Urticaceae

Stinging nettle

Urtica dioica L.

Family: Urticaceae
Genus: Urtica

Pets and kids

CatsMildly toxic
DogsMildly toxic
KidsMildly toxic

Why

Cats: Mildly toxic

Mildly toxic to cats (moderate). Toxic principle: toxic compounds in stinging hairs.

Signs: oral swelling, oral pain, itching.

Stinging Nettle Are Toxic To Pets | Pet Poison Helpline® Poison control

Dogs: Mildly toxic

Mildly toxic to dogs (moderate). Toxic principle: histamine, acetylcholine, serotonin, formic acid.

Signs: oral swelling, itching, pain, vomiting, muscle twitching.

Stinging Nettle Are Toxic To Pets | Pet Poison Helpline® Poison control

Kids: Mildly toxic

Mildly toxic to young children. Toxic principle: histamine, acetylcholine, serotonin, formic acid.

Signs: burning sensation, itching, contact dermatitis, skin redness, welts.

Urtica dioica (Common Nettle, Stinging Nettle) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox University or extension
Stinging Nettle | Poison Control | University of Utah Health Poison control

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) — Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons

Is yours looking unwell? Scan your plant — free

Is Stinging nettle safe for cats, dogs and kids?

Is Stinging nettle safe for cats?

No. Our sources call Stinging nettle mildly toxic to cats (moderate). Toxic principle: toxic compounds in stinging hairs. Signs: oral swelling, oral pain, itching.

Stinging Nettle Are Toxic To Pets | Pet Poison Helpline® Poison control

Is Stinging nettle safe for dogs?

No. Our sources call Stinging nettle mildly toxic to dogs (moderate). Toxic principle: histamine, acetylcholine, serotonin, formic acid. Signs: oral swelling, itching, pain, vomiting, muscle twitching.

Stinging Nettle Are Toxic To Pets | Pet Poison Helpline® Poison control

Is Stinging nettle safe for kids?

No. Our sources call Stinging nettle mildly toxic to young children. Toxic principle: histamine, acetylcholine, serotonin, formic acid. Signs: burning sensation, itching, contact dermatitis, skin redness, welts.

Urtica dioica (Common Nettle, Stinging Nettle) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox University or extension
Stinging Nettle | Poison Control | University of Utah Health Poison control

Ate some? Call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 (a fee may apply). For a child, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (US). If they are struggling to breathe or collapse, call 911. Don't give anything by mouth unless a vet or poison expert tells you to.

See all cat-safe plants, dog-safe plants and child-safe plants.

Common names

By language (87)

Afrikaans: Brandnetel
Albanian: Hithri, Hithra
Arabic: قراص كبير, القريص
Armenian: Եղինջ երկտուն
arz: قراص كبير
Asturian: Fortiga, Ortiga, Yerba del ciegu
Azerbaijani: İkievli gicitkən, İkievli gicitkan
ba: Кесерткән
ban: Lateng
Bangla: বিছুটি
Basque: Asun handi
Belarusian: Крапіва двухдомная
Bosnian: Kopriva
Breton: Linad
Bulgarian: Обикновена коприва
Cantonese: 大蕁麻
Catalan: Ortiga gran, Grande ortie
Chinese: 异株荨麻, 異株蕁麻, 单性荨麻, 异珠荨麻*(西藏荨麻）, 红活麻, 荨麻, 蕁麻, 西藏荨麻
Croatian: Kopriva
csb: Zwëczajnô pòkrzëwa
cv: Икĕ киллĕ вĕлтĕрен
Czech: Kopřiva dvoudomá
Danish: Brændenælde, Stor Nælde, Brændnælle
Dutch: Grote brandnetel
eml: Urtigh, Urtiga
English: Stinging nettle, Common nettle
Esperanto: Urtiko
Estonian: Kõrvenõges
Faroese: Tvíbýlisnota
Finnish: Nokkonen, Isonokkonen, Kylänokkonen, Etelännokkonen
French: Grande ortie, Grande ortie, ortie dioïque, Ortie commune, Ortie dioïque
frr: Grat braannäädel
Galician: Estruga maior, Entruga, Estrúa, Herba do cego, Ortega, Ortiga maior, Ortigón, Urtiga maior
German: Grosse Brennnessel, Große Brennnessel, Grosse Brennessel, Grande ortie, Große Brennessel
Greek: Τσουκνίδα, Κνίδη
Hebrew: סרפד מצוי
Hindi: कंडाली
hsb: Wulka kopřiwa, Wjelelětna kopřiwa
Hungarian: Nagy csalán
Icelandic: Brenninetla
Italian: Ortica
Japanese: イラクサ, セイヨウイラクサ, いら草, ネトル
Kazakh: Қосүйлі қалақай
Kinyarwanda: Igisura
Korean: 쐐기풀
kw: Linasen
Latvian: Lielā nātre
Lithuanian: Didžioji dilgėlė, Grande ortie
Macedonian: Коприва
Malayalam: ഉർട്ടിക്ക ഡയോക
mzn: گزنه
nap: Ardica
Nepali: सिस्नो
Norwegian Bokmål: Stornesle, Brennesle
Norwegian Nynorsk: Stornesle
os: Пысыра
Pashto: نېښ لرونکي بوټي
Persian: گزنه گزنده, گزنه دو پایه
Polish: Pokrzywa zwyczajna
Portuguese: Urtiga-maior
Punjabi: ਬਿੱਛੂ ਬੂਟੀ
Romanian: Urzică, Urzica, Urzică mare
rsk: Покрива
Russian: Крапива двудомная
sah: Хаарыйар от
Scottish Gaelic: Deanntag
Serbian: Коприва, Kopriva
Serbian (Latin): Kopriva
shn: ႁၢၼ်လဵတ်း
Slovak: Pŕhľava dvojdomá
Slovenian: Velika kopriva
smn: Käskee
Spanish: Ortiga, Ortiga mayor, Achum, Achune, Chordiga, Ordiga
stq: Banneetel
Swedish: Brännässla, Brännässlor, Grande ortie, Nässla
Tajik: Газна
Tatar: Чәчәкле кычыткан, Кычыткан, Ике өйле кычыткан
Turkish: Büyük ısırgan
Ukrainian: Кропива дводомна, Джибура, Жалива велика
Urdu: Bichu Booti
Uzbek: Kuchala
vec: Ortiga
Vietnamese: Tầm ma gốc lạ
vro: Kõrbaja nõkõs
Walloon: Ourteye, Grande kixhåde, Grande ourteye, Kixhåde, Schôdroûle
Welsh: Danadl Poethion, Danhadlen boeth
wuu: 异株荨麻

Synonyms

Urtica dioica subsp. eu-dioica Selander
Urtica dioica var. latifolia Ledeb.
Urtica dioica var. vulgaris Wedd.

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Alaska: introduced, Alaska: native, Canada: introduced, Canada: native, Greenland: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced, Lower 48 states: native, St. Pierre and Miquelon: introduced, St. Pierre and Miquelon: native

Photos

Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Assianir, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Urtica

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.