Abstract
Urtica urens, commonly known as stinging nettle, is a significant remedy in homoeopathy, recognized for its diverse therapeutic applications. This remedy is particularly effective for treating first-degree burns, offering both topical and internal relief. It is known to influence various systems, including the Mammary glands, genitourinary organs, liver, and spleen. Urtica urens is beneficial for conditions such as insufficient breast milk production and kidney stones, while also addressing symptoms like urticaria, dysentery, and rheumatic pains. Its role extends to alleviating allergies, promoting elimination, and managing gout-related conditions. Characterized by its ability to provoke a range of symptoms, including burning sensations and oedema, Urtica urens plays a crucial role in the homoeopathic materia medica, making it a valuable resource for practitioners in managing both acute and chronic conditions effectively. This review highlights the extensive clinical applications and therapeutic potential of Urtica urens in homoeopathic practice.
Keywords
Urtica Urens, Homoeopathy, Therapeutic Applications, Skin disorders, Rheumatism, Holistic Healing.
Introduction(1,3)
Urtica urens is a well-known pernnial herbaceous plant, growing both in Europe and the United States, by the roadsides, in hedges and gardens. The stinging, or irritating property, is caused by the free formic acid, which is found in the little hairs, which are very sharp.(3)
Urtica urens, commonly known as stinging nettle, is known for causing stinging and burning sensations. It is one of the most effective treatments for first-degree burns, used both topically and internally. This remedy influences the Mammary glands, genitourinary system, liver, and spleen. It is useful for addressing insufficient breast milk and kidney stones, as well as producing a profuse discharge from mucous membranes. It can also alleviate symptoms from bee stings (Apis), bedwetting, and urticaria, and is indicated for spleen-related disorders. Urtica urens counteracts the adverse effects of shellfish consumption and is associated with symptoms that recur at the same time each year, including gout and uric acid conditions.
This remedy can provoke headaches linked to spleen discomfort, a rush of blood to the head, abdominal tenderness, dysentery, burning and itching of the anus, swelling, urticaria, and rheumatic or gouty pains, often accompanied by fever. Gout and rheumatism can present with urticaria-like rashes, with notable pain in the right deltoid muscle. It supports the body’s elimination processes and can cause a urine-like odour. Conditions such as urticaria, which may alternate with rheumatic symptoms, hives, haemorrhages, angio-neurotic oedema, and neuritis are also relevant. The right side is predominantly affected, but there may also be involvement of the left hypochondrium (spleen).(1)
History(1)
In Sweden, nettles are valued as a treatment for anaemia, often cooked and consumed similarly to spinach or brewed into a tea from dried leaves. The juice of fresh nettles mixed with sugar is commonly used for various types of haemorrhages, while their historical use for urinary disorders and gravel dates back many years.
Gerarde, lists several additional applications: (1) The juice can be inserted into the nostrils to stop nosebleeds and is beneficial for uvula inflammation. (2) It is also used for pleurisy, pneumonia, and whooping cough. (3) Nettles serve as an antidote for hemlock, poisonous mushrooms, mercury, henbane, and various snake bites.
According to Dioscorides, when nettles are cooked with periwinkles, they help cleanse the body and promote urine flow, potentially expelling kidney stones. Boiled with barley cream, they are believed to aid in expelling stubborn phlegm from the chest.
Gerarde notes that any type of nettle can have similar effects, but the Roman nettle (U. pilulifera) is considered most effective. Cooper mentions that a bundle of nettles applied to a rheumatic joint is a longstanding rural remedy. Additionally, placing a nettle leaf on the tongue and pressing it to the roof of the mouth can stop nasal bleeding.
Gerarde also points out their antidotal properties against snake bites and their efficacy for bee stings. A tincture can provide immediate relief even on sensitive areas like the face or eyelids, with repeated applications necessary for stings near the eyes. Furthermore, a woman who had been unable to nurse for three and a half years found that a hot infusion of nettles initially caused breast swelling, followed by a significant increase in milk production.
