Being an acid, it follows that the cure for treating a nettle sting has to be an alkaline substance to neutralise the acid. Rubbing vigorously removes the offending nettle hairs and disperses the acid in the skin thereby lessening the pain of the nettle sting. Vigorous rubbing also bruises the dock leaf releasing moist sap giving both a soothing and a lubricating effect and an added cooling effect as the liquid evaporates. We all learned as children that rubbing a dock leaf on a nettle sting relieved the burning sensation. A dock leaf is, of course, a very good choice of juicy lea and it happens to work very well.

Source: Irish Independent April 16, 2021 23:47 UTC