Nettle Root for Prostate Size Reduction
Symptom improvement is better documented than any actual reduction in prostate volume.
Overview
Verdict
How It Works
Dosing & Protocol
Typical dose
- Recommended dose
- 120-600 mg/day nettle root extract, commonly 120 mg twice daily; prostate volume did not shrink in trials, though symptoms improved in some
- Expected timeframe
- 6-12 months for symptoms; no volume change expected
Protocol
- form
- Nettle root (Urtica dioica radix) extract, sometimes combined with saw palmetto in trials
- duration
- Symptom trials ran 6-12 months
- co factor
- Evidence is insufficient for the specific outcome of prostate size reduction. Randomised trials of nettle root at 120-600 mg/day in benign prostatic hyperplasia, including a 6-month placebo-controlled trial and 12-month extensions, report modest improvements in International Prostate Symptom Score and peak urinary flow. But prostate volume measured by ultrasound did not change significantly in these studies - symptom improvement occurred without demonstrable shrinkage, which suggests effects on smooth muscle tone, inflammation or bladder function rather than on gland size. This matters because the drugs that genuinely reduce prostate volume, the 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors finasteride and dutasteride, do so measurably over 6-12 months and nettle root does not replicate that.
- titration
- Trials used 120-600 mg/day
- starting dose
- Not established for reducing prostate size. Symptom trials used 120 mg twice daily
Evidence
What the studies say
Urtica dioica for treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study
Safarinejad MR
Nettle root improved IPSS scores and peak urinary flow versus placebo without changing prostate size or PSA.
Safety
Caveats
Lower urinary tract symptoms in men need assessment before self-treatment, since benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, urinary infection, urethral stricture and neurological disease can present similarly. Blood in the urine, inability to pass urine, fever with urinary symptoms, bone pain or unexplained weight loss need prompt medical attention - acute urinary retention is a surgical emergency. Discuss PSA testing with your doctor. Established treatments with stronger evidence include alpha blockers such as tamsulosin for symptoms and 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors for genuine volume reduction. Safety of nettle root: generally well tolerated, with mild gastrointestinal upset and occasional allergic skin reactions. No established upper intake level, and long-term safety beyond about a year is not well characterised. Nettle has diuretic activity - use caution with diuretics, with lithium where reduced clearance can cause toxicity, and in kidney disease. It may lower blood glucose and blood pressure. Leaf preparations contain vitamin K and can antagonise warfarin. Avoid in pregnancy, given reported uterine stimulant activity, and in breastfeeding.
Less likely to help if
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