10 Natural Remedies for Spider Bites

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
High Voltage, Low Amperage Dc Current
Posted by Donna (Knoxville, TN) on 10/16/2008
★★★★★

I'd learned about high voltage, low amperage DC current from an article that had come out in 1986 in Outdoor Life I think it was. We'd bought the issue because we'd had so many goats, cats, and dogs snake bitten.

In 1989 I was bitten by a recluse on the calf, and used meat tenderizer and charcoal for the first 5 days. I'd packed the growing hole with one, leave it in for hours, then wash it out and pack it with the other. The thing that had me scared was that it was doing everything the book said it would do, not only a hole 1/4" deep and 3/8" across, but a hot red raised area 3" across with a starlike effect of redder lines within it. I called a fellow who'd worked at Uchi Pines doing alternative medicine, to ask if I really needed to shock it, and he said it sounded that way. We grounded one side of the bite with a screwdriver from the woven wire fence, then ran a wire from the electrified top wire to the other side, using insulated pliers to hold it. I ran the shocks through the bite area, and it wasn't nearly as bad as I'd feared. The shocks ran only in that small area, more like a little bite than having my whole body shocked. 24 hours later the hole had obviously not grown any more, and in another 12 hours the hot red raised area was nearly normal. The whole thing just faded away, leaving me with a small blue scar.
In 1991 I noticed two little red marks on a knuckle and thought the same thing I'd thought the first time, "Those are just far enough apart to be spider fang marks." Six days went by, and I woke up to a little brown oozy hole in the middle of each pink mark. There was a PT working across the street, so I called and asked if she'd run electrostim on them. She said come on over, and told me that she used to use ultrasound and Betadine on such bites, but as I insisted on electrostim, she flipped a switch and did all 3 at once. The wounds closed up that afternoon.

The next time it happened, it was like some people describe the bites, I got a black spot on my ankle that looked just like someone had dropped silver nitrate on it. It was perfectly even with the surrounding skin, and painless till after about 5 days the surface peeled off. Within a few hours it was really hurting so I used the electrodes from a "Beck Box" on either side, for about 10 minutes. The thing didn't bother me for a week, then it started hurting again, I ran the box longer and hotter and it went away after that. The secretary at the office where I'd borrowed the box used it twice when she had brown recluse bites. We have a Hulda Clark Zapper, but I don't think the voltage is high enough on it. It was not like my other bites, but was equally slow and was working it's way down through the layers.

Then my husband got bitten on the arm and he used his electroacupuncture gadget, grounding on one side of the bite and zapping on the other. A friend got bitten, had the classic nasty brown oozy wound on her leg, and as she had a TENS unit we simply put the pads on either side of the bite and turned it on blast for about 15 minutes. I forget how I treated the last two bites I got, they occurred about a week apart and I didn't let them got very far.
I introduced my chiropractor to the notion of treating recluse bites with his electrostim machine. I had a friend who'd been bitten 3X and had learned to use clay poultices morning and evening to heal them, but then she got a bite on her neck and after 6 days of poultices woke up to swollen glands in her neck and was scared. So that was the first one my DC got to use his machine on, and that was the end of the problem for her.

The one horror story I have witnessed was a friend who went to the dr the same day she was bitten, got on the antibiotics but they didn't do a thing. Her arm swelled up double, and when I heard about it 6 days later, I called immediately and told her to rush over to a DC who would use his electrostim on it. It had eaten a strip on her upper arm an inch wide, 5" long and about 1/8" deep. The wound stopped growing and healed up. She has a horrible scar, but it would certainly kept on eating to the bone had it not been stopped. There are 400 people where she works, they all know about what happened to her and believe me, they and all their friends and relatives will be going to a DC instead of an MD for TX.

