Nettle herb is recommended for complaints associated with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and urinary tract infections. We therefore conducted a comprehensive review of the literature to summarize the pharmacological and clinical effects of this plant material. Although clinical and experimental studies suggest that nettle herb has some anti-inflammatory properties, clinical evidence beyond doubt is lacking. Nettle preparations exert a number of promising in vitro and in vivo effects, however, further studies are needed to support these results and to find out if these effects are surrogates for clinical relevant effects in humans.