A QUICK, daily rub with a stinging nettle can bring a warm tingle of relief
to aching joints, according to a British study on patients with osteoarthritis
of the thumb. The research gives credence to folk remedies for the treatment of
arthritis.
“It doesn’t hurt as much as you think,” says Colin Randall, head of a project
at the Plymouth Postgraduate Medical School in Devon investigating the
phenomenon, “but it did have a significant effect.” Randall, a retired family
doctor, decided to investigate after reading anecdotal reports about nettle
treatment. “It was used by soldiers in Roman times, and recommended…
