# Numb Weed?



## chickenista

My DH used to run into a plant time and again walking through the woods. He said it made whatever part of his body that touched it..usually his arm, go numb in places. Not tingly, just numb.
Some old timer told him it was numb weed. I have never heard of such or encountered it and I crawled all over the mountains as a child.
And if I Google "numb weed" all I get is sites about pot.
Has anyone heard of numb weed?
Could it just be a strange reaction to a stinging nettle?
He won't let me "sting" him with nettles to find out. Wuss.
Nettles only zing me for a minute or two and then it fades.


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## RoseGarden

Stinging nettles cause me considerable pain for hours, so I don't blame your DH for not wanting to be stung with them just to see how it feels. 

The only plant I can think of is the 'toothache' plant, Spilanthes, but would that be found growing wild? I don't know, never heard of one being a wild plant, but if you touch a bit to your tongue it does indeed cause numbness.


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## MELOC

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zanthoxylum_clava-herculis

maybe toothache tree?


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## chickenista

Thaat is very cool! Thanks... maybe DH is super sensitive to it as a young sapling.....


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## Guest

The toothache tree is for real. The flavor is just awful, but it will make your mouth go numb for a while. They're a nuisiance tree around here in places that aren't mowed/tilled regularly.

.....Alan.


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## harrisjnet

Sounds like he may have encountered snakeroot. They make Novocaine out if the roots. If you chew on the stem, your mouth goes numb.


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## ChristyACB

If it looks almost like a flowerish plant with a pitcher-ish bloom, it may be Jack in the Pulpit. That one causes numbness for several minutes to several days depening on where you touch it.

Native of here in VA but found all over.


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## shelljo

not to be facetious, but my first thought was that he's been going to PERN.

Pern is a fictious world developed by author Anne McCaffrey, and on Pern, they have a native plant, numb weed.

Sorry, I just had to be silly. Hope you figure out what it is!


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## EDDIE BUCK

I can safely say none of Moma's switches were Numbweed. :Bawling: Eddie


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