Urtica Dioica
Urtica dioica (stinging nettle), is a perennial plant belonging to the family of Urticaceae, genus Urtica. It grows in the wild form in Asia, Europe, North America and North Africa. Stinging nettle is also a widespread ruderal plant found in Poland.U. Dioica, a polyvalent plant belonging to the order Rosales, that has a long history of traditional medicinal uses in many countries in the world seems to possess unexpected biological properties useful also for aquaculture. Such an emerging feature, together with cost-effectiveness, adequate availability, and easy processing, could make this herb an excellent, inexpensive and widely used dietary supplement. Unfortunately, despite its great potentials as multi-purpose crop under a low input cultivation, U. dioica is today an underestimated and frequently neglected plant, considered by the contemporary agriculture as a weed to be eliminated .U. dioica, both as a single herb or in combination with other herbs, to enhance growth and stimulate farmed fish immunity, thus enabling the fish to be more resistant against bacterial infections. A large range of chronic and degenerative diseases can be prevented through the use of food products and food bioactives. This study reports the health benefits and biological activities of the Urtica dioica (U. dioica) edible plant, with particular focus on its cancer chemopreventive potential. Numerous studies have attempted to investigate the most efficient anti-cancer therapy with few side effects and high toxicity on cancer cell stoover come the chemoresistance of cancer cells and the adverse effects of current therapies. Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.) has a long history as one among plants for aged from the wild and eaten as a vegetable . Although not fully domesticated, the species remains popular even in the current era for food and medicine.U.dioica being recognized as an edible and highly nutritious vegetable,research attention has focused more on its value as a source of alternative medicine and fiber.Clinical trials have confirmed the effectiveness of nettle root. Dried nettle leaf preparations are also known to alleviate symptoms associated with allergic rhinitis and a technology for granulating lipophilic leaf extracts for medicine has been developed . There are a number of reports that address he role of U. Dioica in human nutrition.Fatty acid and carotenoid content in leaf, stem, root, and seed samples have been measured , and the properties of phenolic compounds in leaves, stalks, and fibers have been reported .Nettle is consumed primarily as a fresh vegetable whereby it is added to soups, cooked as a potherb, or used as a vegetable complement in dishes.In this sense, more work needs to be done on nutritive value of fresh nettle,and the fate of minerals and bioactive compounds in processed products. This information is essential because the capacity of fresh nettle to irritate bare skin may discourage potential consumers and postharvest processing methods that make it safe to handle,while maintaining nutritive value will benefit the development of U.dioica as a specialty vegetable.
