In The Garden: Unknown poisonous plant in ottawa

Hello,

Can someone help us to identify attached plant for us? We live in Ottawa rural area and found this plants everywhere in our garden.

Please help as when we touch the leaf, it stinks and burn the skin for few hours.

Many thanks.

Regards,
Jen

 

Sure looks like Urtica dioica, stinging nettle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinging_nettle

 

Nettle stings can be painful but the nettles are not poisonous. In the UK boiled nettles were used as a tonic/cleanser in the spring and it was also said that they grew best in very fertile soil. This may ofcourse only be folklore. I do know that dried nettles are available in health food stores.
Just FYI
Margaret