Stinging Nettle
HerbalAlso called · 6 names▾▴
nettle, nettle leaf, common nettle, Urtica dioica, Urtica urens, Urticae folium
Herbal supplement (milk supply and urinary complaints)
Herbs and supplements are not FDA-approved before sale. About these sources
- Tea
- Capsule/tablet
- Liquid extract
- Topical
Research strength: 1 / 5
EMA's 2025 monograph says medicinal nettle herb is not recommended during pregnancy because data are insufficient. EMA's 2010 monograph gives the same precaution for medicinal nettle leaf. Neither monograph separates its pregnancy recommendation by trimester or reports a specific pregnancy outcome. These statements describe missing evidence, not a finding that nettle caused pregnancy harm. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-14
Research strength: 1 / 5
EMA's 2025 monograph says medicinal nettle herb is not recommended during pregnancy because data are insufficient. EMA's 2010 monograph gives the same precaution for medicinal nettle leaf. Neither monograph separates its pregnancy recommendation by trimester or reports a specific pregnancy outcome. These statements describe missing evidence, not a finding that nettle caused pregnancy harm. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-14
Research strength: 1 / 5
EMA's 2025 monograph says medicinal nettle herb is not recommended during pregnancy because data are insufficient. EMA's 2010 monograph gives the same precaution for medicinal nettle leaf. Neither monograph separates its pregnancy recommendation by trimester or reports a specific pregnancy outcome. These statements describe missing evidence, not a finding that nettle caused pregnancy harm. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-14
Stinging Nettle — Breastfeeding
Research strength: 2 / 5
LactMed says oral nettle has been used traditionally as a postpartum tonic and purported milk booster, but scientific support is minimal. EMA's 2025 monograph says medicinal nettle herb is not recommended during lactation because data are insufficient; LactMed reports no milk-level or infant-level measurements. Small trials tested a multi-herb tea or specially prepared drops and measured milk output or infant-feeding indicators, not a general nettle effect across products. LactMed describes one infant rash after the mother applied nettle to her nipple and says breast application is probably best avoided. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-14
Sources
- LactMed (NIH): Stinging NettleUS government
- European Medicines Agency: EU herbal monograph on Urtica dioica L. and Urtica urens L., herba, revision 1EU agencyEuropean guidance
- Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine Clinical Protocol #9, second revisionProfessional society
- Cochrane: Milk boosters (galactagogues) for mothers breastfeeding their healthy infants born at termResearch review
- Farshad et al., Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal 2024 (nettle oral drops trial)US government
- Özalkaya et al., Niger J Clin Pract 2018 (herbal tea study)US government
- Uslu et al., Eur J Pediatr 2011 (neonatal urticaria case report)US government
- Cragg et al., systematic review of herbal galactagogues in mothers of preterm babiesUS government
Pregnancy
The EMA 2010 folium monograph and the EMA 2025 herba monograph both say medicinal nettle use during pregnancy is not recommended because data are insufficient. Neither monograph gives trimester-specific guidance or a nettle-specific human pregnancy outcome estimate. A Danish pregnancy cohort's table mentions nettle in a literature overview, but it does not establish nettle exposure or report nettle-specific outcomes; it is not evidence of a nettle pregnancy effect. The materials reviewed do not support a specific conclusion about pregnancy outcomes.
Breastfeeding
LactMed describes oral nettle as a traditional postpartum tonic and purported galactagogue, but says scientific support for a nettle effect is minimal. In a three-arm study of 85 mothers of preterm infants, a commercial tea containing 1% nettle and six other herbs was used for one week; milk output increased more in the tea group, while infant weight gain did not differ significantly, with formula supplementation used when milk was insufficient. LactMed rates this study poor quality because it was not blinded, the randomization method was not stated, intent-to-treat analysis was absent, and results were internally inconsistent; the blend also cannot isolate nettle. A 2024 triple-blind trial assigned 117 mothers with healthy 10-to-15-day-old term infants to nettle drops, cumin drops, or placebo, 39 per group, using 15 drops three times daily for four weeks. It measured infant weight, breastfeeding frequency, wet diapers, diaper weight, and defecation frequency, not milk volume directly; its authors reported higher indicators in both drops groups than placebo and higher indicators in the cumin group than nettle. LactMed notes the drops were specially prepared for the study and their method and contents were not stated. A systematic review published online in December 2025 described low-certainty evidence for the nettle-containing multi-herb tea; its day-seven milk-volume estimate is not independently verified against the primary abstract and is not used as a clinical summary claim. LactMed reports no relevant published milk-level or infant-level measurements, but describes a 17-day-old infant's rash after topical nipple exposure; the primary case report supports that route-specific account.
The EMA monographs cover medicinal preparations of nettle leaf (folium) and nettle herb (herba). LactMed says supplements can contain multiple ingredients and that labeled ingredients or amounts may differ from actual contents; results from one product may not apply to others. The breastfeeding studies tested a multi-herb tea containing 1% nettle or specially prepared oral drops. No cited trial compares ordinary food portions with medicinal preparations. ABM describes herbal galactagogues generally as having preparation-regulation and evidence limits; this does not establish a nettle-specific contamination problem.
