The Vast Scope of Urtica Urens in Homoeopathy - Dr. Bhavik Parekh

The Vast Scope of Urtica Urens in Homoeopathy – Dr. Bhavik Parekh

Urtica Urens also known as the Common Nettle or Stinging nettle has very characteristic usage especially in Homoeopathic practice associated with stinging or stinging-burning pains. Dr. J. H. Clarke credits Dr. Burnett for rediscovering Urtica Urens as a remedy. The provings of Uritca urens are not extensive, but supplemented by clinical observations given in the Clarke’s dictionary and by Dr. M. Tyler helps to make the picture is fairly complete. Some of which are quoted at the end of this article. 

It comes from the family of Urticaceae and prepared from the tincture of the fresh plant. As the name suggests, one of the commonest indications we would find is in conditions resembling urticaria or nettle rash for which it is often clinically applied. However on a deeper study one would find the remedy applicable in a lot more conditions other than those limited to the skin. 

Sphere of Action: Urtica Urens has an extensive sphere of action on the skin. Its tincture has been empirically used with water and cloth soaked in it to wrap around the Nettle rash only to find the eruptions and the pain magically disappear. The other prominent spheres of action prominently seen are on the Mammae and Mucus Membranes especially of the intestines, Nerves, Kidneys and the Spleen

Indications: One of the key aspects of Urtica Urens is that it antidotes the effects of eating shell fish. Interestingly shell fish can cause allergic reaction in the form of urticaria and also cause high uric acid levels, both being important indications of the remedy. Oedema with burning and stinging are the other symptoms commonly found throughout its sphere of action. The remedy has Uric acid and Haemorrhagic diathesis. 

Skin: The skin symptoms of Urtica Urens cover full range of urticarial rashes. It consists of itching blotches, with burning heat, stinging and violent formication, which requires constant rubbing. The skin becomes elevated, with a central spot and a red areola. This can even extend to angioneurotic edema. It has also described it for Uritcaria nodosa, where the skin eruptions of urticaria are nodular. The rash can have inflammation, oedema, vesicular eruptions, blisters, anasarca, and sudamina. The urticarial symptoms of Urtica Urens are associated with enuresis and rheumatism. The typical stinging-burning also suggest indication in prickly heat.

The burning and stinging pains makes it a good remedy for burns and scalds of the first degree used both locally and internally. The typical pains also make it a good remedy for neuritis. Along with these the other indications found are herpes labialis with heat; itching and stinging of the scrotum which keep him awake at night. The same are also seen in Female with Pruiritus vulvae with stinging and oedema.

The Uric acid diathesis finds its indications in Gout and Renal Lithiasis. The acute gouty pain typically affect the deltoid (Right), ankles and the wrists. The pathology further extends where we have urinous odour from the body, indicative of Uraemia. 

Spleen: The affections of spleen, yearly periodicity and tropical fever can also indicate its significant application in malarial fevers. 

Mammae: Affection of the glandular system especially the mammae, where in it helps to increase secretion of milk or arrests the flow of milk after weaning where there is excessive swelling of the breasts. Farrington considers it as the best remedy for agalactia without any other symptoms and no apparent cause. 

Mucous membranes: Mucous membrane is another affinity of Urtica Urens where it produces inflammatory processes like enteritis, dysentery, peritonitis followed by effusion; causing sounds as if bowels were filled with water. The stools are small in quantity, painful, frequent urging, and mixed with white matter like boiled white of eggs and at times little blood. It is also a good anti-helminthic remedy for Ascarides with great rectal irritation. 

Blood: Urtica Urens has haemorrhagic diathesis with Haemoptysis from least exertion of the lungs, intense menorrhagia and haemorrhage from bladder. 

Modalities: 

Worse from: COLD; snow air, water, cool moist air, touch, stings, burns

Related remedies: Formica rufa, Natrum mur, Ocimum

Compare: 

Gout, fever, spleen affection: Nat mur

Dropsy, uraemia, gravel, gout: Uric acid, Urea, Urinum

Spleen affection: Ceanothus

Rheumatism of right deltoid: Sanguinaria

Secretion of milk: Ricinus, Pulsatilla

Urticaria: Apis, Nat m, Astacus fluvatilis, Medusa 

Few clinical experiences from text books:

Dr M.Tyler describes Dr Burnett’s experience in her book. Dr Compton Burnett shares a case of his first acquaintance with nettle as a medicine. “Twenty years ago I was treating a lady for intermittent fever of the mild English type, when one day my patient came tripping somewhat jauntily in to my consulting room and informed me that she was quite cured of her fever, and wished to consult me in regard to another matter. I at once turned to my notes of her case, and inquired more closely in to the matter of the cure, in order to duly credit my prescribed remedy with the cure, and the more so as ague is not always easily disposed of therapeutically. ‘Oh!’ said the lady, “I did not take your medicine at all, for when I got home I had such a severe attack of fever that my charwoman begged me to allow her to make me some nettle-tea, as that was a sure cure of fever. I consented, and she at once went in to our garden, where there are plenty of nettles growing in a heap of rubbish and brickbats, and got some nettles, of which she made me a tea and I drank it. It made me very hot. The fever left me, and I have not had it since.” Burnett continues, “the thing escaped my mind  for years, but one day being in difficulty about a case of ague, I treated it with a tincture of nettles and cured it straight away, and my next case also, and my next, and almost every case ever since, with very nearly uniform success. Some of my cases of ague cured with nettle tincture were most severe ones, invalided home from India and Burmah.

Dr M.Tyler shares one case where ‘someone doing a chemical experiment, exploded a small tube of boiling Sulphuric acid (oil of vitriol) in to face and eyes. It was quickly washed away, but there were extensive superficial burns, and a corneal ulcer. Good old RUDDOCK, in his Domestic Homoeopathy, advised: a soft rag, moistened with a few drops of Urtica in water quickly wiped the pain out, and healed in a couple of days so far as the skin was concerned. 

Dr. J. H. Clarke quotes, Burnett has used this remedy frequently for splenic affections and patients under the influence of this remedy passed large quantities of gravel. Burnett also concluded that Urtica is remedy for acute gout, which would cut short the attack in a safe manner, namely, by ridding the economy of the essence of the disease product. Under its influence the urine became more plentiful, dark and loaded with uric acid. Urtica Urens was his sheet anchor in cases of fever of East India, Burma and Siam. 

Note: The reader is directed to Clarke’s dictionary of practical materia medica for more such clinical experiences with the remedy.

About the Author: 

1. Dr. Bhavik Parekh, Associate Professor, 

  1. Dr. Akshata Nayak, Assistant Professor, Department of Materia Medica,  Dr. M. L. Dhawale Memorial Homoeopathic Institute, Palghar. 

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