Stemonitis on my nettle -- is it harmful to people?

Discussion in 'Fungi, Lichens and Slime Molds' started by lisa777, Jun 11, 2009.

  1. lisa777

    lisa777 Member

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    Hi! I have this stuff all over my stinging nettle plants! Please tell me, is it harmful to people? I was watering my plant and did not notice the fungus until it was too late. It sprayed up into my face! YUK!

    Thanks...I'll take some pics tomorrow and post it. It is the weirdest fungus I've ever encountered!!
     
  2. C.Wick

    C.Wick Active Member

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    Re: Brown hairlike fungus

    You grow stinging nettle and worry about Stemonitis? :o)
    I'd take the slime mould any day to that plant.
    The stemonitis isn't recorded as having ever done harm to anyone...either thru consumption or inhalation.
    Nettles however? Make me feel wimpy and burning for a long time after bumping into. lol.........do u use it for herbal or eat or?
     
  3. lisa777

    lisa777 Member

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    Re: Brown hairlike fungus

    lol..I know they hurt when you get stung!! Take toothpaste and rub it on the area. The pain will go away real quickly. If you're out in the field and don't have quick access to toothpaste you can rub marigold, sage, rosemary, mint and the nettle as well!...just make sure you use the juice..not the leaves from the nettle. Break the stem open and put the juice on the sting. It'll fix you right up!!

    Yes, I use it for medicinal purposes. I drink it in a tea and I eat the seeds as well. It provides me with unbelievable sustained energy throughout the day. I used to be a heavy coffee drinker, but I switched to nettle and never looked twice at coffee again. Plus I feel great and sleep a whole lot better.

    Here is an excerpt from a book that I reference frequently..( The Little Herb Encyclopedia by Jack Ritchason, N. D. )

    Nettle is an alkalinzing herb and is useful as a rich source of minerals.

    Nettle functions much like a mild Cayenne by opening the vessels, thus increasing circulation and uplifting a weary body relieving fatigue and exhaustion.....

    Nettle aids with diarrhea and dysentery and is good for inflammatory skin conditions.

    Nettle increases the flow of urine, shrinks inflamed tissues, helps blood circulation and purifies the blood.

    I can personally attest to it's effectiveness!! I love my nettle!! =)
     
  4. C.Wick

    C.Wick Active Member

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    Re: Brown hairlike fungus

    Oh outstanding info! Thank you....
    When I'm out in the woods/fields and get hit by them I grab dock or jewel weed to help. I've been told to use mud packs as well but I know what is in that mud...lol
    I honestly have never seen that much interesting information about nettle.....and had even not to long ago been in an arguement with someone about it.
    They'd wanted to dig out all the curly dock (invassive as heck)...and I wanted them to dig out all the nettle...they won. :o)
    I'd read of people making a tea from it but most people avoid it due to the stinging barbs. I've 7 survival kind of books for edible wild plants/mushrooms....and only 1 has a reference to nettles as making a good tea to help with caffiene needs. hmmm As a strong coffee drinker maybe I should seriously look into this as we've PLENTY of nettle on hand here in Kansas. :o)
    THANX!
     
  5. lisa777

    lisa777 Member

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    Re: Brown hairlike fungus

    You're welcome!

    I have another book called 101 uses for Stinging Nettle. It's pretty cool. There are some goofy things in there as well...but pretty entertaining. There is also a recipe in there for Nettle Beer! Haven't tried that yet, though.

    A great reason to have nettle near your garden (I keep it in a container to control the spread) ...it attracts beneficial insects!!

    Here are some it attracts:

    Hover flies
    lacewings
    parasitic wasps

    Butterflies and moths use it for food as well...so you'll get some very pretty ones aiding in pollination.

    can you tell I'm a nettle fan?! lol
     
  6. C.Wick

    C.Wick Active Member

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    Re: Brown hairlike fungus

    lol....if u don't love SOMETHING...u'r not alive!
    I'll have to see if I can find that book. I'm always interested in finding new uses for 'common' things.
    I keep dill in my garden to help with pest control.......and every time I find a mantid it gets transported. This year I found 2 egg nests that hatched with the little babies ALL OVER THE PLACE! I'm always trying out 'new' plants and herbs...found in my forests and fields here...to see how/what they do.
    The nettle though I think I'll just harvest as i hike. I know of entire wooded areas that the undergrowth is ONLY nettle. Nothing else has been able to survive it's growth.
    Lots of tea and cooked greens in the future I see! lol
     
  7. fish dr

    fish dr Active Member

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    Re: Brown hairlike fungus

    Additional to the "Nettle Nut" above:

    There's a cultivated Nettle that's more tender and has less sting. The young tips are tasty as a steamed vegetable. IT is very healthful.

    Nettle fibres are very fine and strong. They were used by N.A. Natives to make fishing line, the part nearest the hook, where being thin helps.
     
  8. terrid

    terrid Member

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    Re: Brown Threads

    The attached pictures must be the stages of growth. White patch one day, brown hair the next. I did notice slugs eating from it when it is white.
     

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    Last edited: Jun 25, 2009
  9. lisa777

    lisa777 Member

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    Re: Brown hairlike fungus

    Yup...that's exactly how mine grew. I originally thought the kids threw a wet piece of paper at my plant..lol nope, the next day I found the brown hairy things. yuk!

    My nettle seems to be ok now. It just went away..I let it dry out and now the fungus is gone. Is my plant still ok to consume or should I avoid this one?
     
  10. C.Wick

    C.Wick Active Member

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    Re: Brown hairlike fungus

    To Lisa...you're plants will be fine...just make sure to wash them. Which I think you do anyway as they're nettles? I've spoken to a coupld slime mould experts and all state they've never heard of anyone having issues with injesting this family of mould.

    To terrid...what an awesome bundle of eggs/sporing bodies! Great that you caught both stages as well as witnessing the slugs eating the early stages. I've just recently been recording slugs and snails eating the young stages of Myxomycetes. I have yet to read of them eating the sporing stages though. Something to look for I guess!
    The photo below is showing a slug eating the young stage of a Red Raspberry Slime Mould (Tubifera ferruginosa).
     

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  11. miss_myxomycete

    miss_myxomycete Active Member 10 Years

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    Re: Brown hairlike fungus

    Beautiful stuff :D
     
  12. fish dr

    fish dr Active Member

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    Re: Brown hairlike fungus

    Do you think that someone hase eaten them and been fine ? or is it that they are so repulsive as to be unlikely to be considered food.

    I wonder if there is any nutritional information available......slime mould tetrazzini with baby clams....dog vomit sourdough bread... the possibilities are endless.

    :)
     
  13. C.Wick

    C.Wick Active Member

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    Re: Brown hairlike fungus

    fish? I don't think anyone would WANT to eat them! lol I'll let you try the fuligo and tell me the results...lol Some of those things are just.......hmmm........no matter how caviar-egg-looking or 'pretty' red or whatever? I just can't see myself munching on something that helped create the movie The Blob. :o)
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 24, 2009
  14. Frog

    Frog Generous Contributor Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Re: Brown hairlike fungus

    I've tasted fuligo septica, it had a mushroomy flavour.
    I've not worked my way up to eating it as a meal, partly because I rarely run into this in quantity, and partly because of the vagueness of the references to scrambled-fuligo-in tortilla-in-Mexico.
    However, I ran into a myxomycetologist relatively recently who described to me the various myxo species he had eaten, including fuligo, and I came away feeling more reassured about the edibility. But he did note that none of the species he had tried was really worth eating from a gourmet/taste point of view.
    -frog
     
  15. C.Wick

    C.Wick Active Member

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    Re: Brown hairlike fungus

    Oh my...I honestly dont' think I'd be brave enuf to taste-test any kind of slime...haha!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 24, 2009

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