The PT who did my 2nd bite told me about a guy who'd been bitten in a very delicate place. The MD's had nothing to offer except to cut out the bite area, which was not in a place where he thought he had anything to spare. The PT, on hearing his story, showed him how to use her machine and had him tow it to the restroom every time he came in for his other tx. She said it saved his marriage. (She also told me about saving her dog which had been snake bitten on a holiday weekend, she applied a TENS unit after he'd suffered for a couple of hours, in 20 minutes he was up dragging it around and wagging his tail. We just use Vit C for animals with snake bite, but we do have a TENS unit just in case. )

I talked with a nurse who works in a wound center, and she was astonished that I know about all these bite cases in which none of their debridement and other medical treatments were necessary. In fact, I was surprised to see that some people do know about the shock treatment. See http://en.allexperts.com/q/General-Surgery-2076/Brown-Recluse-Spider-Bites.htm which also mentions that the venom is "heat labile, calcium dependent, and optimally active at a pH of 7.1." They approved of a home remedy of hot and cold applications.

When I read all the things people have done for what they think are recluse bites, I have several thoughts. First of all, some of them were not recluse bites. I've been bitten my more kinds of bugs than most modern Americans. One thing that will show up in most recluse bites is a stage where there are two small holes, before they grow together and become one large hole. For a day or so after they combine, the hole is often square looking rather than round. Second, some actual recluse bites just got better, because of where the bites were, the person's good circulation and the assistance of salt to draw out toxins, of turmeric to reduce inflammation so the circulation could get in, etc. For example, an old man told me about how his little sister had developed a hole in her leg that ate all the way to the bone. In desperation, their dr had had their mother rip up and old sheet and fill little squares with Epsoms salts. When one was saturated, she pulled it out and stuffed another one in. That healed up the wound, which we can now guess was an early recluse bite. I don't think they were nearly as common before central heating. In my own case, salt and proteoplytic enzymes (in the meat tenderizer) and charcoal did not stop the progression of the bite. The next thing that would have happened to me was the big hot red area would have been undermined and collapsed. Only the electricity stopped it. I talked with a physiology professor about this, and he had two stories, people he knew personally who had stopped snakebite damage with electric shocks. He said that the proteolytic enzymes involved are very large complex molecules, positively charged at one end and negatively charged at the other end. When exposed to high voltage, low amperage current the ends are pulled in opposite directions and the enzymes are torn apart.

One last thing regarding infections being mistaken for spider bites. Anything that will draw out toxins via high osmotic pressure, such as salt or Epsoms salts, will also draw out the toxins from an infection. So those approaches are not contraindicated for MRSA. And if you will dig around a bit, you will find that Bob Beck invented his little box because of an accidental discovery that electrical current stopped bacterial growth in a petri dish. This info has been suppressed, but Bob Beck has put his invention into the public domain and does not sell the boxes so that he can tell people about it. You can find the plans and the boxes and the info online. And for flesh eating bacteria, they are using proteolytic enzymes that are surely similar to those used by recluse spiders and pit vipers, so electroshock may work on those cases too.

EC: Read more feedback about Electric Shock on our Snake Bites remedy page: https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/snake_bites.html#ELECTRICSHOCK

High Voltage, Low Amperage Dc Current
Posted by Tim Mitchell (Australia) on 11/22/2016

The studies which suggest that the treatment of snake bite with pulsed high voltage low current DC shock as being dangerous or ineffective, simply put are just bad science.

Yes you can cause a burn if you use a stun gun with too much power or leave it in contact with the wound for too long. Using a cheaper lower voltage stun gun / cattle prod / or weed eater spark lead, is perfectly safe when administered in single zap doses. If the current is too high it will cause burns, but low current is supposed to be used and works very well.

An Italian research team was able to show both in vitro and in vivo that the use of low current DC treatment will deactivate the proteins in the snake venom making it permanently inactive.

Do a google scholar search for "Inactivation of Crotalus atrox Venom Hemorrhagic Activity by Direct Current Exposure using Hens' Egg Assay" They did a whole batch of papers on the subject and this is the only really good research out there. It does work and it is safe, just don't be stupid and use too much power for too long or you will get a burn.... in addition to the deactivation of the venom.


Bread
Posted by Kevin Coombs (Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin) on 10/11/2008
★★★★★

Bread cured my daughters spider bite. Went to doctor who put her on anti-biotics. It did nothing for her. My wifes grandma told her to put a piece of bread on it. She did and it drew all of the puss out and cured it in one night.

