How to Take the Sting Out of Sticker Weeds

Stinging nettles, sometimes colloquially referred to as sticker weeds, are a source of natural medicine. Unfortunately, the leaves are also poisonous to the touch. The stickers, or hairs, on the underside of the leaf, on the stem and along the venation of the plant contain formic acid. When the hairs stick in your skin and break off they release the acid, which irritates the skin and causes intense itching and burning. The sting, if allowed to go on untreated, can continue for 24 hours or more in people with sensitive skin.

Things You'll Need

• Baking Soda
• Soap
• Tape

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Instructions

• 1

  Spit on the affected area of skin. Saliva and will neutralize the acid in the sting. The relief is immediate but temporary. This will buy you time to get to a more permanent solution.

• 2

  Search the area for dock or jewelweed. These plants typically grow in the same area as stinging nettle and their leaves contain a relief for the stinging nettle's acid. Rub the dock or jewelweed leaf on the itching area until you experience relief. Dock is a short plant that looks like large dandelion leaves. It has no bloom, however. Like saliva, the relief from the dock or jewel leaf is temporary. Pick extra leaves to take with you until you can get home and treat the area properly.

• 3

  Wash the area with cool water and soap. The cool water will be soothing, and the soap and water will wash away the tiny stickers still stuck in the skin.

• 4

  Inspect the area closely. If you can see any of the stickers still in the skin, lay packing tape or duct tape over the skin and then pull it off. This may cause some discomfort, because it will pull hair with it, but it is effective at removing the poisonous stickers.

• 5

  Make a paste out of baking soda and water. The paste should be thick, with the consistency of mud or damp sand. Leave the paste on the affected area for about a half hour. Use the paste three times a day until the sting completely subsides.