• Question: Do dock leaves and stinging nettles really always grow together and if so why?

    Asked by soggysheepy to Andrew, Janey P, Kinda, Ravi, SarahJane on 20 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Andrew Manches

      Andrew Manches answered on 20 Jun 2013:

      Not always but often. I think it is simply because they like the same sort of conditions: quite damp areas. However, although many people have said for many years that dock leaves help when you are stung, this is not proven – it may just be a myth. Or it may be that someone has not done the right science test yet. Saying that, placing any large cool leaf on a nettle sting will help a bit.

    • Photo: Jane Paget

      Jane Paget answered on 20 Jun 2013:

      I agree with Andrew. He seems to know his stuff about big cool leaves 🙂

    • Photo: Sarah-Jane Walsh

      Sarah-Jane Walsh answered on 26 Jun 2013:

      Stinging nettles contain Formic acid in the leaf, many people believe that this is what causes the sting. However the sting is caused by a combination of histamine and acetlycholine which cause an allergic reaction on the skin.

      People claim that dock leaves contain a mild antihistimine, but scientific studies have found that this is not the case. As Andrew said, its more the fact that the cool leaf provides some relief, the same way if you put any other cool leaf or object on the sting. However you should rub the sting as it will still have stinging hairs in the wound and rubbing will irritate the skin even further. The best thing you can use is antihistimine cream!

      For the case of do they occur together, this is a myth and its a pure coincidence that they are found together due to preferring the same type of soils, in this case nitrogen rich soils!

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