Properties: Cold, acrid, toxic

Meridans Entered:
Primary: Lung, Liver, Large Intestine, Bladder

1. Dispel Wind and frees the Network Vessels
   Wind-Damp Bi Syndrome
2. Calms the Liver and settles fright
   Post-partum Wind Tetany, Childhood Fright Wind, sequalae of poliomyelitis
   Hypertension
3. Resolves Toxicity
   Urticaria, snake bites, insect bites

Suggested Daily Dosage: 9-15g dried herb in decoction, or 15-30ml of fresh juice. For topical administration apply fresh leaf to the skin for 30 seconds once daily.

• Formic Acid
  Carboxylic acid present in many bee and ant stings and also present in the stinging hairs of nettles. It was thought for a long time to be responsible for the stinging effect but is too low concentration to explain the effect entirely. Useful as an antibacterial agent and preservative.
• Histamine
  Organic nitrogenous compound involved in local immune responses and present in the hairs of nettles. It is now thought to be most likely agent for the stinging effect along with acetylcholine, and serotonin. It is a powerful stimulant of gastric secretion, a constrictor of bronchial smooth muscle, a vasodilator, and also a centrally acting neurotransmitter. This is reduced or eliminated entirely through drying and boiling.
• Acetylcholine
  A neurotransmitter that may be partially responsible for the stinging effect. It is a major transmitter but broken down very rapidly by cholinesterases giving it few internal applications, except for some uses in ophthalmology.
• Serotonin
  Hormone, monoamine neurotransmitter and biochemical messenger also present in the sting. It mediates several important physiological functions including neurotransmission, gastrointestinal motility, haemostasis, and cardiovascular integrity. Usually synthesised from the amino acid tryptophan acquired in the diet and is a precursor to melatonin, another hormone that is of primary importance to regulating sleep rhythms.