However, this plant is often also seen as a noxious weed that dominates disturbed areas in or near forests, or in clearings with moist, fertile soil. To identify stinging nettles, look for them in moist, wooded areas, like farmland, pastures, and roadsides. If your cat has multiple stings or bites, a soothing oatmeal bath is the way to go. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Treatment Wash the area with soap and water as soon as possible to relieve the sting and remove the nettle hairs. It is considered either a subspecies of the common North . In severe cases, immediate surgery is required in order to drain excess fluids from an affected eyeball. . Minimize swelling. It is found in both wet and dry grounds and shade and open prairie. Dr. Marusinec is a board certified Pediatrician at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, where she is on the Clinical Practice Council. ", a child I ended up with stinging nettles, they put mud on me from the lake. I was picking raspberries wearing a t-shirt. These extremely toxic larvae can grow up to 2" (5.5 cm) long and be shades of green or brown. By avoiding any rubbing or touching at first, the chemicals are not pushed further into the skin, which can cause the painful reaction to last longer, possibly even days. Your doctor may prescribe a topical antibiotic cream or ointment, or may want you take a course of oral antibiotics. Urtica dioica is ubiquitous here and the odd sting is to be expected on any country footpath. This website uses cookies. How do you treat a bee sting on the eye? Stinging nettle is native to western North America, Europe, Asia, northern Africa, and introduced elsewhere. Make a thick paste of baking soda and water and apply it to the sting site. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Some paw waxes might reduce stinging and soothe afterwards. References. A jewelweed plant is the same plant as an impatiens. The leaves and stems of this plant are covered in fine, tiny hairs. Purslane is usually found growing out of . Now we treat it with Manuka honey and it soothes it, but it still recurs. This will usually settle down within a few minutes or a few days and you can often treat them yourself. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Their fur can indeed protect to some extent. How do you soothe nettle stings? Horses don't usually eat stinging nettle, but if they lie down or roll on the plant, glassy hairs from the plant's leaves and stems cause a skin reaction characterized by wheals or hives and an intensely painful stinging sensation that may last 24 hours or more. Caution: When collecting stinging nettle always cover up all exposed skin. If you let your chickens out to free range, the nettles can provide a good hiding place and a bit of shade. Urtica dioica (stinging nettle) in the Herb Garden. It is still, as far as I can find as of this writing, a bit confusing to botanists. Use gloves to collect leaves and stems. 8 Common Weeds Your Chickens Will Love. Enjoy! wikiHow is a wiki, similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. 2. To learn more, like how to identify different species of stinging nettles, read on! But then , now so are you. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. The stinging nettles don't do much to deter predators on our land. Stinging nettle may cause: Low blood pressure. Sign up for wikiHow's weekly email newsletter. It affects their skin same as us when the points break off (sting , itch , burn , yadda) but I watch chipmunk , rabbit , squirrel , racoon , bear , really dumb dogs and even a human treat it most months like a buffet from Big Boy and they are fine and happy. All of them say that the root of stinging nettle has a substance that raise the free test, fights off a gynecomastia in teens going through the puberty, reduce the facial growth in young girls going thru puberty. What does it mean that the Bible was divinely inspired? Today, many people use it to treat urinary problems during the early stages of an enlarged prostate (called benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH). Blanching the leaves briefly in boiling water will also remove the stingers. Typically we recommend a dose of one milligram per pound to reduce inflammation.. Using dry weight comparisons, the nettle is 40% protein compared with 35% protein for soy beans. One of these chemicals is formic acid, which causes the painful rash. Why do stinging nettles hurt so much? By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. Apply any treatments gently to the area by using a dabbing motion to prevent further irritation. You can eat them like any other greens; the prickles lose their sting after a minute in boiling water. By using our site, you agree to our. This article has been viewed 177,887 times. She is a member of the American Medical Writers Association and the Society for Pediatric Urgent Care. Yes, heat neutralizes. And cooking or drying . The bee stinger contains toxins that can cause inflammation. Occasional side effects include mild stomach upset, fluid retention, sweating, diarrhea, and hives or rash (mainly from topical use). The irritation and rash are usually short lived and do not cause an ongoing rash like poison ivy does. Nettle stings can cause severe irritation to our pets and sometimes the pet will not put their weight through the affected feet to avoid the pain. Example: Yes, I would like to receive emails from Pet Poison Helpline. To create this article, 21 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. Fireweed (Urtica chamaedryoides), may not be a pasture weed that causes great economic losses from competition, but it can cause distress to people who come in contact with it in their pastures or around the farm. Our livestock and ducks love to forage in them. The rash resembles nettles. Hemp nettle has been deemed a noxious weed in some parts of North America. Apply the antibiotic cream or ointment directly to the areas involved. A bit of time with google turned up: "Nettle is the green vegetable rich in protein. And, in nettles, the amino acids are in balance. Healing. Dog and cats- make a powder from dried herb and add to the animal's food or make dog/cat treats occasionally for boosted nutrition . The plant grows in height from 20 inches (50.8cm) to about 50 inches, and the leaves grow to be about 16 inches (41cm) long. A very common plant, the stinging nettle can be found growing in gardens, hedgerows, fields, woodlands and many other habitats. All true nettles are a part of the Nettle Family. When ingested, stinging nettle can result in profuse salivation, pawing at the mouth, vomiting, labored breathing, muscle fasciculations (twitching) and ataxia. