What Is the Devil's Toilet Paper? Coyote Peterson Stung by Australia's Giant Stinging Tree

TL;DR

The "devil's toilet paper" is the Australian giant stinging tree, the country's second most painful stinging plant, and Coyote Peterson deliberately grazes his forearm across a leaf to feel it firsthand. The leaf's trichomes work like tiny hypodermic needles, snapping off in the skin and releasing a neurotoxin that scientists say resembles a cone snail's and only affects mammals. The pain is instantaneous, first like exploding pop rocks and then like a box of yellow jackets. See which remedy he tries and how it ranks against the bullet ant.

Transcript

• I'm Coyote Peterson, and I'm about to enter the sting zone with Australia's second most awful stinging tree. Here we go. 1, 2, 3. (screams) (dramatic drum music) So why in the world would I want to be intentionally stung by this plant species? Well, we wanna figure out a couple of things. Number one, how susceptible am I to plant venoms? Number t... Read More

Key Insights

• 👨‍🎨 The giant stinging tree is Australia's second most painful plant, causing intense and lasting pain upon contact.
• 🤲 Coyote Peterson intentionally gets stung by the tree to assess his susceptibility, test remedies, and share his experience.
• 👨‍🎨 The tree's neurotoxin is similar to that found in the cone snail, causing pain and irritation in mammals.
• 💦 Removing the nettles from the skin can be challenging due to their microscopic size and ability to work their way deeper.
• 😒 Hair wax strips can partially remove the nettles from the skin's surface, but immediate use is more effective.
• 🤗 The pain from the giant stinging tree can be compared to sticking one's hand into a box of angry yellow jackets.
• 🌱 Coyote confirms that an episode on the sting of the "suicide plant" (gimpy gimpy) is necessary for his audience.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the "devil's toilet paper" plant?

It is the Australian giant stinging tree, which Coyote Peterson identifies as Australia's second most painful stinging plant. "The devil's toilet paper" is what he says the plant is called in the industry. Its leaves and stems are covered in tiny stinging nettles that inject a neurotoxin on contact.

Q: Why would Coyote Peterson want to be intentionally stung by the giant stinging tree?

He wants to figure out three things: how susceptible he is to plant venoms, whether the sting is really as bad as he has read, and what methods can help alleviate the pain and remove the nettles if you run into the plant in the wild. To do that he gently grazes the leaf across his forearm to get nettled multiple times.

Q: How big can the Australian giant stinging tree grow?

Coyote says the species can grow to nearly a hundred feet in height, though the tree he uses is just a baby. As they get bigger, the spines on the main trunk begin to evolve away, leaving the irritating nettles on the stalks and leaves. The nettles sit on the top of the leaf, the underside, and all along the stem.

Q: What causes the sting, and how does the neurotoxin affect the body?

The nettles are trichomes, little barbs filled with a neurotoxin that Coyote says scientists believe is similar to that of the cone snail. When the sharp, hypodermic tip touches skin it breaks off and releases the toxin, causing massive irritation that triggers pain receptors almost instantly. Coyote notes scientists do not know why the pain receptors are set off and last as long as they do.

Q: Does the stinging tree's toxin affect insects too?

No. Coyote points out that the leaves have holes chewed by caterpillars, and although you might expect the defense to evolve against leaf-eating insects, the toxin only affects mammals. That is why the plant does not deter the caterpillars feeding on it.

Q: How does the giant stinging tree's sting compare to other painful experiences?

Coyote compares the onset to putting pop rocks in your mouth, then says it climbs into the realm of sticking his hand into a box full of angry yellow jackets, and likens it to the Japanese giant hornet. He notes the angry yellow jacket box is the most painful experience he has ever gone through, and so far this sting has not eclipsed it. He warns that if the pain keeps increasing he is in for a very painful next 24 hours.

Q: What is Australia's number one most painful stinging plant?

Coyote says the top-tier plant, the one they call the suicide plant, is the gimpy gimpy. The giant stinging tree he stings himself with ranks as the second most painful stinging plant in Australia, just below it.

Q: Do hair wax strips effectively remove the nettles from the skin?

Coyote says the nettles are essentially microscopic and, like shards of fiberglass, work their way down and into the skin so he cannot fully remove them. Hair wax strips are a method he read about that can remove some of the nettles from the skin's surface. They work better if used immediately after contact, before the nettles work in deeper, and rubbing the area only drives them in further.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Coyote Peterson intentionally gets stung by Australia's giant stinging tree to test his susceptibility to plant venoms, experience the pain described, and explore ways to alleviate the pain.

• The stinging tree, filled with nettles that release a neurotoxin, causes immediate and intensifying pain upon contact with the skin.

• Coyote tries using hair wax strips to remove the nettles, successfully removing some but not all.