Bites, Insect Stings
Definition:
A sharp prick with an acute burning sensation. It is caused by the fine hairs in the stinging nettle; by the tail of the wasp, bee, etc.; from the head of gnats; from the claws of centipedes. Usually the sting causes a local, reversible inflammation. When the sting carries pollen, it may cause violent constitutional reactions in victims who are hypersensitive to that pollen. Death has occurred. [HHH p.97]
Symptoms:
Symptoms are caused by insect stings or bites; a sharp prick with an acute burning sensation. Can be caused by the fine hairs in the stinging nettle; by the tail of the wasp, bee, etc., from the head of gnats; from the claws of centipedes. Usually the sting causes a local reversible inflammation. When the sting carries pollen, it may cause violent constitutional reactions in victims who are hypersensitive to that pollen. Death has occurred in some instances. [NL 3-1]
Herbal Aids
Pennyroyal: The oil of pennyroyal is a first-rate protection against insect bites (mosquitoes, gnats, and other similar winged pests). It should not be used during pregnancy. [SNH p.283]
European Pennyroyal: This is useful against venomous bites, stings, etc.: Drink internally (especially an alcoholic) daily tincture, and foment on the wound; a poultice of the freshly bruised herb is also highly commended. [SNH p.284]
Plantain: Bruise with a mortar and pestle or juice in a juicer fresh plantain (Plantago major or lanceolate) and place over the sting or bite. Relief will generally come within a very short time, the pain and itch will stop and the swelling will leave. Rub the bruised leaves or juice over the exposed parts of the body, and it will discourage the insects from annoying you. The juice or crushed leaves of elderberry, walnut, lilac, and hounds tongue will assist in keeping bites and stings to a minimum. [HHH p.97]
Nervine Tea: Drink a nervine tea such as skullcap, black cohosh, wood betony or valerian and/or pennyroyal and parsley, taken with a few drops of tincture of lobelia, as often as needed. [HHH p.97]
Plantain: When using the fresh herb, as an example plantain (Plantago major) that grows almost everywhere, take the freshly gathered herb--leaves, root, blossoms, etc., and use a mortar and pestle to bruise and make the herb into a pasty form. If not equipped with mortar and pestle, use a spoon in a bowl, a rolling pin on a board, a hammer on a solid surface. If you have a centrifugal juicer like an Acme, a Champion or a Norwalk with tritcherator and press, use these. Within a few minutes of using the plantain, the pain leaves and the swelling starts to recede. [HHH p.97]
Crushed Onions: Ant bites stop stinging with a poultice of crushed onions. [UW-Onions]
Pine Gum: Indians used the heated resin to bring boils to a head and to treat sores, insect bites, swellings and cuts. [UW-Pine]
Senna: Bark and leaves mixed and rubbed with oil are applied to pustules, ringworm, chilblains, insect bites, facial paralysis and rheumatism. [UW-Senna]
Insect Repellent: Juliette de Bairacli Levy recommends an insect repellent oil consisting of equal parts Wormwood, Rosemary, and Rue. These are infused in olive oil three times and prevent bites even when mosquitos are terrible. She recalls sleeping out of doors without mosquito nets among the tropical groves of Mexico, using only this oil to protect herself and her children, and they rarely got bitten! [UW-Wormwood]
Oil of Anise (Pimpinella Anisum) and Oil of Sassafras: Mixed together are effective, as is Black Walnut Tincture and oil of elderberry. Plantain bruised, or juiced in a juicer, and placed over the sting or bite will generally bring relief within a short time. The pain and itch will cease and the swelling will leave. Rub the bruised leaves or juice over the exposed parts of the body, and it will discourage the insects from annoying you. The juice or crushed leaves of elderberry, walnut lilac (leaf) and hounds tongue will assist in keeping bites and stings to a minimum. [NL 3-1]
Insect Repellents: As we go on our outings and picnics this summer, we dread the thought of insects: their stings, bites, annoyances, and the like. We invest in gallons of insect repellants which are expensive and possibly toxic. It is our purpose here to suggest some natural remedies to the problem of being bugged. Some of the simplest insect repellants can be made from our local herbs. Chamomile and yarrow are two of the best insect repellants in the field. Make a tea of either of these and wash the skin with them and insects will avoid you like the plague. This includes flies, mosquitoes, and their ilk. Because the cosmetic industry uses chaparral as an antiseptic lotion for insect bites, the tea of chaparral may also be tried as a repellant. A member of the family that includes potatoes, cayenne, and eggplant, also includes tobacco, which was used as a successful insect repellant for centuries. In fact, the Indians gave White man tobacco in order to drive them away from the continent. That is why we are taken aback at the reference to Indians smoking a "peace pipe" containing tobacco. [NL 3-6]
