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I thought nettle stings were made of silica. Isn't that basically glass? How does water deactivate it?
by dheera 1y ago
I thought nettle stings were made of silica. Isn't that basically glass? How does water deactivate it?
- buildbot 1y agoI would assume it denatures the chemicals the sting delivers
- kulahan 1y agoOn nettles, they're trichomes[1]. Probably somewhat similar to a skin tag? So it deactivates them by weakening the cell wall, just like when you cook the rest of the plant down. >Both trichomes and root hairs [...] are lateral outgrowths of a single cell of the epidermal layer. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichome
- avadodin 1y agoThe mineralization is just on the tips of the trichomes. When dry they are irritating if rubbed against the skin but not stingy anymore and when boiled they have at most a sandy nature as the trichomes soften and can't penetrate as well.