Revealed: The natural first aid kit hiding in your kitchen - as research reveals lettuce can be used to treat nettle stings

If you don't have dock leaves to hand, you're just as well off rubbing lettuce on your nettle stings, scientists claimed last month. 

While the research left Brits in 'disbeleaf', it's not just the salad staple that has little-known medical uses. 

While many home remedies veer into daft pseudoscience, MailOnline has compiled nine kitchen items that offer treatment. 

From honey to milk, baking soda and even cling film, here's the natural first aid kit hidden in your kitchen. 

So which ones do you have in your larder? 

SALT – COLDS

It's usually best served on chips or a nice rump steak, but sea salt could help reduce symptoms of the common cold, scientists at the University of Edinburgh claim. 

They found gargling sea salt dissolved in water shortened the length of a cold by almost two days and reduced the need for over-the-counter medicines. 

The simple tonic may work by boosting cells’ antiviral defence that kicks in when they are infected by the common cold virus (which is usually rhinovirus). 

There's no treatment for the common cold, and although it doesn't usually cause severe symptoms it has a big economic impact by making people take off work, they said. 

BEER – BURNS  

Incredibly, British Red Cross advises pouring cold beer over a burn if you don't have access to cold running water. 

Somewhere between 90 and 96 per cent of beer is water, so as long as the beverage is cold it should make a good substitute. 

When applied to a burn, cold water acts to dissipate thermal energy, stabilize blood vessels and reduce the release of pro-inflammatory chemicals, claim experts. 

'It’s a high-value, low-cost way to minimize complications from burn injuries,' said Bronwyn Griffin, a professor at Griffith University's School of Nursing in Australia.

MILK – WOUNDS, BURNS

Milk applied to the skin may help with treating wounds, according to a study published last year by University College London. 

In lab trials, bandages infused with casein, a protein that occurs naturally in milk, significantly improved wound healing. 

They think casein – which is most abundant in cow’s milk – has antimicrobial properties, meaning it kills microbes that cause infection and disease. 

British Red Cross also suggests using milk to treat burns, along with soft drinks and beer – as long as they are cold. 

However, ice is not considered a good treatment for burns because it can cause damage to the skin tissue and increase risk of an infection. 

HONEY – WOUNDS 

It sounds like dodgy advice from a spurious home manual, but there's now a credible scientific case for using honey to treat wounds. 

Honey has 'exceptional antimicrobial and tissue-regenerative properties' when physically applied to wound sites thanks to certain compounds, claim scientists at the University of Manchester. 

Its stickiness also provides an effective barrier between the wound site and external environment, they reported in 2022.  

NHS also agrees that 'medical honey' – which is organic and sterilized with radiation to remove any dangerous micro-organisms – can treat wounds. 

But cheaper table honey common on supermarket shelves that you spread on your toast may not work as well, the NHS warned.  

Medical honey has antimicrobial properties and could be 'an effective alternative to silver-based dressings' for infected burns, a 2024 study also found. 

PEAS – HEAD INJURY

It's a classic staple of the kitchen freezer, but a bag of frozen peas – or indeed any small mixed vegetables that are frozen – can treat minor head injury

British Red Cross and the NHS both advise holding a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel to the head to reduce swelling. 

The cold constricts blood vessels and decreases circulation to the area that has been impacted – but a more serious head injury requires instant medical attention. 

Members of the public should always call an ambulance if a blow to the head leads to vomiting, bleeding, confusion or memory loss, or loss of consciousness. 

LETTUCE – NETTLE STINGS 

Research published last month in Emergency Medicine Journal claimed leaves of sweet gem lettuce were just as effective at reducing the discomfort of nettle stings.

In a trial, two thirds of participants were unable to tell the difference between being treated with a dock leaf and being rubbed with a bit of lettuce.

But whether you're using dock leaves or lettuce to treat stings, it's likely the placebo effect is at least partly responsible for making you feel better, they suggested. 

The study's author, Rajendra Raman, a consultant in emergency medicine at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, added that many leafy plants might work as well as dock. 

'I have heard it claimed that broadleaf plantain is as good or better than dock for nettle stings, and like dock it grows in similar habitats to nettle,' he told MailOnline.

'However I would definitely caution people not to pick and rub any plant that they can't identify with certainty, as some plants in the British countryside are decidedly toxic.' 

BAKING SODA – BEE STINGS

Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore claims baking soda can reduce the pain and itching that comes from being stung by a bee. 

After washing the affected site with soap and water, they suggest applying a paste of baking soda and water, leaving it on for 15 to 20 minutes. 

It's thought the alkaline baking soda can neutralize acidic toxins in a bee sting that cause pain.

Meanwhile, wasp stings are alkaline, so they'll need an acidic solution, such as vinegar, according to the University of York's department of chemistry. 

CLING FILM – BURNS 

If you suffer a burn in the kitchen, health experts advise immediately cooling it with cold water and phoning emergency services for help. 

But once this is done, cling film can make a handy covering for the affected area because it creates a barrier to stop infection. 

The cling film should be applied loosely over the burn, rather than wrapping it tightly like you would your chicken drumstick or avocado half. 

A 2015 study said cling film does have a 'supportive role' in burn injury management, but just not in the immediate phase of emergency burn care.

In other words, cool the burn with cold water first – and phone for medical help if the burn is severe. 

TEA TOWEL – BLEEDING 

Most kitchen cuts can be treated with a plaster and heal within days, but a tea towel can assist with more severe cases where there's heavy bleeding. 

As long as the tea towel is clean, it can be applied tightly to a wound to stop or slow down the flow of blood, ultimately preventing blood loss. 

The pressure you apply will also help the blood clot and stop the bleeding, according to British Red Cross.