Anjura (Urtica Dioica L.): Medicinal Utility of an Underexposed Unani Herb

Tukhm-i-Anjura is a seed obtained from Urtica dioica L. of the Urticaceae family and used for medicinal purposes in Unani Medicine. Its leaves and flowers are also used as medicine. In the Unani System of Medicine, this is one of the most useful drugs mentioned by Zakaria Razi , Malik Bin Marwan Ibn Zuhr , etc., for the treatment of renal stones, apoplexy, coma, vesicle stones, uvulitis, paralysis, epistaxis, boils and abscesses, asthma, breathlessness, rheumatism, arthritis, gout, eczema, urinary tract infections, kidney and bladder stone, and early stages of an enlarged prostate. Studies on phytochemical investigations showed that the leaves and rhizomes are rich in phenolic compounds. The seeds and leaves of Urtica dioica L. contain vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Rhizomes are found to contain agglutinin, a series of long-chain amino acid linkages. The plant has been widely used by herbalists around the world for centuries. In the first century, Greek physicians Pedanius Dioscorides and Galen reported the leaves for their diuretic and laxative properties and mentioned it useful in the treatment of asthma, pleurisy, and spleen illnesses.