Clinical Conditions(2)
Agalactia. Allergic reactions. Anemia. Bee-stings. Breast-feeding, disorders. Burns. Deltoid, rheumatism. Dysentery. Erysipelas. Erythema. Gout. Gravel. Hemorrhages. Hives. Intermittents. Leucorrhea. Menorrhagia. Phlegmasia dolens. Kidney colic. Kidney stones. Rheumatism. Spleen disorders. Throat, sore. Uremia. Urticaria, nodosa. Vertigo. Whooping cough. Worms.
Causations(2)
Ill effects of burns, bee-stings, eating shell fish, suppressed milk, urticaria.
Sensations(1)
As from a blow in the eyeballs. As of sand in eyes. Muscles of right arm as if bruised. Burning, stinging, itching and soreness are the principal pains.
Head(3)
There is a dull, aching pain in the right forehead and the right side of the face, radiating to the molar bone. Neuralgic pain affects the right side of the face and forehead. The patient experiences a sensation of fullness, dullness, and dizziness, akin to a rush of blood to the head. There is also a persistent dull ache in the head, accompanied by sharp pains in the spleen area. A dull ache is felt at the back of the head and over the eyes. Additionally, urticaria suddenly appears on the scalp, accompanied by internal symptoms.
Face and eyes(3)
Pain is experienced in the right eye and right parietal region, described as a stinging sensation that prompts rubbing and pressing. There is a pressing pain felt over the right eye and within the eyeball, as well as similar discomfort in the left eye. Pressing pain is noted above both eyes, making them feel weak and sore. The eyeballs ache as if struck, accompanied by a gritty sensation. Fever blisters appear on the lips, causing itching. The lips, nose, and ears are swollen, and the eyelids are closed and oedematous, later developing small transparent blisters filled with serum, followed by peeling of the skin. Urticaria manifests after being suppressed, and vesicular erysipelas occurs following suppression as well.
Throat(4)
There is significant burning in the throat, accompanied by frequent attempts to clear frothy mucus. The burning sensation in the throat lasts briefly and triggers coughing.
Stomach(4)
– Brief episodes of nausea.
– Vomiting due to the suppression of nettle rash.
Abdomen(4)
– At 10 PM, pain was noted in the left upper quadrant.
– Sharp pains in the area of the spleen, accompanied by headache.
– Severe pain throughout the abdomen lasting for a week.
– Soreness in the abdominal area, along with a feeling of heat.
– At 10 AM, there was a sensation of soreness in the intestines while lying down, and upon
applying pressure, a sound was heard as if the intestines were filled with water.
Urinary Organs(2)
– Urine was suppressed for eight days, and all symptoms resolved with desquamation.
– Suppression of urine lasted for twelve days, accompanied by oedema in the entire upper
body up to the navel.
– Symptoms include strangury, gravel, and diseases affecting the bladder and kidneys.
– There was also haemorrhage from the bladder.
Rectum and Anus(4)
– While at stool, there was a burning sensation in the anus during and after the passage,
accompanied by a raw feeling and a small hemorrhoidal lump. In the afternoon and evening,
there was notable itching and burning, occasionally quite intense.
– No bowel movement occurred in the morning; at 2 PM, a small dysenteric stool was noted,
consisting of greenish-brown mucus, with urgency and tenesmus but no itching or burning.
There was also a small stool that required significant straining; the patient had been
constipated for several days, which was unusual for them.
– Dysentery symptoms included frequent urges to defecate, small painful stools, and mucus
mixed with a white substance resembling cooked egg whites, with occasional traces of blood.
During the proving, constipation was evident, with no bowel movement for two to three
days, which was atypical.
Extremities(5):
– The patient experiences rheumatic pain in the arms and ankles, with the right arm being
particularly affected.
– There is notable pain in the right deltoid, worsening at 9 PM, making it difficult to put on a
coat independently. The pain is cramp-like, intensifying in the evening with inward rotation
of the arm, accompanied by soreness upon touch and a rheumatic sensation in the left arm.
