# Beware of the Stinging Nettle !



## jpollman

Hi folks,

I was just sitting here watching the game and my wife was outside working in her planting beds. She was doing some cleanup on the last bed out in back. She'd been out there abour a 1/2 hour when she came rushing in the house and back to the bathroom. I went back to see what was wrong. She said her hands and arms were stinging and burning like crazy. She was washing thoroughly with warm soapy water. She then dried them off and put some cortizone cream on. She said it didn't really help. I went out with a pretty good idea of what she'd gotten into. I was correct, she wasn't paying attention and just grabbed hold of about a 3' high Stinging Nettle plant. (It was laying on the ground right next to where she was working)
It's pretty nasty stuff. Here's a link to a pic and some info on this plant. Take a look and file it in your memory banks. It's almost as bad as Poison Ivy but it is only supposed to last for about 24 hours. Let's hope so !

Stinging Nettle


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## rabbit whacker

When my experienced guys are bored in the summer they like to send the "green horns" to go weed some specific pots in the nursery. It is funny to watch them freak out when they first touch. They usually swear they got stung by a bee.

In my vast experience of weeding, I have never seen it last more than a couple hours. I guess someone could have a worse reaction. Maybe I better put an end to the 'Nettle Whippings' this summer


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## jpollman

Well,

actually I guess my wife lucked out. She said it felt better after only about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. Could have been worse I guess.

Gotta pay attention to what you're doing when you weed !


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## PrtyMolusk

Howdy, John-

Glad to hear Celeste is feeling better! That is some nasty stuff.

Had many a run-in with it as a lad.

Trout, even though I have a tremendous amount of respect for you and your knowledge of woodland lore, NO WAY am I eating that!!!


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## FREEPOP

FWIW, if you get stung by it grab some nearby dirt and rubb it over the stung parts. I don't know why this works, if it pulls out the little hairs or what, but I do know it reduces the duration and amount of itch. The people that told me about it asked me if I ever saw a dog come out of the weeds and roll around in the dirt.


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## rabbit whacker

That would make sense, the rolling around in the dirt. I will have to try it next time. 

Maybe you could bring some of your "famous Nettle Casserol" to the next meet and greet.


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## Walligator

jpollman-
Thanks for sharing your information. I'm always learning new and interesting facts on here


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## mickey

I have had many run ins with nettles. A cold trout stream really gives some relief. The itch/swelling only last about 30 minutes. 

I was trout fishing a small stream about 6-7 years ago and it had nettles everywhere. One time while climbing up the bank to get out of the river, I slipped on mud and went face first into a group of em. Yikes. My face was nice and swollen for about 45 minutes.


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## jpollman

WOW ! Face first into them ?! That HAD TO HURT ! You must have been miserable. Just lucky you didn't get it in the eye I guess.


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## Recurve

Trout is right. Nettles are real tasty. I haven't had them since I was a kid but seeing this thread reminded me. I may fix me some this summer. (I'll probably be the only one at my table who'll eat them though) 

A real Michigan woods meal: Venison chops, side of Morels, Nettles, and for desert a handfull of Oatmeal & dried Michigan cherry cookies. A good Merlot optional.


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## whitedove

I immediately used Dawn dish liquid and then disinfecting soapand hydrocortisone cream. Stopped immediately. Phew!


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## JimP

Welcome to the forums Whitedove.
Notice that the date and times of posts are in the lower left.
This thread is from 2003, but what the heck...helpful information welcome.


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## Fishndude

I got into Nettles walking a riverbank once. I was advised to take river mud, and rub it all over the affected areas. I did that, and the stinging disappeared within a couple minutes. I would imagine you could add some water to dirt, and accomplish the same thing. I'm not sure rolling around on top of dirt would get it done. 

I left the mud on for a few minutes, until the stinging subsided.


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## Petronius

This might sound strange, but stinging nettles never bothered me. I've pulled plenty when I was younger and didn't know what it was except it was a weed. I've never gotten the poison ivy itch either even though my friend got it and I would be in the same area as they were. Was I just lucky or what?


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## Anish

Ouch!!!
I hate those damned things!!!

One of the best things my grandmother ever taught me (she was a medicinal plant gatherer too) was to use white vinegar on nettle stings. Stops it immediately. I cary a small bottle of it in my field pack.
Only thing I've found that works better is jewel weed. Most people use it for poison ivy, but I think it's even better for nettles.
Glad your wife didn't have a bad reaction to them! Some people do.


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## Richard Cranium

My experiences with stinging nettles have been somewhat limited due to the fact that I try to learn from my mistakes. One thing I discovered about nettles is that when weeding them, 1...wear a long sleeve shirt and 2) when grabbing onto a nettle plant grab it like you are going to choke it to death. I was apprehensive about this when I first heard about it and eventually tried it. I was amazed....no pain or itching. Apparently you crush the fine hairs when doing this thus rendering that part of the plant harmless.


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## Robert Holmes

petronius said:


> This might sound strange, but stinging nettles never bothered me. I've pulled plenty when I was younger and didn't know what it was except it was a weed. I've never gotten the poison ivy itch either even though my friend got it and I would be in the same area as they were. Was I just lucky or what?


I can get poison ivy or poison oak on me and my skin turns red and within a day it is gone. I never had stinging nettles or I did not know it if I did.


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## Anish

Robert Holmes said:


> I can get poison ivy or poison oak on me and my skin turns red and within a day it is gone. I never had stinging nettles or I did not know it if I did.


If you had, you definitely would have known it.
Poison ivy and poison oak cause an allergic reaction (by the way, your minor reaction to those could change at any time, so be careful). Nettle stings are from formic acid in the plants hairs. Same thing that makes bee stings and ant bites sting. 
So, no allergic reaction needed. Stinging nettles hurt, no matter who you are.


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## Anish

Oh, fantastic fact (for anyone who might be interested)...
Stinging nettle can be cut, dried, and used as a tea to prevent/combat seasonal allergies. It works better than most of your prescription allergy medication.
It works best if you start using it about a month before allergy season starts up. Continue using it throughout the time of year that your allergies bother you.
1 teaspoon of dried/crushed leaf and or stem to a cup of hot water. 1x a day. (You could make it as strong as you want to. You can't OD on nettle and can even eat it as a pot herb. Although, I don't know that using a stronger tea would work any better for allergies).
You can drink it hot or cold, works either way. Add some honey to sweeten it if you need to.
Oh, and once stinging nettle is dry, it no longer stings.


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## fishingrookie

Yes. Stinging Nettle is an edible plant. Once you cooked or boiled it in hot water, the stinging agent in the plant no longer has effect. 



Recurve said:


> Trout is right. Nettles are real tasty. I haven't had them since I was a kid but seeing this thread reminded me. I may fix me some this summer. (I'll probably be the only one at my table who'll eat them though)
> 
> A real Michigan woods meal: Venison chops, side of Morels, Nettles, and for desert a handfull of Oatmeal & dried Michigan cherry cookies. A good Merlot optional.


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