Stinging Nettle Benefits: Medicinal Properties, Uses for Hair, and When to Harvest

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is a perennial herbaceous plant with an upright, four-sided, grooved stem. It grows from one to one and a half metres tall and is sometimes branched in its upper part. The photo below shows this magnificent plant.

The leaves of stinging nettle are large, up to 10–15 centimetres long, arranged in opposite pairs, long-pointed and dark green. The stems and leaves are covered with long stinging hairs.

What useful substances do nettle leaves contain?

Stinging nettle flowers from June to July, and this is the period when its leaves are harvested. The beneficial substances in nettle leaves include vitamins K, B2 and C, carotene, sugars, organic acids, starch, tannins, pigments and other biologically active compounds and trace elements.

How is nettle used in folk medicine?

The healing properties of nettle have been known for a long time. Folk medicine uses nettle as an anti-inflammatory, wound-healing and haemostatic (blood-staunching) remedy. The juice pressed from freshly cut nettle leaves is used for haemorrhoids, diarrhoea and severe nosebleeds, and as an expectorant and fever-reducing agent.

For treating burns and wounds, boils and hair loss, nettle is applied in the form of compresses. Decoctions and infusions of nettle were traditionally taken internally for epilepsy, chronic bronchitis, kidney stones, liver disorders and diabetes mellitus.

In scientific medicine, a liquid extract and infusions of nettle leaves are prescribed for vitamin deficiencies (hypovitaminosis) and as a haemostatic agent to stop bleeding.

In the past, nettle was also used as a raw material for making ropes, cords and fishing nets that were notable for their strength and water resistance. A green dye that did not fade in the sun was obtained from the leaves, while a yellow dye was extracted from the roots.

Young nettle leaves are rich in vitamins and nutrients and have long been used in cooking to prepare soups, cabbage soup, salads and sauces. Nettle juice and leaves are also widely used in cosmetics. The juice of fresh stinging nettle removes dandruff and strengthens the hair roots, while a decoction of the leaves is used to rinse the hair after washing.

The harvesting times for stinging nettle are listed in the calendar for gathering medicinal plants.