Urtica urens

Prepared from the fresh flowering plant Urtica urens, part of the Urticaceae family. The plant is rich in histamine, formic acid, acetylcholine, serotonin, and other irritants responsible for its intense stinging and inflammatory action. It grows wild across Europe and North America and is distinguished from Urtica dioica (common nettle) by its smaller leaves and more intense sting.

Although not classically proved in the Hahnemannian tradition, its toxicological and clinical symptoms were gathered through extensive clinical use and confirmed by Clarke, Hering, Boericke, and others. It has developed a strong clinical profile through its affinity for skin, glands, and uric acid diathesis.

Urtica urens represents the eruptive, inflammatory force of nature—a reaction of the body trying to eliminate internal disturbance through the skin and glands. Its essence lies in hypersensitivity, blockage of natural outlets, and overreaction to stimuli, particularly food and heat. Whether it is milk that won’t come, sweat that won’t break, or rashes that won’t fully express, Urtica urens acts to liberate and restore. It’s a vital remedy for modern allergenic syndromes, breastfeeding crises, gout, and superficial burns—bridging the gap between acute irritative states and chronic retention patterns.

• Skin – hives, eruptions, itching, urticaria, burns, eczema, insect stings
• Mammary glands – suppressed lactation, agalactia, mastitis, swelling, induration
• Urinary tract – uric acid diathesis, burning urination, renal irritation
• Joints – uric acid rheumatism, gout
• Glands – lymphatic activity, especially when suppressed or obstructed
• Nervous system – hypersensitivity, neuralgia following suppression
• Blood – increased uric acid, uræmic irritation
• Left side – especially left breast and left limbs
• Circulation – reactions of the blood and vascular tissues to allergens or injury
• Digestive tract – after allergic food reactions or exposure to shellfish

The mental state is secondary in Urtica urens but not without importance. There is a tendency toward irritability that mirrors the stinging discomfort of the physical body—patients may be short-tempered, restless, or overwhelmed by the burning and itching sensations. Restlessness, often due to skin discomfort, drives them to constant movement. There can be anxious despair when eruptions are suppressed or during acute allergic states. Mental dullness and confusion may follow allergic reactions or appear in uræmic states. A child needing Urtica urens may cry out in frustration due to itching or pain and may seem “angry” without reason.

Sleep disturbed by itching and skin burning. Waking after midnight with eruption flares. Restless tossing. Sleepy but unable to sleep due to surface symptoms. Children cry out in sleep or scratch unconsciously.

Dreams of heat, insects, being stung or chased. Restless, anxious dreams that reflect waking irritability. Visions of red blotches or suffocating heat.

Tendency to eruptive and glandular disturbances. Affections are acute but intense. Sudden flare-ups after exposure, suppression, or dietary errors. < Warmth, > cold. Left-sided complaints, especially breast and limbs. Reacts well to low potencies and external applications. Suited to infants, nursing mothers, uræmic patients, and those with sensitive skin.

Alternating chills and burning heat. Heat intense in the skin, but may feel cold internally. Fever often follows suppressed milk, eruptions, or menstruation. High temperature with thirst and restlessness.

Chills along spine, followed by heat of skin. Sweat profuse, often cold and sticky. Perspiration aggravates itching. Sweat mainly on face and chest. Suppressed sweat leads to eruptions or urticaria.

Sensation of heat and stinging pain in the scalp, as if pricked by nettles. Eruptions may appear along the hairline or forehead, especially during spring. The scalp may itch uncontrollably, < heat or scratching. Headache with prickling scalp, often associated with heat or uric acid states. In some cases, hair falls out in patches after prolonged urticaria or systemic disturbance. Headache follows suppressed discharges or overexertion, with throbbing and dull pressure.

Eyes red, swollen, and watery during allergic or eruptive phases. Eyelids puffed, with burning, smarting sensations. Lachrymation with stinging, as from smoke. Conjunctivitis associated with urticaria or shellfish exposure. Itching of canthi, photophobia, and blinking from sensation of grit in eye. A child may rub the eyes constantly. Aggravation from warmth, relief from cold compresses.

Itching inside the ear canal, < warmth. Ear lobes red or blotchy during flare-ups. Buzzing or ringing in the ears during febrile uræmic states. Occasional urticarial plaques appear on external ears or behind them, accompanied by burning or stinging.

Itching and tingling in nostrils. Coryza that appears after exposure to allergens, particularly food-based. Nosebleeds may accompany suppressed menses or rash. Sneezing with heat and itching at the root of the nose. Discharge scanty and acrid. In children, nose often rubbed due to itchiness during allergic episodes.

Face swollen, blotchy, or flushed during allergic states. Urticaria around mouth and chin, especially in children or after food allergy. Eruptions may be symmetrical, raised, and accompanied by burning pain. Lips cracked and dry, or covered in small itchy vesicles. Cheeks hot to touch. Neuralgic pains during uræmic or mastitic conditions.

Burning and tingling of tongue and lips. Aphthous ulcers after prolonged rash suppression. Tongue may feel raw, with prickling edges. Dry mouth alternating with salivation. Taste metallic or bitter, especially after shellfish. Thirst increased for cold drinks during febrile episodes. Tingling sensation in soft palate during allergic responses.

Dental pain associated with suppressed skin conditions or breastfeeding disorders. Teeth feel elongated and sore. Gums bleed easily and are tender to touch. Infants with eczema may grind teeth in sleep.

Dry, raw, scraped feeling in throat. Tonsils swollen and red during urticarial outbreaks. Burning on swallowing, < warm drinks. Sensation of a lump or constriction during allergic response. Itching in back of throat that provokes dry cough.

