Stinging nettle benefits for men

Urtica dioica, better known as stinging nettle or simply nettles, is a perennial herb native to the moist, shaded forests of Europe and North America. It’s easy to find at low to middle elevations, mostly because you’ll feel it first: its stinging hairs contain formic acid, the same compound in fire ant stings. Those hairs are just one reason this plant belongs in your medicine cabinet.

Nettles are rich in protein, iron, trace minerals and chlorophyll. In spring, when the young leaves are fresh, cooked nettles make a nourishing green, a great choice for vegetarians. (Cooking or drying removes the sting.)

Leaf, root and seed: traditional uses

Different parts of the plant have different traditional uses, many of them relevant to men:

• Leaf: herbalists have long used nettle leaf as a spring tonic and for seasonal allergies (freeze-dried leaf is a common form), gouty joints and fluid retention.
• Root: in modern herbal medicine, nettle root is used for an enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH) and prostate inflammation, often combined with saw palmetto.
• Seed: herbalists include nettle seed in formulas for the kidneys and for energy.

What the research shows

The strongest human research on nettle is for blood sugar. A review of 8 randomized trials with 401 people with type 2 diabetes found lower fasting blood sugar with nettle supplements, by about 18 mg/dL on average.¹ A broader review of 13 trials also found lower fasting blood sugar, A1c, triglycerides and systolic blood pressure.² Both reviews note that the studies varied widely, so more research is needed. That matters for men, since diabetes is closely tied to low testosterone and erectile problems (see The benefits of cinnamon for men).

For the prostate, the trials are mostly small or more than 10 years old, so I can’t point to research that meets my standards. If you have urinary symptoms, see your doctor first: they can have several causes, and some need medical care.

Nettle root and free testosterone

In clinical practice, I sometimes use nettle root along with other treatments for improving free testosterone levels. I usually combine it with zinc and magnesium to assist with lowering SHBG. It’s one part of a plan, not a stand-alone answer. I’ve also seen many men whose estrogen runs high relative to their testosterone.

Most testosterone in your blood is bound to proteins. One of them, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), helps decide how much stays bound and how much is free to reach your tissues.³ Here’s what botanical medicine research has found about how nettle root might act on that balance:

• Lignans and SHBG: nettle root contains plant compounds called lignans. In test-tube studies, nearly all of the lignans tested bound to human SHBG, and one, called 3,4-divanillyltetrahydrofuran, stood out.⁴ Lignans also reduced the binding of a potent form of testosterone (DHT) to SHBG, and the pattern suggested they compete for the same spot.⁵ Other nettle root compounds, including certain fatty acids, reduced SHBG binding too.⁶
• Displacing testosterone: a 2020 study mapped how that lignan fits into SHBG’s binding pocket. In cell culture, it increased testosterone’s activity by displacing it from SHBG. The same study found that it binds SHBG relatively weakly, and that zinc almost completely blocked its binding.³ That was a lab finding, so what it means for zinc taken by mouth isn’t clear.
• Aromatase: several nettle root compounds showed weak to moderate activity against aromatase, the enzyme that turns testosterone into estrogen.⁷ In another lab study, a nettle root extract also inhibited aromatase, and combining it with Pygeum africanum strengthened the effect.⁸ A 2017 review of nettle’s chemistry and pharmacology also lists aromatase and 5α-reductase inhibition among the ways it works.⁹ A 2007 review of nettle root disagrees on 5α-reductase, calling it a less likely target.¹⁴
• Testosterone production: in diabetic mice, the same lignan from a related species, Urtica fissa, increased proteins involved in making testosterone in the testes and improved mating behavior.¹⁰
• Zinc and magnesium: in a lab study, magnesium loosened testosterone’s binding to SHBG at levels found in the body, which increased the available testosterone.¹¹ Among 313 men aged 50 to 75, those with higher blood zinc tended to have lower SHBG, and higher magnesium went along with higher total testosterone.¹² That shows a link, not cause and effect.