Bread
Posted by Scott (Hanston, Kansas) on 09/07/2010

Look for Bread Poultice on the following link for directions. Works best with warm water.

Http://www.earthclinic.com/cures/skin_infections.html


Bread
Posted by Thankful Mom! (Atlanta, Ga) on 10/17/2011
★★★★★

I tried this for my daughter who was bitten and I found out about it a day later when the site was swollen, huge and warm to the touch. I applied the bread, wrapped to her in an ace bandage and this morning when I removed the bandage/bread all had come to the head and drained out. She said it no longer hurt or irratated her.


Potatoes
Posted by Lynn (Windsor, Canada) on 06/28/2008
★★★★★

Got 4 brown recluse spider bites on my arm while cleaning our shed. After 3 days went to Dr. and was given antibiotics to combat any other infection that might happen (I'm diabetic)...but Dr. said nothing can be done about the venom. 2 wounds were size of 1/2 dollar, 2 size of dime. Blistering and oozing and scabs (2 were black)occured and new blisters formed (no infection just clear fluid oozing) Did have 3 new sites of blister form possibly from the oozed fluid spreading the toxin. These new sites are not bites. Am now covering wounds with large bandaids.By day 5 tried topical creams, baking soda paste (not at the same time). While they kept the wounds from getting bigger they did not make it smaller or look any different. Found your website and am now doing potato poltice. Did break blisters and got as much scab off as possible before putting potato slices on. It is working, hooray!! And in only a few hours. Been a week looking for something that works. Right now the wounds have lost the redness, puffiness and don't feel warmer than the rest of me. Will let you know how I am in a few days. Was really worried as these bites were not healing and slowly getting worse. Will try salt tomorrow (maybe salt the potato slices, eh!).

Potatoes
Posted by Jason (Atkins, AR) on 06/09/2008
★★★★★

I got a spider bite on the back of my arm and in just a few days my arm was swelled and I had a big knot with a big white, yellow, greenish, center. I got on the earth clinic site and seen to scrap the top cut a potato and put on it. I did and was amazed at how fast it pulled all of the junk out of my arm. The potato is the only way to go in my opinion. Thanks yall are a life saver.

EC: Glad to hear the remedy worked. However, we still have to warn folks to be careful that a spider bite isn't, in fact, Staph or MRSA. We know two people here in Atlanta in the past month who misdiagnosed staph infections for spider bites!!


Salt
Posted by Mary (WEst Alli, Wisconsin) on 08/19/2007
★★★★★

My husband and I went camping this weekend, and I ended up with multiple spider bites. I tried everything and nothing helped. I wanted to scratch the skin off my legs. I went on the computer to see about any natural remedies and found this website. I washed my legs with hot water, and then put salt on all the bites. I let the slat on for 10 minutes and the itchy feeling went away. I will continue this until they are all gone. Thank you!

Salt
Posted by Shirley (USA) on 08/20/2007

I just read the post from Mary, about getting spider bites while camping. A few years ago my son's family went camping and he ended up with a lot of bites that looked like spider bites. The doctors treated it as such, but they did not heal. My daughter-in-law went to the next doctor visit and insisted on them doing a culture of the sores. It came back that he had contacted staph infection at the river or the campsite. They had waited so long to find it that it had gotten into the bone on one toe. He had to have two things applied that would pump some sort of medicine into the veins everyday for a length of time, I don't remember how long. A nurse had to come to their house to set them up. He did get okay, but I wanted to tell you this so that you know, if those places do not heal, you should insist on them doing a culture. Nobody should have to go through that. But hopefully yours are just spider bites. Good luck and I hope the bites have cleared up.


Salt
Posted by Scott (US) on 02/25/2016
★★★★☆

Thanks so much for sharing your experience! I'm in the middle of it right now, I've been applying the salt over the past few days and I'm already noticing a difference. The center part is opening up and I'm starting to see the outer layer of skin open up to reveal the black spot. I see that you applied for us garlic. So I just cut a piece of garlic and taped it to the bite. It is extremely burning! I am able and willing to tolerate it. Out of curiosity though… How long did you leave the garlic on the bite? And also how long did you leave the banana peel? Thank you so much.


