Nettles

[+Geo.Kitten]

I'm not used to them really as I'm not from England orignaly BUT I always seem to get stung every single time I go caching!!! I'm a real baby about it too I get loads of little bumps and it stings the rest of the day!! I'm going to have to start caching in full body armour I've been told about the plant next to it but for the life of me dont know what one it is

 

</end of rant>

[+Gushoneybun]

I've been told about the plant next to it but for the life of me dont know what one it is

 

</end of rant>

 

 

Normally when we go out the plant next to nettles are more nettles!

[+Gushoneybun]

Doc leaves, are what you want. But do they work? maybe?

[+Geo.Kitten]

Doc leaves, are what you want. But do they work? maybe?

 

I'll try it next time! never know

[Izzy and the Lizard King]

The plants in question nettles and doc

 

P

[+hiho9]

lovely things nettle

must have been got 50 of the horrible white itchy bumps still from yesterdays outing. bring back autumn when they have nearly all gone

Edited May 23, 2008 by hiho9

[+cacherelle]

Aye dock leaves work a treat..............IF you can find them!! They always used to be about when I was a kid but seem to be harder to find these days

 

Take a tube of Anthisan cream out with you, that might help a bit

[+HazelS]

And THAT is why I MUCH prefer winter caching!!!

[Izzy and the Lizard King]

You could always try picking the nettles (always grasp them firmly) and then put them to good use.

 

Nettle soup or

 

Milk jelly with tomato and nettle syrup or even

 

Risotto of nettles and wild herbs

 

You'll be so busy in the kitchen you won't have time to go out caching and getting stung

 

P

[+Donmoore]

Today was national nettle day or words to that effect. apparently nettles are on the decline and this could effect the whole british habitat for some critters.

[+cacherelle]

Today was national nettle day or words to that effect. apparently nettles are on the decline and this could effect the whole british habitat for some critters.

Not where I go caching they aren't, swear to god they are following me!!

[+Geo.Kitten]

Today was national nettle day or words to that effect. apparently nettles are on the decline and this could effect the whole british habitat for some critters.

Not where I go caching they aren't, swear to god they are following me!!

 

i swear they follow me too!!! OH and my day has been made I didnt realise they wernt arond winter time bring on winter!!!

[+dino-irl]

Aye dock leaves work a treat..............IF you can find them!! They always used to be about when I was a kid but seem to be harder to find these days

Loads in my garden....maybe I should put a cache there

 

Take a tube of Anthisan cream out with you, that might help a bit

Antihistamine maybe?

 

AFAIK you can get a spray relief too that numbs the area and takes away the itch. Might be worth adding to your caching kit?

[reelcutter]

The juice from the actual nettle is good to put on your stings if you are brave enough to try it, as long as you are careful extracing it, I have tried it does work honest.

Edited May 24, 2008 by reelcutter

[+HazelS]

I'm one of those people that gets bitten, stung and molestered by all creepy crawlies and bitey flying things. After Carry on Camping last year I had forty something bites, and a colleague told me about After Bite Now I make sure It's in the caching bag whenever I go out. It's brill!!

[+Geo-Gophers]

You could always try picking the nettles (always grasp them firmly) and then put them to good use.

 

According to a book called "101 Uses for Stinging Nettles", there seems to be no end to their uses lol! Have to say though that some of the medicinal uses listed there are a bit of an eye opener....nettles for haemorrhoids!!

Edited May 24, 2008 by Geo-Gophers

[+Just Roger]

...nettles for haemorrhoids!!

 

 

Counter irritant presumably?

[+Munkeh]

...nettles for haemorrhoids!!

 

 

Counter irritant presumably?

 

cringing...not that I have ever had piles

[+FollowMeChaps]

I'm one of those people that gets bitten, stung and molestered by all creepy crawlies and bitey flying things. After Carry on Camping last year I had forty something bites, and a colleague told me about After Bite Now I make sure It's in the caching bag whenever I go out. It's brill!!

The sugestion of your being "molestered" certainly made me sit up Hazel - the mind boggles! I'll have to come caching with you sometime, it sounds great fun

[+Munkeh]

I'm one of those people that gets bitten, stung and molestered by all creepy crawlies and bitey flying things. After Carry on Camping last year I had forty something bites, and a colleague told me about After Bite Now I make sure It's in the caching bag whenever I go out. It's brill!!

The sugestion of your being "molestered" certainly made me sit up Hazel - the mind boggles! I'll have to come caching with you sometime, it sounds great fun

 

molested with piles of nettles?

[+Geo.Kitten]

I got stung today and of course couldnt find the other plant in sight - either that or I was to scared to take a chance who knows maybe I'll become imune to them!!!

