Stinging nettle side effects

Stingingnettle is a kind of flowering plant that most people know for its stingingeffect which can be quite intense and painful. The leaves and the root of thisplant are covered with small hair which carries the toxins that cause thestinging sensation. Although pretty uncomfortable and painful, the sting fromthe nettle isn’t really dangerous in the majority of cases and it usuallysubsides after a couple of minutes. However, those people who have rathersensitive skin might experience the pain for a couple of days even. The onlyreason to be worried about the effect of the stinging nettle and consult adoctor is when the pain and irritation don’t go away after more than a week.

On theother hand, stinging nettle has been used for medicinal purposes for a verylong time and it is rich with many important nutritious elements, such asvitamins, minerals and iron. And while the health benefits of stinging nettleare numerous, there are some side effects to it as well.

The use ofstinging nettle products can lead to dehydration

The form inwhich most people include stinging nettle into their diet is tea. The tea fromthe stinging nettle is known for its diuretic ability, which means that it improvesthe urine formation by the kidneys. More urination means getting rid of all thetoxic waste that one might have accumulated through urine, as well as of allthe unnecessary water. And while this is a very useful and healthy property ofthe tea, should one exaggerate with its use, they could end up releasing toomuch water from the body and becoming dehydrated. Therefore, paying attentionto moderation is highly advisable in order to avoid such complications.

Stingingnettle can cause digestive issues

The factthat stinging nettle can result in digestive problems does not mean that thisplant is hard to digest. The digestion part of the nettle is not complicatedand it doesn’t issue any problems. However, sometimes the nettle may cause someirritation in the stomach and the intestines that can result in symptoms ofvomiting, diarrhea and nausea.

Thenegative effect of stinging nettle on the blood

One of theknown benefits of stinging nettle is that it prevents blood clotting. However,in some cases, this benefit can backfire. What that means is that while, it hasthe ability to prevent blood clotting, stinging nettle can sometimes go so faras to make the blood thinner. This makes the blood susceptible to a number ofhealth problems.