During the summer when people picnic and camp in the outdoors, many of them will tangle with stinging nettle. Years ago during a July 24th picnic near Cascade Springs in Utah County, one of my young nieces walked through a patch of stinging nettle and soon afterward began complaining and crying about her skin hurting. We tracked it to a streamside patch of stinging nettle. At the time, we had nothing to put on the affected skin. Needless to say, I'm wiser now and even for short outings have first aid supplies on hand even for the shortest of trips.
While directions appear in all first aid books on what to do if you have contact dermatitis (itching and rash) from poison ivy, oak and sumac, information on stinging nettle first aid is noticeably absent. I would surmise that more people have contact with stinging nettle in some parts of the country than the more famous poison ivy. Stinging nettle grows along trails and roadsides, in woods and about buildings.Stinging nettle has a stinging hair found both on stems and about the leaves. This stinging hair consists of a fine hollow tube connecting with a bladder at the base containing a chemical irritant. When the stinging hair is compressed, the tip of the tube is broken off into a sharp tip and the hair is compressed into the bladder, releasing the irritating chemical. The irritants are then forced through the tube into the skin.
Stinging nettle affects almost all people. Its effects are not related to an allergic response as with poison ivy, but rather, are due to a direct irritant effect of the plant's sap. The effects are limited to the exposed area, and the response is usually quite prompt, whereas in poison ivy, it may take one, two or even more days for an allergic reaction to happen.
Stinging nettle will produce some degree of redness, burning and itching for about an hour, depending on the area of the body exposed to the plant. For example, thicker skin found on the soles of the hands retards the stinging hairs better than areas of thinner skin such as the back of hands and arms. Humans vary in sensitivity when the plant actually contacts exposed skin.
The typical response after contacting stinging nettle is a rapid, intense burning sensation at the site of the injection. Following the immediate reaction, the area may itch for an hour or more. No systemic (whole body) effects are usually noted. The response is not allergic and, therefore, no prior exposure is needed.
Wash the exposed area with soap and water to remove irritant chemicals. Applying a cold, wet pack will help soothe the painful itching. For itching, other treatments might include trying a paste of oatmeal and using an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream (1 percent).
Benadryl, an over-the-counter antihistamine, may be used as directed on its packaging and will be somewhat helpful. Be aware that it causes drowsiness. The duration of the reaction is measured in hours, rather than days, so little therapy is needed.
Other than using the antihistamine Benadryl, and should you be without professional medical care, one wilderness medical physician expert says that you can apply GI jungle juice, which is a 75 percent mixture of DEET insect repellent and 25 percent isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. The problem with this recommendation is that you may not have such a strong DEET insect repellent available. DEET over 35 percent is not recommended as an insect spray on exposed skin.
Stinging nettle, whose effects usually last for no more than a few hours and do not require professional medical care, has ruined many an outdoor venture. Though its effects end within a few hours, those few hours can be very nasty for the victim who in turn makes it unpleasant for others, so be prepared.