The stinging nettle is a freely available plant and 
its sting seems a safe treatment
 

But a study carried out at the University of Plymouth 
is thought to be the first of its kind to apparently 
prove scientifically that the therapy works. 

Stinging nettle leaves were applied to the hands of 
27 arthritis sufferers daily for a week. 

The results were then compared to the effect of using 
a placebo, the white deadnettle leaf, which does not 
sting, also applied for a week. 

The researchers found that stinging nettles not only 
significantly reduced pain, but also that the level 
of that pain stayed lower through most of the treatment. 

Although pain relief "was most likely to occur if a 
sting with weals was produced", 85% of patients said 
that this was an acceptable side-effect, and most said 
they preferred the stinging nettles to their usual 
pain relief. 

It is not known why the nettles work, but they contain 
serotonin and histamine, both of which are neuro-
transmitters, and might affect pain perception and 
transmission at the nerve endings. 

Other possibilities could be that the sting has an 
acupuncture-like effect, or that it acts as a "counter 
irritant" like capsaicin, an ingredient derived from 
peppers which is used in products like Ralgex. 

Conventional treatments 

Some of the patients were already taking conventional 
treatments - analgesics and anti-inflammatories, but 
none had used nettles before. 

Dr Colin Randall at the university led the research 
and first became interested in the possibility of 
nettles as a therapy as a GP when patients claimed 
it eased their pain. 

He said in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine: 
"The stinging nettle is a freely available plant and its 
sting seems a safe treatment for musculoskeletal pain." 

The pain of the sting could have an effect on patients' 
perception of their arthritis, he added. 

The Arthritis Research Campaign is about to fund research 
into complementary medicines, including dietary supplements, 
herbalism and acupuncture, for the first time. 

Chief executive of the charity Fergus Logan said: "New 
medicines and treatments have traditionally been developed 
under a convention which says in a nutshell 'Don't use it 
if you can't prove it'. 

"But in complementary medicine, it is often believed that 
the proof is provided by use and that no further investigation 
is needed. 

"Scientists find this concept difficult, hence the scepticism 
some feel." 

Professor Paul Emery, a leading rheumatologist, said: "I'm all 
for testing complementary therapies. We have to work out if 
they work or not - we can't simply ignore them."