The next day, lying on the right arm exacerbates the pain, and any movement triggers a sharp
pain that extends along the front of the humerus. Occasionally, a similar but milder pain
occurs in the left arm. The muscles in the right arm feel bruised and sore, restricting the
ability to raise or stretch the arm due to pain. This is followed by rheumatic stiffness and
pain in the right wrist, later extending to the left arm, wrist, and fingers.
– Additionally, there is a stiff soreness on the inside of the left knee.
Skin(5):
– The patient has itchy swellings on the fingers and hands, resembling hives, along with lumps
and red spots on the hands and fever blisters on the lips, which are also itchy.
– There is a sensation of heat on the skin of the face, arms, shoulders, and chest, accompanied
by tingling, numbness, and itching. The lips, nose, and ears are swollen, and the eyelids are
so swollen that they can barely open. Over time, the upper body, down to the navel,
becomes swollen and pale, developing transparent blisters filled with serum that appear like
sudamina. These blisters merge, creating a wrinkled appearance on the skin. The eyelids are
closed, forming large, bluish swellings the size of eggs. The woman, who has not had children
for three and a half years and has not nursed any, initially experiences significant breast
swelling, which discharges serum and leads to copious milk production. Urine output was
suppressed for eight days, but all symptoms resolved with desquamation.(5)
“One of the best remedies for burns of the first degree, used locally and given internally.”.
“An application of the tincture even on the most sensitive parts of the face, or eyelids, gives instant relief.”.(9)
Male Sexual Organ(8)
Male patient reports itching of the scrotum, which disrupts sleep, and noticeable swelling in the scrotal area.
Sexual organs, female(6)
– Menorrhagia; uterine bleeding.
– “Insufficient or complete absence of milk secretion after childbirth.” – Lippe.
– [Believed to significantly enhance milk production.]
– Leucorrhoea characterized by a highly irritating and excoriating discharge.
– Vulvar pruritus with intense stinging and itching; similar sensations occur in the scrotum,
accompanied by significant swelling of the affected areas.
– Frequently effective in treating epistaxis, hematemesis, and menorrhagia.
Urtica urens Characteristics (7):
- Urticaria with severe itching and burning sensations.
- Urticaria that alternates with rheumatic symptoms.
- Urticaria worsens after bathing (Phos.), following intense physical activity (Con., Nat. mur.,
Psor.), from heat (Apis, Kali iod., Nat. mur), and during rheumatism (Rhus tox.).
- Vomiting resulting from the suppression of urticaria.
- Diarrhoea occurring after the resolution of skin eruptions.
- Urticaria presents as raised skin lesions with a white centre and a red halo, accompanied by
stinging and burning, which improves with rubbing.
- Lack of milk production following childbirth (Calc., Sil.).
- Fluid retention (Apis, Dig., Lyc., Nat. mur., Sulph.).
- Effective for treating first-degree burns and scalds.
- Erysipelatous inflammation in the limbs, characterized by burning, heat, and tingling
sensations (Ars., Bell., Rhus tox.).
- Menorrhagia occurring alongside leucorrhoea.
Conclusion
Urtica Urens holds significant therapeutic potential within homoeopathy, reflecting its diverse applications across various ailments. Known for its effectiveness in treating conditions such as skin disorders, allergies, and urinary issues, Urtica Urens offers a holistic approach to healing, addressing both symptoms and underlying causes. Its unique properties, including anti-inflammatory and diuretic effects, enhance its role in managing ailments like rheumatism and kidney stones. Furthermore, the remedy’s historical use and clinical observations support its efficacy in alleviating pain and promoting overall wellness. As ongoing research and clinical practice continue to explore its capabilities, Urtica Urens stands as a testament to the vast scope of homoeopathic remedies, highlighting the need for deeper investigation and integration into contemporary healthcare practices. Its multifaceted applications make it a valuable tool in the homoeopath’s repertoire, emphasizing the importance of individualized treatment in patient care.
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