Stinging Nettle / Urtica dioica Urtica urens

The Basics

What is Stinging Nettle / Urtica dioica Urtica urens?

It is used to improve urine flow, decrease residual urine volume, and reduce urinary frequency and nocturia in early-stage benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), to address inflammation in the lower urinary tract.

Brand names for Stinging Nettle / Urtica dioica Urtica urens

N/A

How Stinging Nettle / Urtica dioica Urtica urens is classified

Complementary Therapies, Galactogogues, Phytotherapy, Plants, Medicinal

Stinging Nettle / Urtica dioica Urtica urens During Pregnancy

Stinging Nettle / Urtica dioica Urtica urens pregnancy category

Category N/ANote that the FDA has deprecated the use of pregnancy categories, so for some medications, this information isn’t available. We still think it’s useful to list historical info, however, given what a common proxy this has been in the past.

What we know about taking Stinging Nettle / Urtica dioica Urtica urens while pregnant

N/A

Taking Stinging Nettle / Urtica dioica Urtica urens While Breastfeeding

What are recommendations for lactation if you're taking Stinging Nettle / Urtica dioica Urtica urens?

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica and Urtica urens) preparations have been used in nursing mothers orally as a postpartum as a tonic for treating anemia;[1][2] and is a purported galactogogue;[2][3][4][5][6][7] however, no scientifically valid clinical trials support the safety and efficacy in nursing mothers or infants for any use. Galactogogues should never replace evaluation and counseling on modifiable factors that affect milk production.[8] Although stinging nettle is generally well tolerated in adults, topical use can cause urticaria when applied topically, and application on one mother’s nipple resulted in allergic skin rash in her breastfed infant. It is probably best not to apply stinging nettle topically to the breast while breastfeeding. Dietary supplements do not require extensive pre-marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Manufacturers are responsible to ensure the safety, but do not need to prove the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplements before they are marketed. Dietary supplements may contain multiple ingredients, and differences are often found between labeled and actual ingredients or their amounts. A manufacturer may contract with an independent organization to verify the quality of a product or its ingredients, but that does not certify the safety or effectiveness of a product. Because of the above issues, clinical testing results on one product may not be applicable to other products.

Maternal / infant drug levels

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica and Urtica urens) preparations have been used in nursing mothers orally as a postpartum as a tonic for treating anemia;[1][2] and is a purported galactogogue;[2][3][4][5][6][7] however, no scientifically valid clinical trials support the safety and efficacy in nursing mothers or infants for any use. Galactogogues should never replace evaluation and counseling on modifiable factors that affect milk production.[8] Although stinging nettle is generally well tolerated in adults, topical use can cause urticaria when applied topically, and application on one mother’s nipple resulted in allergic skin rash in her breastfed infant. It is probably best not to apply stinging nettle topically to the breast while breastfeeding. Dietary supplements do not require extensive pre-marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Manufacturers are responsible to ensure the safety, but do not need to prove the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplements before they are marketed. Dietary supplements may contain multiple ingredients, and differences are often found between labeled and actual ingredients or their amounts. A manufacturer may contract with an independent organization to verify the quality of a product or its ingredients, but that does not certify the safety or effectiveness of a product. Because of the above issues, clinical testing results on one product may not be applicable to other products.

Possible effects of Stinging Nettle / Urtica dioica Urtica urens on milk supply

Single cases of gynecomastia in a man and galactorrhea in a woman were reported after ingesting nettle as a tea for 4 weeks prior to seeking medical advice. Serum hormones were normal in the man, but serum estradiol was very high, prolactin was slightly elevated, and LH and FSH were low in the woman. Both conditions reversed 4 to 6 weeks after stopping the tea. The case reports were from Turkey where ingestion of nettle is common. No analysis of the tea was performed to test for foreign substances.[10] The relevance of these findings with respect to breastfeeding are not known. The prolactin level in a mother with established lactation may not affect her ability to breastfeed.

A randomized trial assigned mothers of preterm infants to receive either a purported herbal galactogogue tea twice daily, a fruit tea twice daily or nothing. The galactogogue tea mixture (Natal, Hipp [Turkey]) contained 1% stinging nettle as well as melissa, caraway, anise, fennel, goat’s rue, and lemon grass in unspecified amounts. All mothers received similar breastfeeding advice from the same nurse and two groups were told that the tea would increase milk production, but compliance with the study teas was not assessed. Mother used breast pumps to extract and measure their milk and output on day 1 and day 7 of the study were compared. Although the increase in volume of extracted milk was greater in the galactogogue tea group, there was no difference in maternal serum prolactin between the groups at 7 days. No difference in infant weight gain was seen between groups, although the authors stated that additional supplementation was provided to all infants in addition to the pumped milk.[11] The study was not blinded, the randomization method was not stated, intent-to-treat analysis was not performed, and some of the numerical results were internally inconsistent, so the quality of the study was poor.

Possible alternatives to Stinging Nettle / Urtica dioica Urtica urens

None listed