Is Stinging Nettle really a potent DHT-blocker?

[Coderr]

Is Stinging Nettle really good for inhibiting DHT? Stinging Nettle is apparently good for lowering SHBG-levels and less circulating SHBG means more available testosterone and more available testosterone means more DHT.

I'm asking because i want to both lower my elevated SHBG-levels and keep my current DHT-levels but i'm afraid that the Stinging Nettle will reduce my DHT too much.

What's your experience with Stinging Nettle?

 

[LadyRae]

My dad has been taking it for over 6 months in the hopes that it would help with his enlarged prostate issues and frequent night time urination. He is 75. I don't think it did much for him though and just a couple days ago he went to the doctor and was prescribed finasteride .

Now I'm concerned and I'm rereading and I'm more interested in the mostly male DHT threads...

 

[ecstatichamster]

stinging nettle is frightfully estrogenic and I avoid it like the plague.

 

[Coderr]

stinging nettle is frightfully estrogenic and I avoid it like the plague.

Leaves?

 

[Kyle970]

Think just the root is for prostate.

 

[WhiteWolfKevin]

I used to Mega dose it, like 2 grams per day. Didn't do anything for me positive or negative.

 

[amd]

Stinging nettle is a diuretic and the estrogenic effects could be notable.

Galactorrhea is milk production from the breast unrelated to pregnancy or lactation.


Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica): An Unusual Case of Galactorrhea

Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica): An Unusual Case of Galactorrhea

Patient: Female, 30-year-old Final Diagnosis: Galactorrhea • supplement side effect Symptoms: Glactorrhea Medication: — Clinical Procedure: — Specialty: General and Internal Medicine • Toxicology Unusual or unexpected ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Case Report:

A 30-year-old woman with obesity and GERD presented to a primary care clinic with new-onset galactorrhea. A urine pregnancy test was negative. Prolactin, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and a metabolic panel were all within normal limits. A mammogram demonstrated scattered areas of fibroglandular density and benign-appearing calcifications in the left breast. The breast ultrasound showed no suspicious findings. Her medications included intermittent Echinacea, etonogestrel implant 68 mg subdermal, and the supplement stinging nettle 500 mg, which she had been taking over the past month for environmental allergies. After consultation with a clinical pharmacist, the stinging nettle was discontinued. No additional changes to her medications or supplements were made. One week after discontinuation, she returned to the clinic with complete resolution of the galactorrhea.

Conclusions:

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is a common supplement and has effects on (1) sex hormone-binding globulin, (2) histamine-induced prolactin release, and (3) serotonin-induced release of thyrotropin-releasing hormone. The local estrogen bioactivity in breast tissue may subsequently lead to gynecomastia and/or galactorrhea. Supplements are an often overlooked but a critical component of medication reconciliation and potential clinical adverse effects.

My dad has been taking it for over 6 months in the hopes that it would help with his enlarged prostate issues and frequent night time urination. He is 75. I don't think it did much for him though and just a couple days ago he went to the doctor and was prescribed finasteride .

Now I'm concerned and I'm rereading and I'm more interested in the mostly male DHT threads...

 

[lamassu]

I found anti-androgenic/estrogenic effects from it

 

[xeliex]

I've taken a lot of it over about 6 months to try to help graying hair.

It did not work. I tossed the remaining bottle in the trash.

I did not perceive any effects from it, neither negative nor positive. (Male).

 

[GTW]

Nettle leaves are good food. Can be eaten in the same recipes sub for spinach, kale, etc.
"Nettle" supplements are typically the root.

 

[schultz]

stinging nettle is frightfully estrogenic and I avoid it like the plague.

Leaves?

I feel as though it's important to make a distinction between the root and the various aerial parts of the plant. That being said, I don't know much about either, although this thread has sparked my interest a bit.

A quick search brought up this paper, which does mention the prostate. They think the root has positive effects regarding prostate enlargement and they think it has more to do with aromatase inhibition and less to do with 5-alpha reductase. (warning: I didn't read the entire paper and the isolated text may not give an accurate appraisal of the study)

A comprehensive review on the stinging nettle effect and efficacy profiles. Part II: urticae radix - PubMed

Nettle root is recommended for complaints associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). We therefore conducted a comprehensive review of the literature to summarise the pharmacological and clinical effects of this plant material. Only a few components of the active principle have been...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

"Only a few components of the active principle have been identified and the mechanism of action is still unclear. It seems likely that sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), aromatase, epidermal growth factor and prostate steroid membrane receptors are involved in the anti-prostatic effect, but less likely that 5alpha-reductase or androgen receptors are involved."
That's from the abstract and it doesn't really say how the aromatase is changed, but in the study they say...

"There is strong evidence that nettle extract interferes with the conversion of testosterone into oestrogens."
"There is no evidence that the nettle root extract BAZ (DER 5:1, solvent 20% methanol) interacts with the binding of radioactively labelled DHT to rat prostatic
androgen receptors (Rhodes et al., 1993) nor that this nettle root extract affected microsomal 5a-reductase activity (Rausch et al., 1992).... Only high doses of a methanolic extract (DER 10:1, solvent 30% methanol) inhibited 5a-reductase (ED 50 14.7 mg/ml; Hartmann et al., 1996). The effect was very low when compared with the synthetic 5a-reductase inhibitor finasteride (Rhodes et al., 1993). Likewise, the ethanolic extract WS1031 had no impact on the conversion of testosterone into DHT (Koch and Biber, 1994)."

However it also says...

"In two double-blind studies a decrease in SHBG was observed during treatment with nettle root extract BAZ 1200 mg/day compared to treatment with placebo.
Whereas Fischer and Wilbert (1992) found a 10% increase in the concentrations of testosterone, 5a-DHT and estradiol in the course of a 7 months treatment
(phosphatases, blood count and urine analysis remained uninfluenced), no difference for testosterone, androstandiol and acid phosphatase between groups was found by Vontobel et al. (1985) (study duration 9 weeks, BAZ dose 600 mg/day)."


Lots of these studies seem to use an alcohol solvent to extract certain "active" compounds. I'm not sure what difference there is or could be if the whole root is taken powdered or if one uses a water extract vs alcohol (or even oil?). So leaves/fruit/seeds vs. root and also whole powdered root vs extracts needs to be considered. It's not as simple as "stringing nettle bad/good"

Edit: A decrease in SHBG could increase the effect of estrogen from what I understand. Something to consider. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable about the topic can post some more helpful research? Or even some anecdotes?

 

[David PS]

Is Stinging Nettle really good for inhibiting DHT? Stinging Nettle is apparently good for lowering SHBG-levels and less circulating SHBG means more available testosterone and more available testosterone means more DHT.

I'm asking because i want to both lower my elevated SHBG-levels and keep my current DHT-levels but i'm afraid that the Stinging Nettle will reduce my DHT too much.

What's your experience with Stinging Nettle?

I think that the estrogenic effects would trump its effect on DHT. Here is a link to a nice quote from Dr. Peat related to estrogen in men.

High Estrogen and Heart Disease in Men – Functional Performance Systems (FPS)

 

[David PS]

My dad has been taking it for over 6 months in the hopes that it would help with his enlarged prostate issues and frequent night time urination. He is 75. I don't think it did much for him though and just a couple days ago he went to the doctor and was prescribed finasteride .

Now I'm concerned and I'm rereading and I'm more interested in the mostly male DHT threads...

I found this article of Dr. Peat's to be interesting.

Prostate Cancer

By the mid-1980s, some studies had shown that estrogen treatment didn't prolong the survival of prostate cancer patients at all, but it was argued that the patients who received estrogen were happier than those who didn't.

raypeat.com

 

[amd]

Bioactive Compounds of Leaves​

Stinging nettle contains multiple bioactive compounds responsible for its health and antioxidant effects. These include [3]:

• Quercetin, an antioxidant and anti-diabetic compound [6, 7]
• Rutin, closely related to quercetin [8]
• Kaempferol, a potent anti-inflammatory compound [9]
• Quinic acid, an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound [10]
• Caffeic acid, another strong antioxidant [11]
• Choline, a vital nutrient with anti-inflammatory properties [12]
• Lecithin, a healthy fat that may help reduce cholesterol [13]

Bioactive Compounds of Root​

Stinging nettle root has a significantly different chemical profile than the leaves, with about half the quinic acid and almost no caffeic acid by comparison. However, the roots also contain some compounds not found in the leaves, such as fatty acids, plant sterols, secoisolariciresinol, vanillin, and scopoletin [2, 14, 15].
The compounds in nettle root may protect against heart disease, affect the brain, and reduce cholesterol. The root is also particularly effective against benign prostatic hyperplasia [2, 14, 15].

 

[Coderr]

Is there any research on nettle seed? Some say they only benefit from the seed