stinging nettle remedies?

[+seattlegeekgrrrlz]

Ok, so I'm focusing on looking for a cache in the woods. My hand brushes against some vegetation while I am looking. Suddenly, there is a horrible burning stinging sensation on my hand that won't go away for days.

 

This has happened to me three times in the last two weeks. Apparently I'm a little slow One note- just bringing gloves is not effective. It seems you have to actually wear them in order to receive any benefit.

 

Maybe I am a nettle wimp, but does anyone know of any good remedies for stinging nettles? ...Or just want to commiserate?

[+WeightMan]

Ok, so I'm focusing on looking for a cache in the woods. My hand brushes against some vegetation while I am looking. Suddenly, there is a horrible burning stinging sensation on my hand that won't go away for days.

 

This has happened to me three times in the last two weeks. Apparently I'm a little slow One note- just bringing gloves is not effective. It seems you have to actually wear them in order to receive any benefit.

 

Maybe I am a nettle wimp, but does anyone know of any good remedies for stinging nettles? ...Or just want to commiserate?

For me there are two remedies. Soap and water is the first. The second is just time. I will itch overnight and be fine the next day. Others may not clear up as soon. Soap and water is the first thing to do. Long sleeved shirts are also a help in prevention.

[+The Jester]

Ok, so I'm focusing on looking for a cache in the woods. My hand brushes against some vegetation while I am looking. Suddenly, there is a horrible burning stinging sensation on my hand that won't go away for days.

 

This has happened to me three times in the last two weeks. Apparently I'm a little slow One note- just bringing gloves is not effective. It seems you have to actually wear them in order to receive any benefit.

 

Maybe I am a nettle wimp, but does anyone know of any good remedies for stinging nettles? ...Or just want to commiserate?

For me there are two remedies. Soap and water is the first. The second is just time. I will itch overnight and be fine the next day. Others may not clear up as soon. Soap and water is the first thing to do. Long sleeved shirts are also a help in prevention.

Hydocortisone creams can help, for a bad reaction Benadryl can help. As a kid we used to use the horsetail plant to soothe the itch in the woods - don't know it really worked, or just the moisture helped.

 

BTW, it's interesting that it's the brushing that causes the itching. If you grab the leaf firmly it won't. If you collect it, boil it (changing the water twice), it's edible - kind of like spinch (The same goes for skunk cabbage, except change the water 3 times).

[+Ambrosia]

Baking Soda paste.

[+Allanon]

From one source:

The traditional remedy for nettle stings is rubbing with the crushed leaf of the dock plant, Rumex obtusifolius, which often grows beside nettles in the wild and has a milky substance which can cause dermatitis. Plantain is another traditional remedy. The alkalinity of the sap may counteract the nettle's acids. Nettle itself will release alkaline sap when macerated

 

And another (this one I've heard for a very long time):

I have recently been told that the very best cure for nettle stings is the nettle sap itself. If you're feeling brave enough, and are convinced that the nettle is not really your mortal enemy, snap a juicy stem and apply the sap liberally to your stings. I have not tried this, but it comes on good authority (ie my mother).

[nolenator]

Much easier is to mix up a little mud and spread it on. No clinical proof, but it works for me. Peace, Nolenator

[+Shop99er]

We've had good luck with sword ferns. Find one that has spores (those brown bumpy things on the back of the leaf) and rub that on the stings. It won't take all the sting out but it takes most of it out.

[Team Misguided]

If you collect it, boil it (changing the water twice), it's edible - kind of like spinch (The same goes for skunk cabbage, except change the water 3 times).

 

We've had them prepared this way. They were very much like bland spinach. The only way to make them taste good was to cover them in butter.

[+Renegade Knight]

Much easier is to mix up a little mud and spread it on. No clinical proof, but it works for me. Peace, Nolenator

Given where it grows this is easy advice to take.

 

I have found it's about 2 hours or less of irritation. Then it goes away. Some friends and I conducted experiments while on a hike. YMMV. The stuff is annoying but nothing too bad.

[+Team Noltex]

I've always used bracken ferns, which also usually grow in the same area as nettles. Find a young one and rub the juice from the stalk on the affected area. I havent' checked, but I think that the nettle juice is acidic and the sap from various plants is more of a base, which counter-acts the acid.

[+Forty-n-Eight]

I've heard horsetail (Equisetum) helps...break it open and rub the juice on the affected area.

[+Harriet the Spy]

I carry Benadryl Itch Relief Stick. It's about the size of a pen so it doesn't take up as much room as a bottle. My kids always seem to play in the nettle patch so it gets used often. I think I picked it up for 5 bucks at wally world.

[+WRASTRO]

I am with Renegade Knight on this one. I just ignore it and it goes away in fairly short order. Maybe it is because I have played in the woods for so many years and have encountered nettles so many times. When I was a kid it bothered me but over the years I just learned to ignore it and not scratch. That is what really seems to make the difference for me. I have also heard the fern spores remedy seems to work for many people.

[+EraSeek]

 

And another (this one I've heard for a very long time):

I have recently been told that the very best cure for nettle stings is the nettle sap itself. If you're feeling brave enough, and are convinced that the nettle is not really your mortal enemy, snap a juicy stem and apply the sap liberally to your stings. I have not tried this, but it comes on good authority (ie my mother).

 

Exactly what we always did as kids and it seemed to work for us.

[+seattlegeekgrrrlz]

Thanks for the suggestions! Now I have lots to try when it happens again.... and it will happen again.

 

I seem to recall them not being as bothersome when I was a kid (in Indiana and Virginia). I am not sure if I happened to run into some especially potent ones, or I am becoming allergic or what. But these stings were itchy and swollen for a couple of days after. Bleh. Good thing it's usually cool here so long sleeve are ok most of the year.

 

Again, thanks for the ideas. I will try a few.

[+mudsneaker]

Growing up I played in an area loaded with nettles. I used both ferns and/or mud if it was a bad hit, both do help a bit.

For most of the minor tags I just didn't bother doing anything and avoided messing with the area that got hit. It fades fairly quickly.

[+Logscaler and Red]

As a kid we just used the fiddle heads off the Sword or Bracken ferns.

 

The stalk worked ok but the heads killed the sting within a couple minutes.

 

But then again, Poison Oak has no effect on me either.

 

Logscaler

[+chubby forest monkey]

I like the skin buzz of stinging nettles. I say just enjoy it!