thot I would add- this is the info I came up with and also how to make a nettle infusion: Dosages: Stinging nettle - 250 mg. freeze-dried extract every 2-4 hours or until symptoms subside Ephedra: 12.5 - 25 mg. 3x day Quercetin - 400 mg. 2x day between meals Echinacea - 350 mg 3x day Garlic - tablet equivalent of 10 cloves of garlic Honey- 2 tbs daily == Nettle infusion A couple of months before your allergies usually begin, start drinking nettles infusions. Nettles Infusion 1 quart room temperature water 4 tablespoons dried nettles Let the nettles and water sit over night in a quart glass mason jar. In the morning strain the herb out and drink the quart of nettles infusion over the next two days. Especially in warm weather the infusion can go bad so it is important to keep it refrigerated. When you are ready to drink it take it out of the fridge and warm it up. Normally a nettles infusion is good for two days if not left out in the heat. You can drink 1 to 3 cups of nettles infusion a day for several months. Over the years I have watched many of my clients eliminate their spring allergies following the above protocols along with drinking nettles for about two months prior to allergy season and then continuing to drink it throughout the time they would normally have allergies.

"except we're not in agreement since eric advocates internal use of small amounts, i do not" Nope, try reading the post again. I noted that it is likely that we are all inadvertently consuming small amounts of diatomaceous earth, either through it reaching our food via processing/packaging, or from natural sources (silicates of various types are ubiquitous in the environment).* I cited potential hazards from consuming diatomaceous earth deliberately as a dietary supplement. *for the kind of person who fears "toxins" regardless of dose, the only solution here would be to stop eating entirely. :)

I love the idea of using the hair conditioner for shaving legs. I need to try that one. My husband has used dryer sheets in his pockets when he is out camping and it does work to keep the mosquitoes away. Baby oil is great to remove the oil sludge from your skin that you sometimes get down at the beach (and most of us are avoiding many beaches along the Gulf for that very reason!) We found this out last summer when we were down by Corpus Christi and one of my boys had it on his legs. Brunettes - Use soy sauce as a rinse in your hair to enrich the natural color. Comb it through your hair and let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse. I need to add this list of helpful hints link to my favorites so I can pop back and refer to it later. Thanks everyone for posting these great ideas!

Actually, it starts to come up fairly early in Spring. Try to remember where you saw it in the summer and you'll find it in the same general area the following Spring. In many areas it's considered invasive. Once you are able to ID it, you can use it, even when it's still young.