Article: Ease Those Bug Bites with Easy Herbs

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Posted with permission from Susun Weed

 

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Chris (list mom)

http://www.alittleolfactory.com

 

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Ease Those Bug Bites with Easy Herbs

by Susun Weed

(Email: susunweed)

 

Summertime means insect bites and stings. Ouch! Take a leaf from Susun

S. Weed's storehouse of natural remedies: Soothe, heal, and prevent

bites with safe herbal remedies that grow right where you live: north or

south, east or west, city or country. The best natural remedies for

insect bites are right underfoot.

 

Plantain, also called ribwort, pig's ear, and the band-aid plant, is a

common weed of lawns, driveways, parks and playgrounds. Identify it by

the five parallel veins running the length of each leaf. (Most leaves

have a central vein with smaller ones branching out from it.) You may

find broad leaf plantain (Plantago majus), with wide leaves and a tall

seed head, or narrow leaf plantain (Plantago lanceolata), with long thin

leaves and a small flower head that looks like a flying saucer. Many

Plantago species have seeds and leaves that can be used as food or

medicine. A South American variety (Plantago psyllium) is used to make

Metamucil.

 

How to use plantain? Make a fresh leaf poultice. Pick a leaf, chew it

well and put it on the bite. " Like magic " the pain, heat, and swelling -

even allergic reactions - disappear, fast! (Yes, you can dry plantain

leaves and carry them in your first aid kit. Chew like you would fresh

leaves.)

 

Poultices ease pain, reduce swelling, and help heal. No wonder they're

the number one natural choice for treating insect bites, bee and wasp

stings.

 

Mud is the oldest and simplest poultice. Powdered white clay, which

should be mixed with a little water or herb tea, can be applied directly

to the sting as soon as possible. Clay can be kept on hand at all times

and is less likely to contain fungal spores than the real thing. Finely

ground grains such as rice or oatmeal, or bland starchy substances like

mallow root, grated potato, or arrowroot powder are also used as

soothing poultices to ease itching and pain from insect bites.

 

Fresh-herb poultices are a little more complicated, but not by much.

Just find a healing leaf, pluck it, chew it, and apply it directly to

the sting/bite. If you wish, use a large leaf or an adhesive bandage to

hold the poultice in place. Plantain, comfrey (Symphytum uplandica x),

yellow dock (Rumex species), wild geranium (Geranium maculatum), wild

mallow (Malva neglecta), chickweed (Stellaria media), and yarrow are

only a few of the possibilities.

 

In the woods, you can take a leaf from a tree, chew it and apply that to

the bite. Any tree will do in an emergency, but if you have a choice,

the best leaves are those from witch hazel, willow, oak or maple. Play

it safe: learn to recognize witch hazel (Hamamelis virginia) and willow

(Salix species) leaves before you chew on them. Maple (Acer) or oak

(Quercus) leaves are easier to recognize and safer to chew - unless you

live where poison oak grows. If uncertain, avoid all shrubs and any

trees with slick or shiny leaves. If the leaf you are chewing tastes

extremely bitter or burns your mouth, spit it out at once.

 

To repel ticks, mosquitoes, and black flies, try a diluted tincture of

yarrow (Alchellia millefolium) flowers directly on all exposed skin. A

recent US Army study showed yarrow tincture to be more effective than

DEET as an insect repellent.

 

If you've spent the day in an area where lyme disease is common, take a

shower right away and scrub yourself with a bodybrush. Have a friend

check you out for ticks. Also, it takes the tick some time to make up

its mind where to bite, so most are unattached and will wash off.

 

" If the worst happens and I do get a bite, I help my immune system by

taking a daily dose of 2-6 dropperfuls of Echinacea tincture. I avoid

Goldenseal as I believe it could have adverse effects. If I have

symptoms, I use a dropperful of St. Joan's wort (Hypericum) tincture

three times a day to ensure the lyme's organism is inactive. "

 

Susun Weed PO Box 64 Woodstock, NY 12498 Fax: 1-845-246-8081

 

Visit Susun Weed at: www.susunweed.com and www.ash-tree-publishing.com

 

For permission to reprint this article, contact us at:

susunweed

 

Vibrant, passionate, and involved, Susun Weed has garnered an

international reputation for her groundbreaking lectures, teachings, and

writings on health and nutrition. She challenges conventional medical

approaches with humor, insight, and her vast encyclopedic knowledge of

herbal medicine. Unabashedly pro-woman, her animated and enthusiastic

lectures are engaging and often profoundly provocative.

 

Susun is one of America's best-known authorities on herbal medicine and

natural approaches to women's health. Her four best-selling books are

recommended by expert herbalists and well-known physicians and are used

and cherished by millions of women around the world. Learn more at

www.susunweed.com

 

(To contact this author, Email: susunweed)