In the dock
Question: Why are dock leaves so effective at relieving stings from nettles?
Are they effective on any other plant or insect stings? Is this how the name is
derived?
Answer: Being stung by a nettle is painful because the sting contains an
acid. Rubbing the sting with a dock leaf can relieve the pain because dock
leaves contain an alkali that will neutralise the acid and therefore reduce the
sting. Bees and ants also have acidic stings, so dock leaves should help, but
other alkalis, such as soap or bicarbonate of soda, are usually better.
However, a…
