Onga Onga -Fierce Nettle what symptoms?
Jim A.
horse. The poison interferes with the nervous system and the victim
loses muscular co-ordination. In severe cases artificial respiration is
required and the effects last 3 days or so. The sting from just a few
hairs constitutes a severe case.
In article <390F2F4F...@hort.cri.nz>, Paul Gaastra
<Paul.G...@hort.cri.nz> writes
>Anybody tell me what's supposed to happen if you're stung
>by Onga Onga (fierce stinging nettle)?
>
--
With Best Regards
Jim A.
Paul Gaastra
Brian M. Harmer
Urtica ferox ... according to the relatively unscientific web page at
http://www.forento.co.nz/gallery/ongaonga.htm, it "is the host plant
of the admiral butterflies. The sting of this plant can cause illness
or even death."
The Royal Society hosts a science fair page which discusses treatment
of stings at http://www.rsnz.govt.nz/clan/scifairs/1996SciFair/02.ssi
"These hairs contain many toxins, although many are still unknown, but
the main ones are: 5-hydroxytryptamine, histamine, acetylcholine,
formic acid and triffydin."
This page suggests that Urtica ferox "has been known to kill dogs and
horses". In fact, a pair of trampers in Taranaki wandered bare chested
into a thicket of the stuff in 1964(?), and died of it.
I could not find a description of the toxic process, but the damn
thing is extremely painful, especially if encountered towards the end
of summer when the plant is dry and the toxins most concentrated, and
in some cases can cause death.
--
Brian M. Harmer
http://www.vuw.ac.nz/~bharmer/
Alex
I moved to New Zealand instead of Oz because I didn't fancy living with of
all the horrible things that could kill you just be looking at you.
- and I'm not talking about the rugby referees.
Do they have Triffids in NZ as well ?
Jim A. wrote in message ...
>It's bad news, and can easily be fatal even to a large animal like a
>horse. The poison interferes with the nervous system and the victim
>loses muscular co-ordination. In severe cases artificial respiration is
>required and the effects last 3 days or so. The sting from just a few
>hairs constitutes a severe case.
>
>
>In article <390F2F4F...@hort.cri.nz>, Paul Gaastra
><Paul.G...@hort.cri.nz> writes
>>Anybody tell me what's supposed to happen if you're stung
>>by Onga Onga (fierce stinging nettle)?
>>
>
Morbid Curiosity
wrote:
>Shit !
>
>I moved to New Zealand instead of Oz because I didn't fancy living with of
>all the horrible things that could kill you just be looking at you.
>
>- and I'm not talking about the rugby referees.
>
>
>Do they have Triffids in NZ as well ?
Only when my mother forgets to tie her roses back :-)
Australia still has a lot more venomous things per square kilometre
than New Zealand, mind.
Morbid
Brian M. Harmer
(Morbid Curiosity) wrote:
>On Wed, 3 May 2000 15:10:10 +1200, "Alex" <alex_...@yahoo.com>
>wrote:
>>Do they have Triffids in NZ as well ?
>Only when my mother forgets to tie her roses back :-)
>Australia still has a lot more venomous things per square kilometre
>than New Zealand, mind.
And that's just in parliament!
John Cawston
> On Wed, 3 May 2000 15:10:10 +1200, "Alex" <alex_...@yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>
> >Shit !
> >
> >I moved to New Zealand instead of Oz because I didn't fancy living with of
> >all the horrible things that could kill you just be looking at you.
> >
> >- and I'm not talking about the rugby referees.
> >
> >
> >Do they have Triffids in NZ as well ?
>
> Only when my mother forgets to tie her roses back :-)
>
> Australia still has a lot more venomous things per square kilometre
> than New Zealand, mind.
Two deaths spring to mind, near Dannevirk, IIRC, and 30 years ago. Other
symptoms include nodes in the groin, build up of antibodies, I think.
Also, the exposed parts can hurt like hell, go red and lumpy and really itch, a
bit like severe mosquito bites.
Like besetting, some people are affected more than others. I've often walked
bare legged through the stuff with minimal effect, but I wouldn't do it now, as
you age, you can find the body reacts differently to these sort of incidents.
JC
Mike Field
> Anybody tell me what's supposed to happen if you're stung
> by Onga Onga (fierce stinging nettle)?
I brushed my arm past it once, a burning sensation, with small white
welts (like hives) afterwards. stung for a couple of days.
We've got a big bush on the council land next door if you would like to
research it some more :-)
Mike
Keith Davidson
>
> Anybody tell me what's supposed to happen if you're stung
> by Onga Onga (fierce stinging nettle)?
There are more than one variety of stinging nettle in NZ. Ongaonga is
usually quite a large bush, between 1 metre and 3 metres tall, and if
you look closely at the leaves, you will notice that they are longish
and thinish (other nettles are usually a little more rounded) and there
are two rows of hairy spines running close to the "spine" of the leaf,
as well as a row right round the edge of the leaf.
If you touch a leaf (try using a stick instead of your bare skin!) you
will note a quantity of venom exude from the hairy bits.
If you are unfortunate enough to be stung, there is a very simple cure.
You need to carefully push the nettle over, and cut and scrape the bark
of the bush, close to the ground. It will start to exude a milky
coloured sap (as opposed to the venom which is clear liquid). Grab some
of the crunched up bark with the milky stuff on it, and rub it over the
sting. Within 2 or 3 minutes the stinging will start to subside, but
keep the barky stuff in contact with the sting for around 10 minutes or
more. Within an hour, you will not even know you have been stung. You
should try and make sure that the bush you use for the antidote is the
same bush that stung you - it is the most effective antidote, but any
other nettle bush will do if you are not sure.
If you don't use this treatment, you can expect up to a month of red
itchy lumps or some loss of flesh around the wound, and a really painful
throbbing every time the area stung is exposed to water.
I am told that if you can put ice on a sting fairly soon after being
stung it will help to alleviate things, but doesn't actually neutralise
the sting like the antidote from the nettle does.
I have been stung by ongaonga many times. Our Hawkes Bay bush block has
lots of this nettle growing, particularly on the edges of cleared tracks
where its sunny. There is no doubt that certain times of the year the
plants are more potent than others. In fact, in good cold winters all
the nettles die completely. Warm winters meanyou get very big and very
potent nettles the next year. Being off the beaten track, I have never
had access to ice when stung, so have never tried that remedy. In the
early days, I tried things like Savlon, or rubbing dock leaves on the
sting, but neither had any real effect. When an old chap told me of the
cure of using the sap from the base of the nettle bush, I thought he was
kidding, and didn't try it the next couple of times I was stung. But
then one time I got really badly hit, while in shorts and t-shirt, right
up one leg and arm. In desperation I though I would try this cure, and
was utterly staggered that it worked. Nowadays, I am a lot less worried
about being stung, as the cure is simple and almost immediately
effective.
Cheers
Keith Davidson
DavE
>
> If you touch a leaf (try using a stick instead of your bare skin!) you
> will note a quantity of venom exude from the hairy bits.
>
...reminds me of my ex-wife!
David E*D*L*I*N
Alex
That's worth remembering.
Alex
Ben Tichborne
. The sting from just a few
> hairs constitutes a severe case.
I've been stung a few times by the hairs of this plant, but I wouldn't call
it severe. It hurt on the point of contact for about 5 or 10 minutes, and
then it was numb/ tingly for several hours. Then again, that was only a
brush with the stuff - I would've been far worse off if I'd fallen into a
thicket of it.
Keith Davidson
>
> I've been stung a few times by the hairs of this plant, but I wouldn't call
> it severe. It hurt on the point of contact for about 5 or 10 minutes, and
> then it was numb/ tingly for several hours. Then again, that was only a
> brush with the stuff - I would've been far worse off if I'd fallen into a
> thicket of it.
It depends if it really was ongaonga (or one of our other nettles, which
are less severe), at what time of the year you were stung, if it had
been a good growing year for ongaonga, and what geographic part of the
country it was. Also, different people have different reactions to the
sting, much like the range of effects of bee stings. Some people hook a
bee sting out and carry on with no problems, others die within 5 minutes
of being stung.
I have not seen anyone get off so lightly from a brush with ongaonga as
you describe.
Keith Davidson
pcme...@gmail.com
Urtica ferox....Some major stings in hand, many small stings inner forearm. Very sharp sting in palm of hand for about 10 seconds, far worse then bee or wasp sting. Strange nerve pain from tip of fingers to upper arm in day 2. Day 3, pain up to ear, dermatitis on inner arm, arm partial paralyzed for 2 days. Day 4, hand very painful, can not grip, slight hit to hand causes severe pain. Skin very tender, as if you have fever but much worse, pain up in the scalp to center of head. Eye ache, ear ache, head ache, weirdest was tooth aches, on and off for 2 days. Dull nerve pain for 6 weeks, enough to affect sleep greatly, hurt throughout the day from finger tips to center of chest down to my waist. From day 3, 2 fingers went completely numb, numbness subsided over the next 8 weeks. Itching started about 4th week, subsided over 8 weeks, tried Prednisone, Cortisone cream, Benadryl, Lidocaine cream, did little, Cymbalta helped a little.
Paul Meiners