Brief Introduction

Synonyms--- Nettle, stinging nettle, common nettle, big string nettle, gerrais, isirgan, kazink, nabat al nar, ortiga, grande ortie, ortie, urtiga, chichicaste, brennessel, gross d’ortie, racine d’ortie

β-Sitosterol

Chemical Name: α-Dihydrofucosterol;22,23-Dihydrostigmasterol;24β-Ethylcholesterol;5-Stigmasten-3β-ol

Molecular Formula: C29H50O

Mol. Wt.: 414.7154

Molecular Structure:

Nettle, Stinging nettle or common nettle, Urtica dioica, native to Europe, Asia, northern Africa, and North America, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant, 1 to 2 m (3 to 7 ft) tall in the summer and dying down to the ground in winter. It has widely spreading rhizomes and stolons, which are bright yellow as are the roots. The soft green leaves are 3 to 15 cm (1 to 6 in) long and are borne oppositely on an erect wiry green stem. The leaves have a strongly serrated margin, a cordate base and an acuminate tip with a terminal leaf tooth longer than adjacent laterals. It bears small greenish or brownish 4-merous flowers in dense axillary inflorescences. The leaves and stems are very hairy with non-stinging hairs and also bear many stinging hairs (trichomes), whose tips come off when touched, transforming the hair into a needle that will inject several chemicals: acetylcholine, histamine, 5-HT or serotonin, and possibly formic acid. This mixture of chemical compounds cause a sting or paresthesia from which the species derives its common name, as well as the colloquial names burn nettle, burn weed, burn hazel. The genus name Urtica comes from the Latin verb urere, meaning 'to burn,' because of these stinging hairs. The species name dioica means 'two houses' because the plant usually contains either male or female flowers. The pain and itching from a nettle sting can last from only a few minutes to as long as a week.

The plant has been widely used by herbalists around the world for centuries. In folk medicine nettle plants have been used very wildly, for examples, as a diuretic and laxatives, to build the blood, to stop the bleeding of wound, for excessive menstrual bleeding, for arthritis and rheumatism, for eczema, for ulcers, for asthma, for pain relieving, for inflammations, for prostate and urinary diseases, for skin problems, for diabetes, . Externally it has been used to improve the appearance of the hair, and is said to be a remedy against oily hair and dandruff. Nettle leaves were also recommended as a nutritious food and as a weight loss aid by the famous American plant forager and naturalist, Euell Gibbons.

Many remarkable healing properties are attributed to nettle and the leaf is utilized for different problems than the root. The leaf is used here as a diuretic, for arthritis, prostatitis, rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure and allergic rhinitis. The root is recommended as a diuretic, for relief of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and other prostate problems, and as a natural remedy to treat or prevent baldness.

Over the last several years, more consumers and practitioners have been learning of nettle's many uses for prostate problems, arthritis and inflammation in general, allergies and hair loss and it follows that more nettle products are showing up on the shelves in stores. Nettle root, nettle leaf and whole herb (leaf, stem and root) products in tablets, capsules, and tinctures are now widely available at most health food stores at very reasonable prices. Consumers just need to remember that the root is much better for BPH and hair loss, while the leaf is better for inflammation (including prostatitis), allergies, and as a natural diuretic for people with hypertension.

Unfortunately, consumers (and even natural product manufacturers) overlook these important distinctions between the root and leaf when searching for natural remedies and products. Nettle is now an ingredient in many herbal formulas for prostate health which are sold in the U.S. market. Pay close attention to the ingredients stated on the labels however; the root is needed for BPH, and the leaves will provide much better results for prostatitis. As a general preventative to prostate problems, for maintaining healthy prostate functions as well as male hormonal levels; clinical research suggests the root will work better than the leaf as well.

PLANT CHEMICALS

The stinging sensation of the leaf hairs is caused by several plant chemicals including formic acid, histamine, serotonin, and choline. In addition to these chemicals, nettle leaf is rich in minerals, chlorophyll, amino acids, lecithin, carotenoids, flavonoids, sterols, tannins and vitamins. The root of the plant has other chemicals such as scopoletin, sterols, fatty acids, polysaccharides and isolectins. Several of nettle's lectin chemicals have demonstrated marked antiviral actions (against HIV and several common upper respiratory viruses). Other chemicals (flavonoids in the leaves and a lectin in the root) have been documented with interesting immune stimulant actions in preliminary research which led researchers to suggest that the lectin might be useful in the treatment of systemic lupus.

Nettle's main plant chemicals include: acetophenone, acetylcholine, agglutinins, alkaloids, astragalin, butyric acid, caffeic acids, carbonic acid, chlorogenic acid, chlorophyll, choline, coumaric acid, folacin, formic acid, friedelins, histamine, kaempherols, koproporphyrin, lectins, lecithin, lignans, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, neoolivil, palmitic acid, pantothenic acid, quercetin, quinic acid, scopoletin, secoisolariciresinol, serotonin, sitosterols, stigmasterol, succinic acid, terpenes, violaxanthin, and xanthophylls.