Salt
Posted by Susan (South, Texas) on 07/06/2007
★★★★★

Just yesterday for the 4th of July we were at a family gathering. My niece had noticed a red bump develop 3 days prior on her wrist. By yesterday it had gotten bigger, a little over 1/4 inch. You could see 2 fang marks, half of the scab was crusty black and red streaks were developing. It was slightly painful, not unbearable. I check this website our regularly, so it was natural for me to look up a cure for spider bites. Of course we don't know what kind of spider bit her. The salt cure seemed to be the fastest acting and it wasn't too far out from the time of the bite. We wet it and poured salt on it and placed a bandaide over it. She ended up leaving it on for about an hour. Took of the bandaide and ran water over it. About 2 hours later you could tell that the size had decreased and the black scab was gone. We did the treatment one more time before she went to bed. It stung pretty good and she left the bandage on for 10 minutes. We left and called her today and the site is all but dried up. No more pain or itching. For good measure she is going to continue to put the salt on for another night or 2. Amazing!! is all I can say.


Salt
Posted by Bradley (Bon Wier, Tx) on 06/19/2007
★★★★★

i was in Lufkin Tx emergency room a couple of weeks back and I talked to a man who had been bitten by a spider. The doctor that treated him said that he knew people that had been bit by spiders that went to the ocean on Friday and came back on Monday and the bite was was gone away. The salt water heals the bite


Activated Charcoal
Posted by Heather (Milton, Pa) on 05/11/2010

i would like to get the recipe for the charcoal paste if u wouldnt mind. thanks


Oregano Oil, Turmeric, Chili Peppers
Posted by Bob (Filer, Idaho) on 12/25/2016
★★★★★

One tablespoon coconut oil, 4 drops of pure oregano essential oil 100 percent, several (2-4 it stains clothing can be left out) drops of turmeric diluted, mix .. brush teeth, apply to interior of nose to fight colds, apply to hands a.m. as infection fighter at public places, after a brown recluse spider bite .. puts brakes on cellular degeneration immediately .. follow up with chili pepper gel caps after any spider bite .. stroke or heart attack in next two days. Stuff E.R. never dreamed could happen - herbs weak and ineffective - you take life flight I'll take herbs.


Baking Soda
Posted by Kissa (Texas) on 03/14/2016

How do I make baking soda poultice?


Baking Soda
Posted by Timh (Ky) on 03/16/2016 2048 posts

Lipospheric Vit-C + MSM may be more effective by itself or taken after DMSO. All these work very well together and maybe enough to safe off the worst in poisoning situations.

Many outdoor enthusiast carry along the MMS precursors in case of spider or snake bite. MMS is effective against most or all poisonous snakes & spiders if given immediately and on ever hrs until no more symptoms.


Multiple Remedies
Posted by Jackie (Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada) on 03/04/2012

I love this website been checking it out for quite awhile I decided I needed to post. I was bitten by a spider called the Brown Recluse several times my arm swelled up like a balloon. I checked the Canadian sites, I was surprised they are listed in southern part of Ontario. I was quite sick, fever we called ambulance they transported me to the ER I was given antibiotics I should went right away I lingered for 2 days it is now oozing out of the fang holes what I did is apply tree oil to keep it clean then I mixed baking soda sea salt and a strong white vinegar I doused my arm with that mixture every couple of hours. It does take the itch away, it is still so painful. On top I had that terrible flu that is going around. The doctor told me that what I was already doing saved me from blood poisoning. We figured he got in from the garage through the back door or from the bananas we bought frm the supermarket. We sprayed the garage and the back entrances , all vents etc it's rare that we have any spiders in the house now on we will keep the back sprayed plus check the grocery bags etc. Thank you for listening Jackie Mac


Sulfur Powder
Posted by Terry (Allen, Ok) on 08/14/2011
★★★★★

I was bitten on the foot by a black widow spider and read where clinics use sulfur based anti-biotics for bites. I had no insurance, so I tried triple anti-biotic cream, hydrocortizone, and sublimed sulfur in equal parts aplied 4 times a day. In 2 weeks the hole where you could see the bones, was nothing more than a rough red spot.


