Tobacco Poultice
★★★★★
I found a remedy that works nearly instantly!
Someone told me about this remedy years ago. It's supposed to be an old Native American remedy. As the subject says, it's disgusting! However, when I've been stung I can easily deal with gross if it means the pain will go away right now instead of 3 days later!
If you smoke, shame on you! But when it comes to stinging insects, you are in luck! Bite off about half the length of a cigarette and chew it. Your mouth will immediately dry up, but then it will begin to salivate profusely. As soon as the tobacco is wet and chewed up, spit the wad out on the sting/bite site and leave it there. I promise, you won't be much concerned about the taste of the tobacco given the serious pain you're in! :)
The sooner you can get the chewed tobacco onto the sting site, the less time it will take for the pain to go away and all of the poison to be drawn out of the body. Even though the pain will dissipate quickly, the tobacco needs to stay on longer to remove all the poison.
For example: If you get tobacco onto the wound with in 30 seconds, the pain will be gone almost instantly and it will probably only take about 5 or 10 minutes to get all the poison out. If it takes 5 minutes to get the tobacco, it might be a few minutes before the pain is gone and might take an hour to get all the poison out. This is why I always keep a bag of additive free natural tobacco in my bag of gardening tools, so I can stop the pain ASAP!!
You will know when all the poison is gone if you can remove the tobacco and the pain stays gone. If you still feel pain or it starts to return, put it back on.
The tobacco needs to stay wet. If it dries up and you start to feel pain, spit on the tobacco, or better yet, chew up some fresh tobacco.
****I tried just wetting the tobacco with water instead of chewing on it. It didn't work for me. There seems to be something about the saliva/tobacco/nicotine mix that helps****
If you have fresh sage, mix that in with the tobacco. It seems to step up the relief. I've never tried using sage alone. Frankly, I'm not willing to experiment and find out if sage on its own will work when I am in so much pain. I'll only do that when/if I find myself with out any tobacco!
I have used the remedy countless times and it has NEVER FAILED ME!
I hope it works for others as well. I will surely feel terrible if it doesn't work for someone who braved the disgusting taste cigarette tobacco but didn't find relief!
(seattle, wa)
12/23/2022
The chewing allows nicotine to enter your blood stream. Nicotine treats many venoms. See Dr. Bryan Ardis for info on nicotine treatment for venom injuries. Just carry nicotine patches and gum instead of chewing on cigarettes.
Vaseline for Sand Fleas
Sand Flea's (recurring/not going away)
Remedy: Sealed bandage with vaseline/lanolin or other thick ointment.
JM Reply:
June 4th, 2011 at 7:05 pm
First post:
Spent one month of intense treatment of sand fleas including excision of several very deep areas by a surgeon. FINALLY!!!!!!!!! Talked with an Infectious Disease Doctor on the phone. Treatment and bites healing after three days. Apply a heavy coat of vaseline (or lanolin) over each open area. Cover the area completely with a band aid. The larvae comes out because they cannot get oxygen. They looked like tiny shrimp. APPLY vaseline/lanolin and a bandaid large enough to seal around the bite.
Second post:
The sand fleas are little larvae inside of the bite. You can see them on the bandaid when you take it off. They bites continue to fester and itch until the kill the larvae. A DOCTOR of Infectious Diseases told me to use VASELINE and an occlusive bandaid to kill them from lack of oxygen. THey will crawl out onto the dressing and die. You can SEE them the next day. Take a shower and reapply the Vaseline and dressing until the areas stop itching and festering. I am a NURSE! It works!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Source: http://www.mybugbites.com/my-foot-and-sand-flea-bites/
Vicks Vaporub
★★★★★
For a repellent, I use different essential oils mixed with vodka and simply shake the spray bottle and spray it on. I don't mind the smell of clove oil, so that is what I use as a more human friendly insect repellent, but some other essential oils can work also.
I have written about this before on EC.Other uses for Vicks gathered from the web are toenail fungus (multiple studies), topical pain reliever, antiseptic due to its essential oil content, pimples, mild psoriasis and eczema, but I would never consider it for large areas, only for a few small spots as too much can enter through broken skin and cause health problems, sore muscles, relieve bruises and speed the healing process, to repair cracked heels, warts, apply to feet before bed and put white cotton socks on to help relieve a cough due to a cold, for squeaky hinges if you don't have oil handy, to help deal with strong odors that might otherwise make you sick, apply a little around the nose openings, but not inside the nose as some police do when having to work around a dead body, helps relieve athlete's foot, ringworm and minor burns.