Chiggers: These are the scourge of the midwest. To repel them, use the aforementioned herbs. To allay the itch produced by their bites, either chickweed or plantain ointment can be applied. Plantain is an excellent remedy to apply to the site of the bite. It is a blood purifier that will even rally to the occasion of a scorpion bite. It will reduce the red streaks of blood poisoning like no man-made remedy can. [NL 3-6]
Insect Repellent: See "high octane" formula for insect repellent containing rue, rosemary, basil and wormwood. [NL 3-6]
Feverfew: A tincture of the herb, applied locally, is used to relieve pain and swelling caused by bites of insects and vermin. An effective insect repellant is claimed by adding two teaspoonfuls of tincture to one half pint of cold water and then sponging any exposed parts of the body with it. [NL 4-10]
Cabbage Leaves: for insect bites rub a crushed cabbage leaf over the bite. [NL 4-12]
Testimonials:
1. Plantain Leaves and a Sting on the Neck: A 2-year-old was stung on the neck, and the part swelled to enormous size. Again, the remedy was simple, yet wonderfully effective: four plantain leaves were bruised and bound around the neck, and within one hour there was no sign that anything had been wrong with the child. [SNH p.54]
2. Plantain to the Rescue Again: We have gone on a house call where the hand and arm were swollen up and up the enlarged arm was a red streak with a lump under the arm pit. The individual had blacked out with pain from the wasp sting and swelling. It was early spring and the plantain was not up, so I could not use it fresh. I put plantain ointment, about the size of a dollar, over the sting and within a half an hour the pain was gone. This was in the morning, and they reported back later that the swelling and red streak were gone by afternoon and this boy was out playing ball later that day. [HHH p.97]
See Also:
Itch
A sharp prick with an acute burning sensation. It is caused by the fine hairs in the stinging nettle; by the tail of the wasp, bee, etc.; from the head of gnats; from the claws of centipedes. Usually the sting causes a local, reversible inflammation. When the sting carries pollen, it may cause violent constitutional reactions in victims who are hypersensitive to that pollen. Death has occurred. [HHH p.97]
Symptoms:
Symptoms are caused by insect stings or bites; a sharp prick with an acute burning sensation. Can be caused by the fine hairs in the stinging nettle; by the tail of the wasp, bee, etc., from the head of gnats; from the claws of centipedes. Usually the sting causes a local reversible inflammation. When the sting carries pollen, it may cause violent constitutional reactions in victims who are hypersensitive to that pollen. Death has occurred in some instances. [NL 3-1]
Herbal Aids
Pennyroyal: The oil of pennyroyal is a first-rate protection against insect bites (mosquitoes, gnats, and other similar winged pests). It should not be used during pregnancy. [SNH p.283]
European Pennyroyal: This is useful against venomous bites, stings, etc.: Drink internally (especially an alcoholic) daily tincture, and foment on the wound; a poultice of the freshly bruised herb is also highly commended. [SNH p.284]
Plantain: Bruise with a mortar and pestle or juice in a juicer fresh plantain (Plantago major or lanceolate) and place over the sting or bite. Relief will generally come within a very short time, the pain and itch will stop and the swelling will leave. Rub the bruised leaves or juice over the exposed parts of the body, and it will discourage the insects from annoying you. The juice or crushed leaves of elderberry, walnut, lilac, and hounds tongue will assist in keeping bites and stings to a minimum. [HHH p.97]
Nervine Tea: Drink a nervine tea such as skullcap, black cohosh, wood betony or valerian and/or pennyroyal and parsley, taken with a few drops of tincture of lobelia, as often as needed. [HHH p.97]
Plantain: When using the fresh herb, as an example plantain (Plantago major) that grows almost everywhere, take the freshly gathered herb--leaves, root, blossoms, etc., and use a mortar and pestle to bruise and make the herb into a pasty form. If not equipped with mortar and pestle, use a spoon in a bowl, a rolling pin on a board, a hammer on a solid surface. If you have a centrifugal juicer like an Acme, a Champion or a Norwalk with tritcherator and press, use these. Within a few minutes of using the plantain, the pain leaves and the swelling starts to recede. [HHH p.97]
