Stinging Nettle Venom Speculation

[ryjoseph97]

I am halfway reluctant to post this because I'm not sure how it will be received. I read that Stinging Nettle rashes release histamine, acetylcholine, and serotonin (among others).

I have searched for the etiology of Nettles Rash and have found a helpful article: https://www.compoundchem.com/2015/06/04/nettles/. Here are a few noteworthy comments.

"Other chemicals contained in the stinging nettle venom, and the ones we now think are primarily responsible for the pain it induces, are histamine, acetylcholine, and serotonin. Serotonin, in particular, might sound familiar – it’s produced in our bodies, and sometimes referred to as the ‘happy hormone’, though it’s actually responsible for a number of other roles too. When injected by the stinging nettle, however, it functions as an irritant, leading to pain. Acetylcholine is another neurotransmitter that can accomplish a similar effect, and you might remember histamine from previous discussions of allergies, particularly hayfever. In the venom, histamine causes inflammation and pain."

It's also noteworthy that Dock Leaves have been used as a remedy for Nettles Rash and that this may have something to do with 5htp antagonism:

"They found that dock leaf extract will block the effect of serotonin, making that the likely mechanism for dock leaves to ease the pain of a nettle sting."

If it's true that Nettle Venom could "induce" serotonin, the first question is whether this could have a therapeutic effect for PSSD. The next question is then, where on our bodies might it have the greatest effect. Not ruling any body parts out yet.

Edit: I wasn't aware that the use of nettle venom to intentionally treat a medical condition is called urtication. You can learn more here: http://www.herbstalk.org/blog/urticatio ... of-nettles