Nettle Leaf Extracts can be used to treat arthritis, anemia, hay fever, kidney problems, and pain. Nettle leaf is a herb that has a long tradition of use as an adjuvant remedy in the treatment of arthritis in Germany. Nettle leaf extract contains active compounds that reduce TNF-α and other inflammatory cytokines. It has been demonstrated that nettle leaf lowers TNF-α levels by potently inhibiting the genetic transcription factor that activates TNF-α and IL-1B in the synovial tissue that lines the joint.

Nettle root extracts have been extensively studied in human clinical trials as a treatment for symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). These extracts have been shown to help relieve symptoms compared to placebo both by themselves and when combined with other herbal medicines.

Because it contains 3, 4-divanillyltetrahydrofuran, certain extracts of the nettle are used by bodybuilders in an effort to increase free testosterone by occupying sex-hormone binding globulin.

Fresh nettle is used in folk remedies to stop bleeding because of its high Vitamin K content. Meanwhile, in dry U. dioica, the Vitamin K is practically non-existent and so is used as a blood thinner.

An extract from the nettle root (Urtica dioica) is used to alleviate symptoms of benign prostate enlargement. Nettle leaf extract, on the other hand, is what has been shown to reduce the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-B1.

Anti-itch drugs, usually in the form of creams containing antihistaminics or hydrocortisone, can provide relief from the symptoms of being stung by nettles. Many folk remedies exist for treating the itching including horsetail (Equisetopsida spp.), leaf of dock (Rumex spp.), Jewelweed, (Impatiens capensis and Impatiens pallida), mud, saliva, or baking soda, oil and onions – some of which may be mainly placebo in effect.

The Nettle Root Extract used in dietary supplements is derived from the roots of the plant sting nettle (Urtica dioica).

Benefits

Main Actions

· Anti-inflammatory

· Pain-relieving Actions

· Treats Prostatitis

· Treat benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH)

· Reduces allergies

· Cleanses blood

· Stops hair loss

· Increases urination

· Stops bleeding

· Dilates blood vessels

· lowers blood pressure

· Heals wounds

Other Actions

· Stimulates digestion

· Aids lactation

· Promotes menstruation

· Kills germs

· Lowers body temperature

Mechanism: BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES

Nettle's long-standing use as an anti-inflammatory aid for rheumatism and arthritis has been confirmed with clinical research. In several clinical studies (including a randomized double-blind placebo trial) nettle leaf extracts were documented with anti-inflammatory actions as well as to be beneficial (and better than placebo) at relieving arthritis pain and inflammation in humans. Research suggests that nettle's anti-inflammatory actions are attributed to its ability to interrupt the production and actions of inflammation-producing immune cells in the body (cytokines, prostaglandins and leukotreines). Another randomized double-blind study was performed on nettle in 1990 which confirmed its traditional uses for allergies and rhinitis (a common inflammatory disorder causing sneezing, nasal congestion and discharge and itchy skin and often triggered by allergies). In this study with 69 patients, nettle extract again rated higher than placebo: 58% reported it relieved most all their symptoms and 48% stated it was more effective than other over-the-counter medications. It was still being confirmed as a beneficial treatment for rhinitis 10 years later when researchers then suggested the same sort of inflammatory immune cell suppression was responsible for the documented effects.

Other recent animal studies with rats (in 2000 and 2002) reported that water extracts of nettle lowered blood pressure, reduced heart rate, and had notable diuretic actions. One of the studies reported that a nettle root extract performed better than the control drug they used (furosemide) at reducing blood pressure, increasing urine output, and increasing sodium excretion. Earlier studies reported nettle had no effect on blood pressure in rats but demonstrated a notable hypotensive effect in cats. It was also shown to have an pain-relieving effect in mice, a sedative effect in rats and mice, as well as to inhibit drug-induced convulsions and lower the body temperature of rats.

The last area of research on nettle focuses on its usefulness for prostate inflammation (prostatitis) and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). In more than 20 clinical studies thus far, nettle root (and nettle combined with other herbs) has demonstrated an improvement of clinical symptoms in BPH and prostatitis. (Prostatitis is the inflammation of the prostate gland and surrounding tissues usually caused by a bacteria. BPH is an age-related non-malignant enlargement of the prostate gland due to increased numbers of cells triggered to grow in the prostate.) While nettle's benefit for prostatitis is most probably related to its documented anti-inflammatory properties demonstrated in the arthritis and rhinitis research, its effect on BPH is quite different - it works on a hormonal level.