Crushed Onions: Ant bites stop stinging with a poultice of crushed onions. [UW-Onions]
Pine Gum: Indians used the heated resin to bring boils to a head and to treat sores, insect bites, swellings and cuts. [UW-Pine]
Senna: Bark and leaves mixed and rubbed with oil are applied to pustules, ringworm, chilblains, insect bites, facial paralysis and rheumatism. [UW-Senna]
Insect Repellent: Juliette de Bairacli Levy recommends an insect repellent oil consisting of equal parts Wormwood, Rosemary, and Rue. These are infused in olive oil three times and prevent bites even when mosquitos are terrible. She recalls sleeping out of doors without mosquito nets among the tropical groves of Mexico, using only this oil to protect herself and her children, and they rarely got bitten! [UW-Wormwood]
Oil of Anise (Pimpinella Anisum) and Oil of Sassafras: Mixed together are effective, as is Black Walnut Tincture and oil of elderberry. Plantain bruised, or juiced in a juicer, and placed over the sting or bite will generally bring relief within a short time. The pain and itch will cease and the swelling will leave. Rub the bruised leaves or juice over the exposed parts of the body, and it will discourage the insects from annoying you. The juice or crushed leaves of elderberry, walnut lilac (leaf) and hounds tongue will assist in keeping bites and stings to a minimum. [NL 3-1]
Insect Repellents: As we go on our outings and picnics this summer, we dread the thought of insects: their stings, bites, annoyances, and the like. We invest in gallons of insect repellants which are expensive and possibly toxic. It is our purpose here to suggest some natural remedies to the problem of being bugged. Some of the simplest insect repellants can be made from our local herbs. Chamomile and yarrow are two of the best insect repellants in the field. Make a tea of either of these and wash the skin with them and insects will avoid you like the plague. This includes flies, mosquitoes, and their ilk. Because the cosmetic industry uses chaparral as an antiseptic lotion for insect bites, the tea of chaparral may also be tried as a repellant. A member of the family that includes potatoes, cayenne, and eggplant, also includes tobacco, which was used as a successful insect repellant for centuries. In fact, the Indians gave White man tobacco in order to drive them away from the continent. That is why we are taken aback at the reference to Indians smoking a "peace pipe" containing tobacco. [NL 3-6]
Chiggers: These are the scourge of the midwest. To repel them, use the aforementioned herbs. To allay the itch produced by their bites, either chickweed or plantain ointment can be applied. Plantain is an excellent remedy to apply to the site of the bite. It is a blood purifier that will even rally to the occasion of a scorpion bite. It will reduce the red streaks of blood poisoning like no man-made remedy can. [NL 3-6]
Insect Repellent: See "high octane" formula for insect repellent containing rue, rosemary, basil and wormwood. [NL 3-6]
Feverfew: A tincture of the herb, applied locally, is used to relieve pain and swelling caused by bites of insects and vermin. An effective insect repellant is claimed by adding two teaspoonfuls of tincture to one half pint of cold water and then sponging any exposed parts of the body with it. [NL 4-10]
Cabbage Leaves: for insect bites rub a crushed cabbage leaf over the bite. [NL 4-12]
Testimonials:
1. Plantain Leaves and a Sting on the Neck: A 2-year-old was stung on the neck, and the part swelled to enormous size. Again, the remedy was simple, yet wonderfully effective: four plantain leaves were bruised and bound around the neck, and within one hour there was no sign that anything had been wrong with the child. [SNH p.54]
2. Plantain to the Rescue Again: We have gone on a house call where the hand and arm were swollen up and up the enlarged arm was a red streak with a lump under the arm pit. The individual had blacked out with pain from the wasp sting and swelling. It was early spring and the plantain was not up, so I could not use it fresh. I put plantain ointment, about the size of a dollar, over the sting and within a half an hour the pain was gone. This was in the morning, and they reported back later that the swelling and red streak were gone by afternoon and this boy was out playing ball later that day. [HHH p.97]
See Also:
Itch
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