Originally published July 6 2013
Stinging nettle promotes a wide range of health benefits
by P. Simard
(NaturalNews) Stinging nettle has a long history of being used in herbal medicine. It has a wide range of health benefits to either prevent or help cure various health issues. This perennial plant grown in a temperate environment is definitely gaining a well deserved reputation within the scientific community, especially in Europe and more specifically in Germany where tests on men have shown conclusive results about stinging nettle's ability to help maintain healthy prostates.
So what else can it do for you? The question should probably be more along the lines of what can't it do for you. You may want to consider adding this great medicinal herb in your regular diet, considering it has displayed promising results with numerous other health conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, asthma, bladder infections, bronchitis, bursitis, gingivitis, gout, hives, kidney stones, laryngitis, multiple sclerosis, PMS, sciatica and tendinitis. Topically it has also been used to enhance the appearance of hair on one's head, therefore considered as a possible remedy against oily hair and dandruff.
Dr. Andrew Wiel, the author of Natural Health/Natural Medicine, claims there simply is nothing more efficient than stinging nettle at relieving allergies. His belief is substantiated by past studies made at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon. It is known that decongestants, antihistamines, allergy shots and even prescription drugs similar to Allegra and Claritin only work on the symptoms of allergies, plus they seem to lose their potency over a certain period of time. These prescription medications may also cause drowsiness, dry sinuses, insomnia or high blood pressure. Stinging nettle on the other hand doesn't induce any of these potential side effects.
Research shows that it protects your prostate gentlemen
Stinging nettle is particularly helpful for men as it directly helps to maintain a healthy prostate as well as a healthy urinary tract. Nettle root extracts have shown to steadily ease any symptom compared to the placebos used in research. The nettle root has many active chemicals that play an important role in reducing the effects of an enlarged prostate.
Essen's Medical University in Germany confirmed how efficient the nettle root can be when treating an enlarged prostate. Back in 2000, it was published in the Planta Medica Journal that scientists witnessed that nettle extracts inhibit the problematic prostate cells from multiplying and thus came to the conclusion that the nettle root has certain active compounds that definitely provide assistance in retaining a healthy prostate.
Another study conducted in Poland had 134 people involved with each presenting symptoms of BPH. For eight weeks, they were all given 300 mg of nettle root extracts combined with a minimal dose of pygeum africum bark extracts. After only 28 days from the start of the clinical study, the patients already experienced important changes in urine flow, residual urine and nycturia.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.superfoods-scientific-research.com
http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-nettle.html
http://www.naturalnews.com
About the author:
After spending several years working in property management, P. Simard is now focusing on being a naturopath in Quebec.
After spending several years working in property management, P. Simard is now focusing on being a naturopath in Quebec.
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