Breasts swollen, painful, or heavy. Stinging in nipples. Tightness across chest during allergic flares. Red patches over chest wall. Itching over sternum. Postpartum breast engorgement with burning pain and suppressed milk. Pain in left breast extending to axilla.

Palpitations from excitement, suppression, or allergic reaction. Pulse full and bounding during fever or urticarial states. Pain near heart during menses or uric acid flare-up. Chest tightness with anxiety during eruptions.

Dry, hacking cough with tickling in trachea. Asthmatic symptoms arise after rash disappears. Dyspnoea during flare-ups or from shellfish exposure. Breathing laboured during menses or eruptions. Cough worse at night and on lying down.

Aversion to food, especially during flare-ups. Craving for sour or cold items. Nausea after seafood, eggs, or dairy. Vomiting may accompany intense itching or eruptive states. Burning or stinging in epigastrium. Infantile colic from mother’s suppressed milk. Sensation of fullness after small quantities.

Bloating, distension, and flatus. Pain shifting in the lower abdomen, < motion. Cutting pain in the intestines with eczema or urticaria. Itching or burning of abdominal skin. Enlarged spleen during uræmic states or chronic skin complaints. Redness over abdominal wall in sensitive individuals.

Itching, stinging, or crawling at anus. Haemorrhoids during urticarial attacks. Stools alternate between diarrhoea and hard, crumbling masses. Green, mucous stools in infants with skin eruptions. Fissures or bleeding during stool in suppressed menses or eruptions.

Scanty urine, high in uric acid content. Burning during urination, with urethral itching. Urine often dark, with brick dust sediment. Pain in kidney region, < motion. Urination may trigger hives in lower extremities. Useful in uræmia with dry skin and suppressed sweat.

Strong aggravation from shellfish, particularly shrimp, crab, and oysters. Also < eggs and rich, fatty foods. Aversion to milk, especially in mothers with mastitis. Desire for cold water and sour foods. Nausea after greasy meals.

Itching and burning in scrotum or perineum. Hives or eruptions on genitalia after seafood. Testicular pain with uric acid overload or suppressed eruptions. Erection diminished during skin or urinary symptoms. In some, emission relieves itching.

A key remedy for lactation disorders. Milk fails to appear after delivery, or stops suddenly from shock, exposure, or fever. Breasts hot, swollen, hard, and painful, especially the left. Mastitis, often recurring. Itching of nipples with stinging or red patches. Menses suppressed or delayed after nursing or during skin outbreaks. Vaginal itching worse after menses. Pruritus vulvae during pregnancy or postpartum.

Burning sensation between scapulae. Pain in lumbar spine in gouty or uræmic patients. Eruptions along spine with intense itching. Backache in nursing mothers with suppressed milk. Formication and tingling along vertebral column.

Classic site for urticaria: raised, white or pink blotches, intensely itching and burning. Joints swollen and stiff from uric acid or gout. Pain in knees, elbows, and wrists. Formication, tingling, crawling sensation. Rheumatic pain alternating with skin symptoms. Fingers swell during flares. Red blotches that appear and vanish rapidly.

Chief sphere of action. Skin covered in raised, pale wheals surrounded by red areola. Stinging, burning, and itching are intolerable. Scratching brings momentary relief, then worsens. Worse from heat, warm water, touch, and suppressions. Skin hypersensitive, feels bruised. Vesicular or papular eruptions. Eczema with clear, sticky exudation. Excellent for burns, scalds, sunburn, insect bites, chickenpox. Eruptions often follow shellfish or cold exposure. Skin dry in uræmic states.

• Apis mellifica – Similar burning and oedema, but Apis is chilly and thirstless
• Rhus toxicodendron – More restlessness, vesicular eruptions, < wet weather
• Sulphur – More systemic and deeper acting; generalised burning and aggravation from heat
• Histaminum – Acute allergic states without characteristic modalities
• Lachesis – Left-sided, glandular, but more congestive and intense mental symptoms

• Complementary: Apis, Rhus tox., Belladonna
• Antidotes: Apis, Camphora
• Follows well: Sulphur, Pulsatilla
• Precedes well: Calc. carb., Lycopodium
• Inimical: Phosphorus (occasionally)

• Use in urticaria, eczema, or burns, esp. if < heat, > cold
• Excellent for agalactia, especially with breast swelling
• Works well in infants with allergic rashes and green stools
• Consider for chronic gouty pain, esp. if skin symptoms alternate
• External use of tincture (1x diluted) complements internal treatment
• Low potencies (3X–6X) best for organ support; 30C and up for systemic reaction

Skin

• Urticaria, < shellfish
• Burns, first degree
• Eczema with burning
• Eruptions alternating with asthma

Female

• Agalactia
• Mastitis, left side
• Pain in nipples during nursing

Generalities

• < Warmth, > cold applications
• Uric acid diathesis
• < Suppressed eruptions

Extremities

• Gouty pain
• Urticaria of limbs
• Burning in joints

• John Henry Clarke – Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica: Principal source of clinical indications and therapeutic affinities
• William Boericke – Pocket Manual of Materia Medica: Provided acute modalities, skin and gland symptoms
• C. Hering – Guiding Symptoms: Supported skin, urinary, and allergic characteristics
• James Kent – Lectures on Materia Medica: Confirmed modalities and lactation-related indications
• Robin Murphy – Lotus Materia Medica: Expanded repertory and modern applications in allergy and uric acid diathesis