Good things against insect bites

Here is some advice from the realm of natural medicine to care for insect bites…gently !
In your summer bag, you should put a few homeopathic remedies, some essential oils, a little clay and vinegar… natural products for avoiding pains and itches.

Bee stings

The insects are already back, especially the wasps, bees and hornets. To escape them, you must first avoid finding yourself in the proximity of food that attracts them. When one eats outside, it’s hard! You can put a small dish of essence of citronella or geranium on the table. If they approach, don’t make any brusque movements: this is what incites them to sting in self defence! Too late, you got stung? Try to immediately take out the stinger with tweezers, because that’s what diffuses the venom. Then, plunge the area that has been stung in cold water or put an ice cube on it. Cold slows down the spreading of the venom. Disinfect the area if you have what you need at hand. If not, try to find some parsley or tomato leaves and rub them vigorously on the area of the sting.

• The solution : the ideal is to always have in reach two homeopathic remedies: Apis Belladonna 5 CH and Ledum Palustre 5 CH. The first is a dilution of the bee venom; the second comes from the Marsh Labrador plant. If the bite is red, hot and swollen, immediately take 5 granules of Apis and take them again every hour until the symptoms cease. If the sting is white and cold, take 5 granules of Ledum palustre.

Mosquito bites

Certainly, they are less painful than bee or wasp stings, but, for some people, they provoke horrible itches. To keep the mosquitoes away you can always use the dish of citronella essence. If you can stand the smell, you can even rub yourself down with a mixture of almond oil and the essential oil of citronella (10 spoonfuls of the first for 1 of the second).

• The solution : vinegar ! If you’ve been bitten, immediately rub with vinegar, or, in a pinch, lemon juice, to stop the itching.

Chigger bites

These small eight-legged insects either live in grass or in the fur of animals. They are miniscule, so they pass unseen; but their bites cause itching which can sometimes be intolerable. Especially avoid scratching yourself, because you risk tearing the epidermis and thus leaving the door open for infection. Avoid walking bare-foot in the grass.

• The solution: the application of vinegar isn’t always enough to calm these itches. You can put a few drops of the essential oil of lavender directly on the bites. This oil can be used in its pure form, as it isn’t irritating.

Spider bites

Many spiders are not dangerous. All the same, their bites cause small red dots and sometimes serious itching. As with bee stings, put an ice cube on the bite to avoid the diffusion of venom. You can also apply a poultice of clay.

• The solution : try the essential oil of camomile. Mix 10 drops of the essence with a table spoon of base oil (jojoba, oenothera…) Apply this mixture regularly on the bite until the symptoms cease. This oil is anti-allergic, sedative, healing and anti-inflammatory.

Allergy warning

For people who are allergic, insect bites can sometimes cause violent reactions including anaphylactic shock, which can be mortal. One must also pay attention to Quinck’s oedema which manifests itself by a brutal swelling of a part of the body. These oedemas are very dangerous when they appear around the face or neck, because they can provoke the swelling of the glottis which can lead to suffocation. The amplitude of the allergic reaction depends on the sensitivity of the subject and the number of simultaneous bites or stings. If you become aware that you are having an abnormally violent reaction, immediately consult a doctor to avoid any major risk.

Florence Portell

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