Nettle (Urtica dioica) · Herb Profile

At a glance

Botanical name: Urtica dioica
Family: Urticaceae
Part used: Leaf, Root, Seed
Taste: Salty, Astringent
Temperature: Cool
Moisture: Dry

On temperature, Gerard (1633) and Culpeper (1653) read it as warm. The app keeps cool, the modern reading of what the herb does in the body; the old readings are shown here but do not change it.

Safety at a glance

In pregnancy

Generally safe

While breastfeeding

Traditional galactagogue — compatible and supportive during breastfeeding.

For children

Highly safe and nutritive; widely used in children

Cautions

Caution with anticoagulants at high doses; diuretic — adequate hydration

General contraindications

Generally safe; highly nutritive food/medicine

Stewardship

Nettle (Urtica dioica) is abundant globally in rich soil; aggressive perennial. Wildcraft wearing gloves. Stewardship: the plant that requires you to be careful when you approach it teaches consent in herbalism.

In the traditional record

Nettle — Urtica used since ancient times; referenced in Homer; archaeologically documented in ancient Egypt

Which herbs suit your body?

The same herb can calm one person and wire another. Our free assessment reads your pattern across temperature, moisture and tone, then matches herbs to it.

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Educational use

The Apothecary is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a diagnosed condition.

On our sources

These entries draw on public-domain materia medica, most of it published before 1900, alongside a smaller number of modern reference works. Energetic qualities such as warming, cooling, drying and moistening are a traditional framework for describing how a plant behaves in the body, not a laboratory measurement. Where a period source states one, we cite it. Where none does, and for many North American herbs none exists, the value reflects modern herbal consensus rather than a historical text. When we cannot support a caution with real evidence, we say nothing rather than guess.