STUNG by the Devil's Toilet Paper!

TL;DR

Coyote Peterson intentionally gets stung by Australia's second most painful plant, the giant stinging tree, to understand its effects and explore remedies for its painful sting.

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

Coyote aims to understand his susceptibility to plant venoms, assess the severity of the sting, and discover ways to alleviate the pain and remove nettles.

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

Coyote compares the pain to sticking his hand into a box of angry yellow jackets, but states that it hasn't surpassed the pain of his hand in an angry yellow jacket box or the sting of a bullet ant.

Q: What are the effects of the stinging tree's neurotoxin on the human body?

Scientists are unsure why the neurotoxin in the stinging tree affects mammals, triggering pain receptors for an extended duration. It causes immediate intense pain when the nettles break off and release the toxin into the skin.

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

Hair wax strips can help remove some nettles from the skin's surface, but it's better to use them immediately after contact with the stinging tree to prevent nettles from working their way deeper into the skin.

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.