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. The leaves and stems of the plant are covered with brittle, hollow, hair-like structures. For other plants known as "nettle", see Nettle. Dried nettles can also be given to animals. Tincture: 2.5-5mL three times a day (1:5 in 40%) Hot Tea Infusion: Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 1-3 teaspoons of dried herb and infuse for 10-15 minutes. Chlorphenamine tablets or syrup can be put into a small amount of food that your pet likes and this can be given to your pet before their main dinner. Apply over-the-counter topical products containing hydrocortisone to treat the rash. But if you get stung on the eyelid or cornea, you should seek attention from an ophthalmologist. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. The reason for this is that stinging nettles contain fine hairs and chemicals that irritate human skin. A tight feeling in your chest that makes it hard to breathe. Stinging nettles don't have a particularly strong odor as far as we are aware - there's certainly nothing about the smell that strikes a human nose as being recognizable. Some of the most reported symptoms in dogs who have brushed against or ingested the stinging nettle are: Redness of the skin Swelling of the skin Hives Intense itching and burning Vomiting Drooling Diarrhea Pawing at the mouth Labored breathing Loss of coordination Dilated pupils Twitching muscles How to get rid of a sting from a nettle plant? Soothe the bite site. I'm not sure if it's the nettle plant or not, but, "First of all, I rubbed the area vigorously as I was annoyed. The stinging nettle is a plant found practically all over the world. % of people told us that this article helped them. To avoid the nettle sting, we just wear long sleeves and gloves when we are handling fresh nettle plants. The nutritional value of its protein is better than meat! As a small thank you, wed like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). . Remedies for this sting include a plant that often grows next to it called jewelweed. For young children, you may want to put soft gloves or mittens on their hands to help avoid scratching. Products are available over-the-counter that contain a mixture of anti-infective agents. Within about a minute the sting will be no more. References If your cat comes into contact with a lily you should take them to a vet immediately. If your cat has multiple stings or bites, a soothing oatmeal bath is the way to go. Some of these hairs, called trisomes, have the ability to break their tips when handled. Signs that your dog has eaten nettles include: Pawing at the mouth Drooling Dilated pupils Vomiting Diarrhoea Difficulty breathing Ataxia What to do if your dog is stung by nettles Apply a made-up paste of bicarbonate of soda and water to the sore areas of skin (this also works for bee stings), or if possible, stand your dog in a bowl of this solution. Even if she appears to have a mild, localized reaction, you should still call your vet right away. Stinging nettles can cause a rash and other symptoms if people touch them. Tincture: Flow the guidelines of the manufacturer as it will depend on their product but as a rough guide. One of the most toxic and deadliest caterpillars is the Giant Silkworm moth or South American Caterpillar ( Lonomia obliqua ). After all, it is just like our hair, stings can still get through. The nettle does not want to seriously harm the herbivore, more teach it a lesson. She believes that food should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their budget or dietary restrictions. 2. Hi Erma. Female flowers are more green, with 4 pubescent (hairy) sepals and 1 pistil. Here at Wellena, we have sourced a high quality supplement that is a synergistic combination of quercetin and stinging nettle leaf in a 1:1 ratio. Stinging nettles can cause a rash and other symptoms if people touch them. 1. There are six subspecies of stinging nettle, five of which have stinging properties. The coolness of the product will have a soothing effect, and the active properties of the cream or ointment can help prevent infection. This guide will help you identify what nettles look like so that you can avoid them the next time you may come across them. We use cookies for our legitimate interests of providing you with personalized content, enabling you to more easily use our website, evaluating use of our website, and assisting with ad reporting functions. Stinging Nettle is a perennial herb growing nearly worldwide. Most people remember stinging nettles from the "bite" these plants cause when touched. Does vinegar help nettle stings? To create this article, 21 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. There are 5 subspecies of which 4 have stinging hairs. I don't feel 'interfered' with, I feel inspired, to do better bringing quality foods to tortoise keepers everywhere. The toxic effects of insect venom can also kill large amounts of eye cells, leading to temporary, or in some cases, permanent partial or complete vision loss. 5 Do I need to take my cat to the vet for a bee sting? Hundreds of species of plants that are commonly called "nettles" exist in the world, many which are named because of the similarity to a common weed known as Stinging Nettle or Common Nettle (Urtica dioica) by leaf shape, growth habit, or stinging ability thanks to the tiny needle-like hairs that exude a skin-irritant when touched. The chemicals released by the plant include acetylcholine, histamine, serotonin, moroidin, leukotrienes, and possibly formic acid. You can either make a thick baking soda paste by mixing baking soda with water. Apply an ice pack to the affected area for 10 minutes to reduce swelling. This article has been viewed 2,200,919 times. But putting on gloves takes care of the harvesting problem. This article was co-authored by Laura Marusinec, MD. The actual science behind the use of plants to treat this condition is very limited. 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