stung with nettles

Chalomine lotion, vinegar,sudocreme
I have tried all of these and only 1 made me smell bad!!

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Mookins your a star I did the vinegar that was a great quick fix - will put the sudocreme on when I go in I have loads of that cheers xxx

youre welcome

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normaly dock leaves grow right near stingers

Well its a bit late for me to tell you this, given the chemist will be shut by now, but there is a cream you can buy over the counter that I'm desperately trying to remember the name of - it has novocaine in it and is aimed at sunburn sufferers as much as anything, but I found it effective for stings and bites too. Okay, got it, Solarcaine.
A tip though - if ever you get stung again, RESIST the urge to rub or touch the stung area in any way. I know its unbearable for about ten minutes, but if you don't touch it at all, with anything at all, it will wear off and not bother you again. If you touch it, it'll continue to sting for some hours. I speak from experience...;-(

i agree with bamboo but tattoos are much more painfull .i find the itching worse when the stings getting better

its the tingling as the itch goes that gets me, like pins and needles
drives me crackers

NoseyPotter-I agree with regards to tatoos although its obviously gonna hurt more. Of my 4 tatoos the one on top of my foot hurt the most
was ready to stop half way and say just leave it like that

hehehe

very addictive though unlike nettle stings

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i cant help but agree my most painfull was just of my ribs under my arm lol

Nettles sting with formic acid. The hair is made of a brittle, glass-like substance like a hyperdermic needle. When touched it fractures and breaks off, puncturing the skin, thus releasing the acid through the hollow centre into a person's skin. I would assume docks work by having an alkaline sap and so neutralizing the acid. Would be surprised if vinegar (acetic acid) would work therefore.

Dock leaves aren't alkaline as they contain oxalic acid. Must be something else in them which soothes the sting.

Thanks guys for all your suggestions it's turned into quite an interesting blog - The dock leaves are what we used as kids can't remember if they worked that well however if I had some i'd have tried it - the vinegar strangely enough did give an instant relief for the sting and the itch - maybe it has a Homeopathic effect as i believe that is a therapy where they treat like with like to a certain degree 9i'm no expert but got me thinking) anyway cheers guys - | soo love this site x

My mum used to say rub soap on nettle stings but I use Savlon as it has an analgesic effect. :0)

antihistamine cream from boots-- work after vinager for red ants too!

most plants in the wild that are poison have the cure very close for some reasen

.... God's provision.

mother nature well organised is what I call it
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well handy is what i call it lol

Guys you have gave me so much info I am going to get myself stung by nettles tomorrow to see what works best ................. (ok lie I will do what I do best on my day off potter in the garden, have coffee, sign on to GOY, have more coffee, potter in garden, "look" at pile of ironing, have more coffee, have another potter, have another surf on goy and then i might do the nettle thingy - watch this space - love you guys - GOY members make me smile everyday xxx

you can eat them as long as you blanche them and make soup lol not that i would

they were also used many years ago as a form of teeth cleaning, think it was the stems but not sure

Love yous to Angie

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cool ill stick to toothpaste and tomato soup lol

heheh me too NP

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lol