These findings explain why nettle root interests herbalists, but they don’t prove it raises free testosterone in people. I couldn’t find a human study that measured free testosterone with nettle root. In a trial of 620 men with enlarged prostates, testosterone levels didn’t change with nettle or placebo.¹³ The 2007 review of nettle root named SHBG, aromatase, epidermal growth factor and prostate steroid membrane receptors as likely targets in the prostate, but it also cautioned that it’s unclear whether lab and animal findings carry over to clinical effects.¹⁴ That’s why I look at each man’s labs and whole picture, and why it’s worth working with a clinician rather than guessing. If you’re concerned about low testosterone, see your doctor, since several medical conditions can cause it.

Urtication: an old remedy for sore joints

Traditionally, fresh nettle stalks were brushed against the skin over a painful joint, a practice called urtication. The sting brings a local inflammatory response and increased blood flow. Herbalists have used it for arthritis, gout, low back pain, sciatica, sprains and sore muscles. The sting can last a day or more. It isn’t for everyone, and it isn’t a substitute for evaluating persistent joint pain.

Using nettle safely

• Nettle is widely eaten as a cooked green, and it’s generally well tolerated. Supplements can cause mild stomach upset. A 2007 review found a very low risk of side effects and low toxicity with nettle root, though it noted that pre-clinical safety data were still incomplete.¹⁴
• Because nettle may lower blood sugar and blood pressure and has a mild diuretic effect, check with your doctor before taking it if you use medication for diabetes, blood pressure or fluid retention, or blood thinners or lithium.
• Avoid medicinal doses during pregnancy.
• Ask your doctor about the right dose of zinc and magnesium. Taking high-dose zinc for a long time can lower your copper, and magnesium supplements can cause loose stools and aren’t for everyone with kidney disease.
• Wear gloves when you harvest it, and cook or dry it before eating.

Nettles for the 21st-century man

From spring greens to herbal tea through the winter months, nettle is an easy, nourishing plant to keep in your kitchen and your medicine cabinet. Talk with a licensed naturopathic physician or your own doctor before taking nettle or any botanical medicine.

This article is general education, not medical advice, and does not create a doctor–patient relationship. Talk with your own doctor before changing your diet, supplements or medications.

Sources

1. Ziaei et al. (Phytotherapy Research, 2019): The effect of nettle (Urtica dioica) supplementation on the glycemic control of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis (8 randomized trials, 401 participants)
2. Tabrizi et al. (Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry, 2022): Effects of Urtica dioica on metabolic profiles in type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials (13 trials)
3. Round et al. (Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2020): Molecular interactions between sex hormone-binding globulin and nonsteroidal ligands that enhance androgen activity (laboratory and cell study)
4. Schöttner, Gansser & Spiteller (Planta Medica, 1997): Lignans from the roots of Urtica dioica and their metabolites bind to human sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) (laboratory study)
5. Schöttner, Spiteller & Gansser (Journal of Natural Products, 1998): Lignans interfering with 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone binding to human sex hormone-binding globulin (laboratory study)
6. Gansser & Spiteller (Zeitschrift für Naturforschung C, 1995): Plant constituents interfering with human sex hormone-binding globulin (laboratory study)
7. Gansser & Spiteller (Planta Medica, 1995): Aromatase inhibitors from Urtica dioica roots (laboratory study)
8. Hartmann, Mark & Soldati (Phytomedicine, 1996): Inhibition of 5α-reductase and aromatase by a combination of Pygeum africanum and Urtica dioica extracts (laboratory study)
9. Semalty et al. (Current Traditional Medicine, 2017): A comprehensive review on phytochemistry and pharmacological effects of stinging nettle (Urtica dioica)
10. Yang et al. (Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2022): Effects of 3,4-divanillyltetrahydrofuran from Urtica fissa on sexual dysfunction in diabetic mice (animal study; a 2025 correction replaced one duplicated image and, per the authors, did not change the results)
11. Excoffon et al. (Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, 2009): Magnesium effect on testosterone-SHBG association studied by a novel molecular chromatography approach (laboratory study)
12. Rotter et al. (Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 2016): Analysis of the relationship between the blood concentration of several metals, macro- and micronutrients and endocrine disorders associated with male aging (313 men aged 50–75)
13. Safarinejad (Journal of Herbal Pharmacotherapy, 2005): Urtica dioica for treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study (620 men)
14. Chrubasik et al. (Phytomedicine, 2007): A comprehensive review on the stinging nettle effect and efficacy profiles. Part II: urticae radix

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