If you suspect stinging nettle toxicity, it’s always a good idea to consult a medical professional. Do not confuse these plants with dead nettle (Lamium maculatum), a harmless perennial plant used in shade gardens. Among the conditions stinging nettles are purported to treat are: 1. Plus, if you compost nettle plants, their high level of nutrients can be spread throughout your garden. What look like short hairs on stinging nettle’s leaves and stems are actually needle-like barbs that can inject you with a mix of chemicals, even if you simply brush up against them. It’s helpful to have a tarp nearby that you can put your plant clippings on, so they don’t get lost in your soil or grass. 5 Anecdotally, washing the involved area thoroughly with water as This issue is easily mitigated. Leaves are lance-shaped and have sharp-toothed edges. Stinging Nettles. Then, don your thick gardening gloves and protective clothing. The stinging nettle plant is in abundance in many regions of North America. Either compost them or seal them in a yard waste bag. If you’re handling fresh nettle, be very careful. 5. regenerating scrub. Stinging Nettle is a perennial herb growing nearly worldwide. Osteoarthritis and Joint Pain. Stinging nettle can be eaten on its own or as an ingredient in foods. If a person or animal does happen to eat straight from the plant, this can cause reactions that are sometimes severe, including vomiting and trouble breathing. Hay fever 7. Stinging nettle is moderately difficult to remove, mostly because of the plant’s toxic components. The stinging nettle plant is in abundance in many regions of North America. However, you must be careful when working with stinging nettle because it has a toxic component. against. Overview. Moreover, while all parts of the nettle plant are edible, the leaves and stems can’t be eaten straight from the plant due to the barbs. And make sure you gather all the cuttings from your plant. tree-nettle poisoning (70 KB). In the winter, the plant dies back down to the ground. Enlarged prostate 9. Flowers They include: David Beaulieu is a garden writer with nearly 20 years experience writing about landscaping and over 10 years experience working in nurseries. It’s not called stinging nettle for no reason, fellow herb lovers. Its hair-like barbs on their leaves that can cause rashes or itchiness. Furthermore, to make sure new shoots don’t spring up, you can cover the site with a tarp or piece of cardboard for at least one full growing season. The leaves have anti-inflammatory properties to help reduce inflammation in the scalp and promote a healthy head of hair. Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) and its close relatives poison sumac (T. vernix) and poison oak (T. diversilobum) all contain a chemical known as urushiol. ... toxicity b y decre as i ng a s partate a mi no transfera se, alanine aminotrans f eras e, lactate dehyd roge nase, blood . If you do wish to grow stinging nettle in your garden, plant it in the spring after your last frost. Here are 6 evidence-based benefits of stinging nettle. Stinging nettle is native to temperate parts of Europe, Asia, and western North Africa. Many people opt to grow this plant for culinary and medicinal uses, as it’s high in several vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. On the flip side, butterflies and moths like to lay their eggs on nettle plants. Young stinging nettle plants often have a purplish tinge to their foliage, and their leaf edges tend to be more rounded. It’s a very hardy plant and can easily creep around your garden via self-seeding and underground stems that send up new shoots. Warning: –. Alternative practitioners believe that stinging nettles can reduce pain and inflammation associated with both infectious and non-infection conditions. Toxicity category: 3. After the stinging nettle enters its flowering and seed-setting stages, the leaves develop gritty particles called cystoliths, which can irritate the urinary tract. Dig around the plant’s base to loosen the roots, and then grasp the plant at its base to slide it out of the ground with the roots as intact as possible. All non-text content is subject to specific conditions. When touched, nearly all parts of these plants can trigger a severe, itchy, and painful inflammation of the skin known as contact dermatitis. The plant is native to parts of Europe, Asia, and North Africa, but now it can be found worldwide. © Crown Copyright. The body may not react positively to orally ingested stinging nettle, and it may result in gastrointestinal problems including nausea, vomiting, stomach upset, and even diarrhea. It can be helpful to put cuttings on a tarp, so nothing gets lost in your grass or soil. The little hairs on the back of the leaf sting when touched and can cause redness, swelling, itchiness and a rash. Flower spikes that bear small greenish blooms in clusters appear in the spring or summer. Muscle and joint pain 2. Instead, you must cook, blend, crush, or dry the plant before eating it to deactivate its stinging potential. This will smother any new plants that try to grow. Due to its ability to form patches and crowd out native plants that grow in its environment, it’s considered an invasive species. stinging nettle (U rtica dioica), red clover (Trifolium prat ense), meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis ) and maize ( Zea m ays ) and the control was w atered with 30 ml of distilled water. Reactions also can occur if you eat the plant without properly preparing it. The leaves contain about 4.8 mg chlorophyll per gram of dry leaves, depending on whether the plant was grown in the sun or shade. If your dog comes into contact with the stinging nettle and is displaying signs of pain and toxicity, a veterinary visit is warranted without delay. Stinging nettle tea is most often used to treat urinary tract or bladder infections, but the medicinal benefits of the plant go much further. However, clinical trials are limited. Both people and animals typically feel a stinging sensation—hence the plant’s common name—followed by local inflammation, a rash, and other various symptoms. Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) Native. Stinging nettle is a powerhouse of nutrients. Stinging Nettle Poisoning Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) are plants which have stinging hairs containing serotonin, formic acid, histamine, and other elements that cause irritation to horses. Finally, dig into the soil to remove any remaining roots you see, as these have the potential to sprout new plants. Stinging nettle rash can be irritating and painful, but it will usually resolve within a few days. Stinging nettle is considered a weed by many gardeners because of its ability to spread. The two species are very similar but the leaves of the perennial stinging nettle (Urtica incisa) are tapered into a point, whereas the annual small stinging nettle (Urtica urens) has a more rounded tip. If you’re using fresh nettle in cooking, simply wear gloves while you are handling it. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful (and bountiful) garden ever. Surprisingly, more chlorophyll and carotenoids are found in plants that have been grown in the shade. Stinging nettles are often seen as undesirable and invasive weeds, even though all parts of the nettle plant have been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years. By using The Spruce, you accept our, 36 Plants That Can Irritate Your Skin or Worse, How to Grow White Baneberry (Doll's Eyes), Common Backyard Plants That Are Poisonous to Dogs. A solid base supports a single elongated cell with a brittle tip. Recorded instances of death due to this plant are few in number, but it is a possibility with a severe poisoning. Stems and leaves have hair-like structures. Stinging nettle sends up its tall, erect stems each spring, which reach their full height by summer. The Spruce uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. We need to be careful when handling fresh stinging nettle leaves, as their barbs can inject various chemicals such as histamine, serotonin or formic acid and harm our skin. Arthritis sufferers often experience joint pain, typically in the hands, knees, hips and spine. The plant is common on bush margins and in regenerating scrub. Recorded instances of death due to this plant are few in number, but it is a possibility with a severe poisoning. it may go numb for a short period. Anemia 6. perennial plants native to Europe and found throughout the United States and parts of Canada There are 5 subspecies of which 4 have stinging hairs. We don’t have enough conclusive evidence in support of stinging nettle’s efficacy as a testosterone booster. Stinging leaves of nettle. Arthritis 4. Nettle leaves must first be cooked or steamed to destroy the hairs on them, which contain a number of irritating chemicals. It contains on average 22% protein, 4% fats, 37% non-nitrogen extracts, 9-21% fiber, and 19-29% ash. Tendonitis Although researc… It’s commonly seen in North America, especially the Pacific Northwest due to its love of moisture in the soil. Lens-shaped capsule, approximately 1.5mm long. In the wild, you'll often see it in the damp soil along stream beds, as well as in the nutrient-rich soil of pastureland. Sedative medications (CNS depressants) interacts with STINGING NETTLE Large amounts of stinging nettle above ground parts might cause sleepiness and drowsiness. Download the document to read an account of Plant taxonomy: Stinging nettle is a member of the genus, Urtica, a broadleaf, perennial plant. These chemicals include acetylcholine, histamine, serotonin, leukotrienes, and moroidin. Urtica dioica L. (Stinging nettle). Reaches about 4 feet tall at maturity, often grows in colonies. 10055581. In its peak season, nettle contains up to 25% protein, dry weight, which is high for a leafy green vegetable. sick or have died after blundering into a patch of tree It is largely considered safe and well-tolerated, with very low toxicity. Berries/Fruits. It can also be categorized as a noxious weed. Stinging nettle generally grows on deep, rich, moist soil and doesn't do well in areas of drought. Mutagenicity and carcinogenicity studies using the aqueous extract have been negative ,so far. Department of Conservation Reference: It occurs in moist sites along streams, meadow, and ditches, on mountain slopes, in woodland clearings, and in disturbed areas. Nettles are primarily used in the management of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), diabetes, and arthritis. The plant prefers evenly moist, loamy soil with good drainage and a neutral soil pH. In most cases, the symptoms are only mildly to moderately uncomfortable. Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is a fast-growing herbaceous perennial that gets tall in the summer and dies back down to the ground in the winter. Symptoms may include weakness, muscle tremors and dyspnea.4 There is no standardized treatment for persons with stinging nettle contact dermatitis. There are six common subspecies of stinging nettle, but only five have the stinging barbs. Stinging nettles grow in colonies, typically in the moist, mineral-rich soil of uncultivated areas -- not gardens. There are a variety of symptoms of stinging nettle toxicity, including: The symptoms generally arise within 12 to 24 hours. The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly. The sting is quite painful and the area around it may go numb for a short period. Many people will be able to relieve symptoms with home remedies. Toxicity. Botanical name: Urtica urens, Urtica incisa. Eczema 3. It grows best in USDA hardiness zones 3 to 10. The toxicity to humans varies widely with some stings being mildly irritating and the deadliest being potentially fatal within minutes. The leaves narrow at the tip and have serrated edges. Commercial re-use may be allowed on request. It bears small greenish flowers in the spring. Gout 5. Potential side effects of stinging nettle. But it has since made its way around the world. Moreover, it does well in both full sun (at least six hours per day) and partial sun (three to six hours per day). Grows in moist, shaded woodland areas. Ongaonga or tree nettle is covered in needle-like stinging hairs that give off a poison when brushed against. Common name: Stinging nettles. This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. Stinging nettle may cause some minor side effects such as sweating and an upset stomach. But it's tolerant of many soil types and pH levels. stinging hairs that give off a poison when brushed These pollinators ultimately can benefit your entire garden. Most of the studies conducted on humans are in vitro, i.e., they have been … Many plants with stinging hairs have the word "nettle" in their English name, but may not be related to "true nettles" (the genus Urtica). This plant is covered in small stinging nettle hair cells that break easily on … Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand Licence. Your source for reliable herbal medicine information. And because of its ability to spread vigorously, it’s considered an invasive species in parts of North America. Resources ABC Clinical Guide to Herbs Its leaves and stems have tiny stinging barbs, which contain chemicals that can cause pain and inflammation in people and animals when they come in contact with the skin. nettle. Some of the claims are better supported by research than others. The sting is quite painful and the area around Urinary tract infections 8. Avoid touching your face as you work. Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) has been a staple in herbal medicine since ancient times, such as to treat arthritis and back pain. People have become sick or have died after blundering into a patch of tree nettle. If you're working with a stinging nettle plant in your garden, always wear protective clothing. Toxicity Irritant compounds (histamines and acetocholines) that cause reddening and intense itching fill the stiff, hypodermic-needle-like stinging hairs on the stem and leaves (Figure 4). Stinging nettle may lead to minor side effects such as an upset stomach and sweating. However, some people and animals can have more serious allergic reactions, such as tightness in their chest or throat, that require prompt medical treatment. When the tip of the brittle, tubular hair is broken, pressure on the bulbous hair base injects the irritants into the skin. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder. This plant is covered in small stinging nettle hair cells that break easily on … poisoned while walking the patches of stinging nettle due to the very significant load of penetrated hair spicules. If you have a plant you need to get rid of, first moisten the soil around it to make it easier to slide out the roots. Maggy Wassilieff, 'Poisonous plants and fungi - Poisonous native plants', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/document/9773/stinging-hairs-of-ongaonga (accessed 15 February 2021), Story by Maggy Wassilieff, published 24 Sep 2007. All text licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand Licence unless otherwise stated. Though several unrelated families of plants have stinging hairs, their structure is generally similar. Toxicology It seems the possibility of oral toxicity with nettle preparations is considered low at present. Skin irritant. While Nettle is very effective and useful for our skin, it isnt useful however in the form of fresh leaves. And, of course, the leaves and stems are covered in those pesky stinging barbs, which look like fine hairs. But overall, nettle is regarded as safe and well-tolerated, with very low risk for side effects or … Introducing "One Thing": A New Video Series. Also, proper quality control as well as toxicological investigations is required to guarantee the stability and safety of the clinical uses. You also can use anti-itch creams as well as antihistamines and anti-inflammatories, as directed by your doctor. The stems sport medium green leaves that are around 2 to 6 inches long and 1 to 2 inches wide. Many mild cases can be treated at home by cleaning the affected area with soap and water to wash away the chemicals and then using a piece of tape to try to pull any remaining barbs out of the skin.