What was tested
The 2018 study tested a tea containing 1% nettle plus six other herbs in mothers of preterm infants for one week. The 2024 trial tested specially prepared nettle drops, cumin drops, and placebo in mothers of healthy term infants; the drops were given 15 at a time, three times daily, for four weeks. The latter trial measured infant weight and feeding-related indicators, not milk volume directly. Uslu et al. reported one infant rash after the mother applied nettle water to her nipples before and after breastfeeding; this was topical exposure, not evidence of transfer through milk. No cited trial tested ordinary food portions.
How much evidence supports nettle as a milk booster?
- Source A says
- Farshad et al. report that infant weight and feeding-related indicators were higher after nettle drops than placebo. Özalkaya et al. report a greater increase in measured milk output with a multi-herb tea containing 1% nettle than with the comparator groups. (Farshad et al., Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal 2024: Comparison of cumin and nettle oral drops, Özalkaya et al., Niger J Clin Pract 2018: Effect of a galactagogue herbal tea on breast milk production and prolactin secretion by mothers of preterm babies)
- Source B says
- LactMed says scientific support for a nettle galactagogue effect is minimal. ABM says current research on herbal galactagogues remains relatively inconclusive and it cannot recommend a specific galactagogue. (LactMed (NIH): Stinging Nettle, Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine Clinical Protocol #9: Use of Galactogogues in Initiating or Augmenting Maternal Milk Production, second revision)
- Why they differ
- The individual trials report their observed results, but the 2024 trial measured infant and feeding indicators rather than milk volume, and the 2018 tea contained six other herbs and had design limitations. LactMed and ABM assess the broader evidence and its limitations, rather than treating one trial as proof of a nettle-specific effect.
- Other sources
- Cochrane found the evidence for natural milk boosters overall very uncertain and did not provide a nettle-specific effect estimate. Cragg et al. rated evidence for the nettle-containing multi-herb tea low certainty. (Cochrane: Milk boosters (galactagogues) for mothers breastfeeding their healthy infants born at term, Cragg et al., systematic review of herbal galactagogues in mothers of preterm babies)
- What the evidence shows overall
- The trials provide limited evidence about particular nettle-containing products, not a reliable estimate for nettle alone or for other products. The tea study cannot separate nettle from the other ingredients, and the drop study did not measure milk volume directly. The broader evidence reviews describe substantial uncertainty.
- ABM says to assess medical causes of low milk production and increase the frequency and effectiveness of milk removal before considering a galactagogue. (Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, Clinical Protocol #9)
- ABM says current research on herbal and pharmaceutical galactagogues remains relatively inconclusive and it cannot recommend a specific galactagogue. (Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, Clinical Protocol #9)
- LactMed says it is probably best not to apply stinging nettle topically to the breast while breastfeeding. (LactMed (NIH))
General research, not specific to pregnancy.
EMA lists stomach complaints and skin reactions for medicinal nettle herb preparations. LactMed and the primary case report describe a newborn rash after topical nipple application, not an effect shown to pass through milk.
- EMA lists nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, allergic itching, rash, and hives for traditional medicinal use; the frequency is not known. (European Medicines Agency: EU herbal monograph on Urtica dioica L. and Urtica urens L., herba, revision 1)
- LactMed describes a 17-day-old infant's rash after the mother applied boiled nettle water to her nipples before and after feeds. Uslu et al. report the same topical exposure in the primary case report. (LactMed (NIH): Stinging Nettle, Uslu et al., Eur J Pediatr 2011: Urticaria due to Urtica dioica in a neonate)
- LactMed says supplement labels may differ from actual ingredients or amounts and that findings for one product may not apply to another. (LactMed (NIH): Stinging Nettle)
- LactMed (NIH): Stinging NettleUS governmentSecondaryPage dated 2026-03-15Independent check
- European Medicines Agency: Community herbal monograph on Urtica dioica L. and Urtica urens L., foliumEU agencySecondaryPage dated 2010-01-14European guidance
- European Medicines Agency: EU herbal monograph on Urtica dioica L. and Urtica urens L., herba, revision 1EU agencySecondaryPage dated 2025-01-22Independent checkEuropean guidance
- Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine Clinical Protocol #9: Use of Galactogogues in Initiating or Augmenting Maternal Milk Production, second revisionProfessional societySecondaryIndependent check
- Cochrane: Milk boosters (galactagogues) for mothers breastfeeding their healthy infants born at termResearch reviewPrimaryPage dated 2020-05-18Independent check
- Uslu et al., Eur J Pediatr 2011: Urticaria due to Urtica dioica in a neonateUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- Özalkaya et al., Niger J Clin Pract 2018: Effect of a galactagogue herbal tea on breast milk production and prolactin secretion by mothers of preterm babiesUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- Farshad et al., Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal 2024: Comparison of cumin and nettle oral dropsUS governmentPrimaryPage dated 2024-05-27Independent check
- Official Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal page for Farshad et al. 2024PrimaryPage dated 2024-05-27
- Cragg et al., systematic review of herbal galactagogues in mothers of preterm babiesUS governmentPrimaryPage dated 2025-12-05Independent check
Last reviewed 2026-10-14
Independent check 2026-10-14
Not yet clinician-reviewed
Ask your provider about your situation.