• I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    32
    ·
    1 day ago

    A botany teacher I once had would rub her hands with nettles every morning to help with her arthritis. She said the increased blood flow from the inflammation helped somehow. Reminds me of the people who get stung by bees to help with MS.

    • cokeslutgarbage@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      24 hours ago

      It’s called urtification (after the latin for nettles, Urtica dioica) , and humans have been doing it forever for exactly the reasons she mentioned.

    • Mycatiskai@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      1 day ago

      You body will acclimate to the feeling after repeated exposure.

      My partner spent so many years removing nettle from wetland restoration sites that she doesn’t even feel it anymore.

    • GingaNinga@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      15
      ·
      1 day ago

      formic acid is also a rapid fixitive and decalcifier. We use it to treat bones to make them softer for histology so we can slice them into 4um cross sections (thats how microscope slides are made, then we stain them with pretty colours)

        • GingaNinga@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          6
          ·
          24 hours ago

          In general Its nearly impossible to do vegan microbiology, everything contains animal products. mouse/goat/rabbit antibodies, bacterial culture plates require nutrients and they’re usually sheep or horse blood-based. Even cell cultures are technically live organisms, but so are plants I suppose.