In any case, Vicks Vaporub can be useful for short term use, but I refrain from mid and long term use and would never recommend that anyone use it other than for short term use as I believe the essential oils in it could allow the other ingredients or the oils themselves to be over absorbed and this would not be good. Vicks Vaporub has been around for many decades so it appears to have a decent safety profile, but a little caution with its use won't hurt!
Art
(Tn)
08/25/2020
Hi Art!
We have been using a home made version of Vicks this week for chigger bites! The relief lasts for hours.
For those who like to DIY, here is how I make my own.
- 1 cup olive oil infused with lobelia and mullein*
- 1/2 Tablespoon menthol crystals
- 1 Tablespoon peppermint essential oil
- 1 Tablespoon eucalyptus essential oil
- 4 Tablespoons Beeswax pastilles
Warm infused oil. Melt in beeswax. Stir in essential oils and menthol crystals. (Don't get your face over this. The oil fumes will burn your eyes! ) Mix together.
Pour into small jars. I like the 4 ounce ball canning jars for this. Store in a cool dark place.
We use this on the chest or back for a cough. I use it on bites or swollen lymph nodes. I also use it for sore muscles and joints. I use it on the face (carefully as it can irritate the eyes) for sinus infections.
*You can make this with just olive oil instead of oil infused with mullein and lobelia. If you want to make the infused oil, put 1/2 cup dried mullein leaf and 1/2 cup dried lobelia into a canning jar. Pour 2 cups of olive oil over the oils. Put the lid on the jar. Let this sit for 2 weeks. Stir or shake every couple of days. Use an old t shirt to strain out the plant matter. The resulting oil is your infused oil. (You may end up with more than 1 cup. Use just one cup worth in the above recipe.) Mullein is good for cough and pain. Lobelia has a relaxing effect.
Enjoy!
~Mama to Many~
M to M,
Thank you for the recipe! I have also had success with the Vicks like products that are sold at many 99 cent type stores for way less than the Vicks product. The ingredients look similar to the Vicks product and seen to work similarly, at least for insect bites.
Art
(Idaho)
08/25/2020
★★★★★
Hey Mama!
Did you know that the original Vick's formula contained turpentine? Yep! Good ‘ol turpentine. I was lucky enough to find a couple of old jars (cleaning out a home after an elderly gentleman died). The jars still contained the VapoRub. One of them was still new in the box! Age didn't seem to have any affect on freshness and potency. Good stuff!
(Tn)
08/26/2020
Dear Madelyn,
I did not know that! Very interesting. Also fascinating that the properties appear to be preserved!
Thanks for sharing!
~Mama to Many~
Vicks VapoRub
★★★★★
Vinegar for Biting Flies
★★★★★
Vitamin C
★★★★★
Vitamin C
★★★★★
I estimated I consumed about 40 grams of C over a 24hr period. Normally that much C will give you severe diarrhea and gas! I had neither.
I also take it for severe allergy flareups with great and quick relief, though only last for 2-4 hours, depending on the intensity of the allergen.
Vitamin C, Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
Then I made a wonderful discovery. I rubbed the bite mark with vinegar for about a minute, and the swelling and itching dissappeared after a few minutes. I used the unfiltered organic ACV, but I am not sure if the vinegar type mattered.
White Bread and Milk Poultice
★★★★★
An Indian woman did this to me when I was bit by a big black bug on my lip while fishing in the woods.
Let me tell you, it works.
White Vinegar
★★★★★
White Vinegar
★★★★★
Whiteflower Oil
★★★★★
A friend suggested whiteflower oil for the itching. Whiteflower oil is available at Chinese supermarkets where they also sell Chinese medicine. The itching went away instantly! Fantastic for putting on the bites before bed: needs to be reapplied 1-2 twice daily though.
Yellow Jackets Remedies
Would appreciate any feedback help anyone can offer.
Regards, Jacqui
(Somewhere, Usa)
09/17/2012
(Wb, New Jersey, Usa)
09/18/2012
Hi Jacqui, yellowjackets are scavengers. It could have picked up bacteria from soil, garbage or animal feces before it stung your husband. Years ago I had multiple wasps stings on one finger tip. It became infected and the infection spread through my entire finger and most of my hand. I went through several rounds of antibiotics until one finally worked against whatever was on that stinger. So it may not be the venom or it may be more than venom that your husband is having a reaction to.
(Up The Creek In, Wv, Usa)
09/18/2012
(California)
05/25/2023
