Abstract

A REVIEW ON URTICA DIOICA L

Suman Halder* and Amit Sharma

ABSTRACT

Urtica dioica L. belongs to the family Urticaceae. It is a perennial herb commonly known as ‘Stinging Nettle’. This herb is found in many South Asian Countries, Indian subcontinent and it is known as a medicinal herb for a long time in the world. Itis widely used by the traditional medicinal practitioners to cure various diseases such as Haematuria, Nephritis, Jaundice, Arthritis, Menorrhagia and Rheumatism. Phytochemical studies revealed the presence of many valuable chemical compounds like saponins, phytosterols, flavonoids, proteins, tannins and amino acids. This plant is used to make a food, fiber, paint, cosmetics and manure. Urtica dioica have various pharmacological activities like antioxidant, antibacterial, anti‑inflammatory, immunomodulatory, analgesic, hepatoprotective, antiviral, anti‑colitis and anticancer effects. The current review summarizes published information about the ethnopharmacology, Photochemistry, biological activities and toxicological reports of U. dioica The present review summarizes all the research work carried out on this plant in order to provide updated information for future works.

Keywords: Urtica dioica L, Phytochemicals, Therapeutic effects, Pharmacognosy, Alternative, complementary medicine, Ethanomedicinal uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology.