Question for raw
stinging nettle eaters. Today I finally decided to eat raw stinging
nettles for the first time. Actually, it was my first time eating stinging nettles period. So, I ate two leaves in the morning. I plucked a leaf and folded it up and rubbed it a bit to crush the stingers. Then I ate them. Good. No sting on my fingers or in my mouth. So, this afternoon, I decided to make a green smoothie with them (about 10 one-inch leaves from the tops of the plants; they were not flowering yet). My ingredients were stinging nettles, melon and
water. I blended it in my blender and drank. The back of my mouth and beginning of my throat feel a bit like they got stung. I'm thinking that some of the stingers survived the blending process. Has this happened to any of you who eat raw stinging nettles?
My head, arms and hands started having a strange sensation. I could breath just fine and my stomach didn't hurt. The sensation was sort of tingling. But my hands felt a distinct but mild throbbing. My husband insisted that I take some benadryl (diphenhydramine; anti-histamine). The sensation is even milder now. Anyway, it is possible that I am slightly allergic (I read somewhere that some people are allergic or at least sensitive to it. Perhaps I am one.
I wonder if the sensation was from any niacin in them. I recall what a niacin flush felt like and this was sooooo similar to it. Is there niacin in nettles?
Moderator: I know that this could be cross-posted in a few other forums. Do I ask you to do that or can I just copy and paste into the appropriate forums? TIA.
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