[+overanout]

I'm not used to them really as I'm not from England orignaly BUT I always seem to get stung every single time I go caching!!! I'm a real baby about it too I get loads of little bumps and it stings the rest of the day!! I'm going to have to start caching in full body armour I've been told about the plant next to it but for the life of me dont know what one it is

 

</end of rant>

 

Recent research has revealed the cause of the sting to be from three chemicals – a histamine that irritates the skin, acetylcholine which causes a burning sensation and serotonin, that encourages the other two chemicals.

 

Bare skin brushing up against a stinging nettle plant tends to break the delicate defensive hairs and release the trio of chemicals, usually resulting in a temporary and painful skin rash similar to poison ivy, though the nettle's rash and duration are much weaker.

It is possible to evade the sting by touching the middle of the leaf or by stroking in the same direction as the hairs.

I preferred my method of stroking them....... with my size 9 boots...

 

I hear that some Fire Brigades are selling off their obsolete chemical protection suits...

[+goldpot]

So, don't do this cache until the winter;

 

Alibags' Evil Nettle Cache

 

In fact the whole walkabout is lethal at the moment - stings all up my legs because I wore shorts!

[+hiho9]

 

Recent research has revealed the cause of the sting to be from three chemicals – a histamine that irritates the skin, acetylcholine which causes a burning sensation and serotonin, that encourages the other two chemicals.

 

Bare skin brushing up against a stinging nettle plant tends to break the delicate defensive hairs and release the trio of chemicals, usually resulting in a temporary and painful skin rash similar to poison ivy, though the nettle's rash and duration are much weaker.

It is possible to evade the sting by touching the middle of the leaf or by stroking in the same direction as the hairs.

I preferred my method of stroking them....... with my size 9 boots...

 

I hear that some Fire Brigades are selling off their obsolete chemical protection suits...

 

my prefered method of dealing with nettles is size 11 boots and or the walking pole

[+MartyBartfast]

Well this is a subject that's at the forefront of my mind at the mo. I've been out for a whole days caching trying to beat my most in a day record (I did), but on reflection doing it in shorts & t-shirt was a bad idea. After the first attack & did the doc leaf thing and it works for me, but it soon became clear I was facing an uphill struggle so I just put up with it.

 

My legs & right elbow are BURNING now!!!

[+Delta68]

We thought winter would slow things down but it was great...... no nettles, no stinging or biting insects, no biting spiders, no tree cover and best of all no cows , the only downside of winter was the mud and shorter caching days.

[+PSHAX]

I'm not used to them really as I'm not from England orignaly BUT I always seem to get stung every single time I go caching!!! I'm a real baby about it too I get loads of little bumps and it stings the rest of the day!! I'm going to have to start caching in full body armour I've been told about the plant next to it but for the life of me dont know what one it is

 

</end of rant>

 

try this...

take some indigestion tabs with you, and next time you get stung, chew one, then (repulsive bit coming up..) spit the chewed up tab on the affected part, and rub in... works for me, and more relieble than finding a doc leaf that aint been used as a canine khasi!!

 

P.

[+Fuchsiamagic]

We had a good laugh once while we were walking across a field that had nettles near the path. We passed a Japanese gentleman who had just got stung and he rushed up to me in a blind panic asking if the plants were poisonous. Of course we couldn't let an opportunity like that go by, so we told him that he had half an hour to get to hospital, or he would die. The look on his face gave us the best laugh we had had in ages!

[wolfshead57]

Instead of being negative about these plants try this instead.

 

Light a small fire, collect nettles, hold nettles over the fire to burn off stingy bit, chop nettles up to tea leaf size. place in billy can, heat over fire for about 5/10 minutes (to taste) drink unsweetened. Believe me this is one of the most refreshing drinks you will ever have.

 

But do USE GLOVES.

 

Also Dandilion Coffee and Pine needle tea

[andy_the_rocketeer]

There is of course the nettle eating contest...

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dorset/content/articl...g_feature.shtml

 

I won't post the official link, since that is for an enterprise which provides food and drink in exchange for bank of england money tokens

[+Lotho]

I got stung through jeans as i walked through some nettles the other day...a first for me, ive never been stung through clothes before!

[+Geo.Kitten]

I got stung through jeans as i walked through some nettles the other day...a first for me, ive never been stung through clothes before!

 

Same has happened to me!! The odd thing is the red marks stay for awhile sometimes even till the next day.. So I think I may be slightly allergic or something

[+Alibags]

So, don't do this cache until the winter;

 

Alibags' Evil Nettle Cache

 

In fact the whole walkabout is lethal at the moment - stings all up my legs because I wore shorts!

