marianne Hughes, with illustration by Hazel Brady Where to start with this much maligned plant? Nettle (Urtica dioica) is, as Bruton-Seal and Seal (2014) tell us, ‘one of the world’s great herbs, and has been recognised throughout history as such wherever it grows’. They go on to acknowledge the work of herbalist John Parkinson (1567-1650), who described the many medicinal virtues of Nettle— its use as a decongestant and expectorant, an antiallergenic (for asthma and hay fever), a diuretic to dissolve calculi from the kidneys and bladder, for worms and wind, for stimulating menstruation, for skin sores, fistulas and gangrene, and for nose bleeds (acting similarly to Yarrow, Achillea millefolium). Almost certainly drawing on Parkinson’s work, Nicholas Culpeper (16161654) echoed his appreciation of the Nettle, whose: roots or leaves boiled … is a safe and sure medicine to open the passages of the lungs which is the cause of wheezing and shortness of breath, and helps to expectorate phlegm. Parkinson’s thoroughness should be heeded today, and Nettle recognised for the amazing herb it is. Pant and Sundriyal’s extensive review of research into Nettle (2016) has confirmed its world-wide medicinal application as an effective cure for allergies, rheumatism and arthritis, as an antioxidant, and in decreasing cholesterol levels. A modern use of Nettle root— unknown in Parkinson and Culpeper’s time —is for the problem of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in men. The action appears to be an anti-proliferative effect on the prostatic epithelial cells— that is, reducing the enlarging of the prostate (Pant and Sundriyal, 2016). The underestimated medicinal benefits of Nettle have also been highlighted by Kregiel et al (2018), whose research has explored Nettle’s ‘noticeable activity against 10
both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria’. The anti-microbial activity of the active compounds in Nettle add another layer of use for this often-neglected herb. More recently, the research interest in Nettle for medicinal use has been expanded to include a focus on Nettle as a food. Pant and Sundriyal (2016) note that, according to the FAO in 1999, 75% of the world’s food is generated from only twelve plants— and that, since 1900, 75% of plant genetic diversity has been lost, as farmers switch to genetically uniform high-yielding varieties in place of local varieties. New plant resources with health and nutritional benefits are needed, particularly as a deficiency of Vitamin A, iron and iodine leads to common public health problems. A review of over 160 research articles revealed the considerable ethnobotanical importance of Nettle (ibid). While I was aware of Nettle as a rich source of iron, calcium and magnesium, I was not aware that Nettle’s leaves, stems and roots contain 26% protein— double that found in Spinach