General Feedback
Posted by Alfred (Rangsit, Bangkok, Thailand) on 06/04/2011

Thank for the info about bee.. spider bites.. Chewing Tobacco will pull poison.. But Not Pain..

The way to get rid of the Pain .. Is to press hard in that bite location.. Untill pain stops.. It will stop in a few minutes.. Reason its hurting.. Your Blood proteins are trapped.. By the pressure it releases the blood proteins..

Like when your hitting a nail with a hammer. But you hit your finger.. Just apply pressure on you finger.. Pain will leave soon after. Next day no sign of damage.

Alfred

General Feedback
Posted by Susan (Cathedral City, California Usa) on 06/11/2011

I agree Alfred, applying direct pressure to the injured area immediately after injuring oneself, is very effective for lessening the pain.

The very best remedy for quickly healing bruises is Arnica salve. If you don't have any, make a salve with 1 part cayenne pepper and 5 parts melted Vaseline, mix and cool, apply once a day.

A homemade ice pack can be made by mixing 2 parts water and 1 part alcohol in a nylon bag and freezing it, the bag will be flexible and can be molded to the body. It will not sweat.


Poultice
Posted by Jimbo (Talisay, Philippines) on 03/17/2011
★★★★★

I live in philippines and was bitten by spider, next morning woke up with red streaks and swelling of leg, when I got back home I appled a poultice made of tobbaco, charcoal, honey and chopped up garlic, and put on bite coverd with a peice of banana leaf, sitting at computer about 3 hours later and could see trickle running down my leg, at first I thought it was the honey but is just kept oozing out, that evening my swelling diapeared and so did the red streaks, but the bite had opened into a sore about 3/8 of inch across and swelled up like a boil, I did this for 2 days and it had pulled all of the infection or poison out, don t know wat kind of spider it was


Wild Hydrangea
Posted by Robert (Blairsville, Ga, America) on 08/03/2010
★★★★★

Spider Bites - Brown Recluse

My family and I live in the Northeast Georgia mountains where insects thrive indoors and outdoors. A few years ago while I was building our new home in the mountains my wife, my daughter and myself lived in a small cabin around 500 sq. Ft. Within a few days of each other my wife and daughter we both bitten behind one ear by a Brown Recluse spider. My daughters bite wound healed fairly quickly but my wife's turned out to be the size a 50 cent piece and and was very painful. The bit wound looked like it went to the skull and was open and oozing. Her doctor prescribed antibiotics which she took religously for several weeks with no apparent relief or healing. She wen back to our doctor and he said surgery was the only option. To cut out the bite site. My wife and I talked over and her biggest concern was the pain and her inability to sleep and she did not want to have surgery. I called friends and finally spoke wiht one that knew an old man that lived with his wife in North Carolina and was known as the "Spider Man". I can't remember his name but he appeared to be around 80 and showed me his herb garden and described all sorts of natural treatments for ailments. He looked at my wife's bite and said he had the cure. He said it would require at least two trips back to his house. He used sterile tweezers and said he had to get the core out of the wound. It appeared to look like a small whiteish cork. Once the core was out he went to his freezer and pulled out a ziplock baggie that looked like ground up grass. He said it was Wild Hydrangea, from the stem after the thin brown bark covering was removed and it was chopped finely up. He put this cold compress containing the wild Hydrangea in some gauze and wrapped it around my wifes head until the poutice was on the wound. He said to leave it there three days then come back on the third day. When he removed the gauze on the third day the wound had shrunk to 1/5 its original size and was beginning to close up. One more treatment with the Wild Hydrangea for another three day period totally closed the wound. My wife is back to her old self with barely a scar behind her ear. This really worked where modern medicine failed!

Wild Hydrangea
Posted by Chanel (Blairsville, Ga) on 06/01/2011

Robert from Blairsville, you are talking about Mr. