Stinging Nettle Root and Testosterone: Can it Increase Free Testosterone?
Stinging Nettle Root and Testosterone
Are you searching for a comprehensive post on what role stinging nettle plays when it comes to testosterone production?
Well, you have come to the right place.
In this article, I will try to paint an accurate picture of the link between stinging nettle and testosterone, so you have a clearer idea of what it’s all about, and whether you should use it.
Stinging Nettle gets its name, well at least the stinging part, from the fact that touching it can result in irritation and a stinging sensation on the skin. This is due to the needle-like hairs on the plant, called trichomes.
The plant itself is native to several areas in Asia, Europe, Africa, and some of North America – but it is available almost everywhere nowadays.
There are close to 50 compounds that have been identified across the different parts of the plant.
Maybe this diversity of nutrients is the reason stinging nettle has a long history of medicinal use across the globe.
It has indeed been used as a medicine and a cure for many health problems. So let’s now take a look if there is any connection between stinging nettle root and testosterone levels.
Stinging Nettle’s Health Benefits and Effects On Testosterone
As far as its medicinal uses are concerned, the list is truly long. It has been used to address issues ranging from arthritis and diabetes to digestion and anemia.
But its most prevalent and widespread use is in the treatment of BPH: Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia.
This condition mainly affects the proper functioning of the urinary tract due to the enlargement of the prostate gland.
Exact reasons as to why stinging nettle root is effective in relieving the symptoms in BPH (decreased urine flow, difficulty in urinating etc.) are not known.
But researchers have speculated it is owing to the effects the chemicals in nettle have on the hormones testosterone and estrogen. More on that in a bit.
Stinging Nettle Root Benefits Testosterone Levels
While it may seem disappointing at first to know that not much research has been done which establishes stinging nettle as a single go-to herb to boost testosterone, there is definitely a silver lining.
The indirect effects on testosterone that have been established by research are promising, and additionally, the traditional usage suggests it has the potential to boost testosterone in combination with other herbs as well.
Let’s look at some of the ways stinging nettle affects a person’s T levels:
Nettle and SHBG
Sex hormone-binding globulin, or SHBG, is the hormone balancing protein found in the body which binds to total testosterone making it unavailable to the body.
This, in turn, leaves a smaller amount of free testosterone in the blood, which is the testosterone that is actually biologically usable by the body.
Now, the lignans found in stinging nettle, do something very useful for your male health.
They inhibit the free testosterone from binding with SHBG, thus increasing the amount of free testosterone in the blood.
As this study explains, this happens due to lignans in stinging nettle binding to the SHBG and lowering it, which leaves a lesser amount of SHBG to capture free testosterone.
Another study arrived at a similar result regarding the inhibition of SHBG binding to testosterone owing to the compounds in stinging nettle.
While it is evident that according to these studies on humans, the use of stinging nettle is not directly responsible for the production of extra testosterone in the body.
They nevertheless convincingly show how stinging nettle can help the body make better use of the testosterone you already have by not letting it bind to SHBG and become unusable.
Nettle, Free Testosterone, DHT, and BPH
I have already mentioned nettle’s use as a remedy for BPH. What I have not mentioned, is the fact that BPH itself is a symptom of a hormonal disorder.
The chief culprit, in this case, is DHT, or dihydrotestosterone which results in increased prostate gland size or BPH.
This form of testosterone is derived from the free testosterone in the body and is naturally responsible for the hair loss in men as they age. But an excess of DHT is what causes BPH.
Additionally, as more and more free testosterone is being converted into DHT, less testosterone is available to the body – DHT does not have the same desired hormonal effects as testosterone.
The use of stinging nettle inhibits the production of a compound that is necessary for the reaction that converts testosterone to DHT.
This not only lowers DHT and aids in addressing BPH but it also simultaneously makes more of the useful testosterone available to the body.
While the study that arrived at these important results was done on rats, you are aware by now how important rat studies are to humans owing to the similarity in the underlying hormonal biology.
Once again, we can see that this is not a direct link between stinging nettle root usage and increased T production, nevertheless, optimal usage of the testosterone already in the body is a prime benefit associated with using stinging nettle.
Luckily for us, stinging nettle is easy to purchase so if you want to try this supplement here is a good quality stinging nettle extract below from Now Foods.
Another option is to try a supplement that contains nettle extract along with other proven T boosting ingredients like Prime Male. To read my review on Prime Male and find out what ingredients it contains click here.
Conclusion
We can agree that as with any natural medicinal plant, there is not much cause for alarm when it comes to side effects.
Especially if we are talking about a natural plant and not low-quality supplements.
Given this fact, there is no reason why you should not try it and see if the research holds up when it comes to increased free testosterone in the blood.
Even if that does not happen, you would still end up having loads of the other benefits that have been associated with stinging nettle.