 

That's NOT my worst one, trust me

 

I got nettled on saturday doing some of the Phillimore Clan's evil nettle caches. One one cache I was sting and came up in huge bumps, but it didn't really hurt very much. On another cache, I got stung, no bumps, but it itched and tingled for hours afterwards. I wonder if there are different types of nettle venom?

[+The T4 Two]

We had a good laugh once while we were walking across a field that had nettles near the path. We passed a Japanese gentleman who had just got stung and he rushed up to me in a blind panic asking if the plants were poisonous. Of course we couldn't let an opportunity like that go by, so we told him that he had half an hour to get to hospital, or he would die. The look on his face gave us the best laugh we had had in ages!

 

That is so mean. LOL

[+skinnymalinky]

After many years of being stung by nettles i think I am almost immune. I get a few minutes of stinging, no white spots/redness and after a while i've forgotten all about it.

 

Probably comes from rolling around in them as a child

 

Simon

[+PopUpPirate]

This stuff is ace

[+Alibags]

This stuff is ace

 

Ah, 'contains ammonia', that stuff seems to be the biz. I got eaten alive by mozzies in Greece one year and took my spotty itchy self off to the local pharmacist. He did not speak english, I do not speak greek. At first he offered me 'Anthisan', but I then did a great mime show of extreme itching and pain, so he gave me a tube of something else. All the writing was in greek, so I have no idea what it was, but it STANK of ammonia, but it was certainly very effective.

[+tteggod trackers]

This stuff is ace

the packaging looks identical to "After-Bite" which also contains ammonia

[+goldpot]

...now that nettles (subject) is dying, has anyone got blisters from the evil Giant Hogweed yet?

[+Geo.Kitten]

...now that nettles (subject) is dying, has anyone got blisters from the evil Giant Hogweed yet?

 

I have to google what hogweed is first

[+rutson]

According to a book called "101 Uses for Stinging Nettles", there seems to be no end to their uses....

 

Anyone else notice the oxymoron here?

[+Alibags]

...now that nettles (subject) is dying, has anyone got blisters from the evil Giant Hogweed yet?

 

No thanks, been there, done that, got the T shirt. I have noticed a LOT of it growing around this year though. I saw loads whilst doing parts of the WTF series along the Grand Union Canal (London End). Nasty nasty stuff.

[+Team Sieni]

A couple of years ago I introduced a friend to caching. We did GCP5RD Via Duck Volts. My friend is a seasoned orienteer and a tough nut. To my amazement she walked, or strolled might be a better word, or even swanned, in shorts, through a terrifying thicket of nettles and did the quite difficult cache retrieval as casually as if she were getting a box of teabags out of a cupboard. I was amazed. Sadly - although a natural - she didn't take up caching, but when we meet up we she sometimes accompanies us.

[+t.a.folk]

Aye dock leaves work a treat..............IF you can find them!! They always used to be about when I was a kid but seem to be harder to find these days

 

 

 

Doc amoungst the nettles

 

Edited May 30, 2008 by t.a.folk

[+Beds Clangers]

Load of girlies!!!

 

You need to spit on the dock leaf before you rub it on the nettle sting, why, Err!!, thats what I was told being a true Beds Old Boy.

 

Does it work????? Perhaps

 

I've been bitten, stung by every plant, insect, reptile, mammal in the UK, so glad to comment on anything else!!!!!!!!!

 

Cheers

 

Nick

[+drsolly]

A) long trousers

a jacket

 

That deals with most nettle (and bramble, holly etc problems.

 

C) a hat or cap

 

That deals with prtecting the top end

 

D) Gardening gloves

 

For those situations where you have to put your hand in ....

 

E) a Stick of Whacking.

 

For when you need to clear a path in head-high nettles. I can be quite ruthless to nettles.

[+goldpot]

...now that nettles (subject) is dying, has anyone got blisters from the evil Giant Hogweed yet?

 

...speak of the devil, I got stung by a giant hogweed doing this cache

today.

But, lucky for me it only left me with a slight rash

 

Be careful out there, this is a dangerous sport!

[+Dark_Faerie]

...now that nettles (subject) is dying, has anyone got blisters from the evil Giant Hogweed yet?

 

...speak of the devil, I got stung by a giant hogweed doing this cache

today.

But, lucky for me it only left me with a slight rash

 

Be careful out there, this is a dangerous sport!

Just googled giant hogweed, I don't think we get much round here. I've never seen any but it makes nettles look nicer!

 

[+careygang]

We miss the Nettles... Get some nasty Cactus spines out here though! Fortunately we're in the one bit of the US that doesn't have Poison Ivy..

See here for details of this nasty plant!

[+Ah yes!]

If a walking pole and size ten boots don't work, try a claymore in great sweeping strokes. It didn't work for us against the Scottish midges though. Give me nettles rather than midges any day.