Nettle is a plant that has been known since ancient times, a kind of “dog-nipper” among the biological kingdom of plants. Even rubber gloves and thin layers of clothing are not afraid of this sultry grass.
Why is nettles burning?
In fact, such an effect of nettle on an external stimulus is a way of self-defense against herbivores. The latter, aware of this ability of nettles, bypass the bushes of the plant side. The stalk and nettle leaves are entangled from above with thin, barely noticeable to the eye, and very sharp villi, which easily pierce the skin of a person and an animal, and breaking open remain in it. The villi contain juice.
The composition of the juice is formic acid, histamine and vitamin B4. When the villi enter the skin, the juice flows under the skin and causes a burning sensation in the punctured area. Juice acts as a kind of poison, but for a person this dose does not pose a particular danger. On the contrary, from such an injection, blood circulation in the body increases and blood begins to pump faster through the vessels, removing excess wastes, toxins and other debris from the body that is harmful to humans. No wonder that in the bathhouse one of the popular brooms for bathing procedures is made from nettles. For 7-10 visits to the steam room with such a broom, the blood becomes clean, like a healthy young child.
Nettle broom can be checked at the same time and the body's saturation with vitamins.If the skin on the blows with a nettle broom turned red and burns, then the vitamins in the body are not enough, and vice versa, with a small reaction, then there are enough vitamins.
Should we be afraid of the effects of nettle?
Burns resulting from the interaction of the skin area with the plant do not pose a great threat and pass without leaving a trace after two hours. There are even methods to speed up this process:
- Washing with soapy water 10 minutes after a burn.
- Exposure of the burned skin in cold water for a while.
- Application of gruel from baking soda soaked in cold water.
- Applying sorrel leaves to the burn site, so that the alkali neutralizes the effects of burning formic acid, which is part of the nettle.
- Applying a cotton swab dipped in aloe juice or its concentrate to the burn site in order to calm the irritated skin area.
The only time you really need to worry about a burn from nettle bushes is the presence of allergic reactions in the body. In history, there are cases that, from touching the nettle, were fatal. But such precedents are a rare occurrence in modern life. Symptoms by which you can make out an allergic reaction to nettle are a rash, swelling, nausea and vomiting, severe diarrhea.
If itching and redness from a nettle burn do not go away within a couple of days, then a serious exacerbation may have begun. And if you do not attend to the help of medications in time, which the doctor should prescribe, then the reaction will not only not decline, but the general condition of the body can finally deteriorate.
How to quickly get rid of a nettle burn?
The first thing to do is to remove the very poisonous villi that are stuck in the skin. To do this, the affected area is washed with a sufficient amount of cold water or rubbed with ice cubes. After that, treat the washed area of the skin with a solution of any alcohol with a cotton swab or bandage in order to disinfect the lesion site.
You can also get rid of a burn using medical ointments or gels. In order not to cause allergic drugs, together with them antihistamines are taken. The faster the procedures are taken to remove the burn and its consequences, the faster the relief will come. Accelerated medical care is especially relevant if a child is burned with a nettle plant.
Drawing conclusions, we can emphasize that there is nothing to worry about in a nettle burn, since this is just a natural process of plant protection. The main thing is not to start the treatment process, if necessary.
