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Which acid is found in stinging nettles?

Question #149897. Asked by psnz.
Last updated Oct 05 2023.
Originally posted Oct 05 2023 7:45 PM.

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BigTriviaDawg star
Answer has 0 votes
BigTriviaDawg star
7 year member
1007 replies avatar

Answer has 0 votes.
Formic acid! ouch! There are other irritants as well that cause histamine reactions which researchers believe might be responsible for the discomfort on top of the initial sting.
What’s in this mix of different chemicals that causes the sting? Whilst we still haven’t identified every single compound in the mixture, we have some idea. We used to think that the main component was formic acid, the same compound contained in ant venom. Whilst formic acid is certainly capable of causing a stinging sensation, and it is present in stinging nettles, it’s now thought that it’s present in too low a concentration to account for the extended pain of a stinging nettle sting.

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.

link https://www.compoundchem.com/2015/06/04/nettles/

Response last updated by BigTriviaDawg on Oct 05 2023.
Oct 05 2023, 7:47 PM
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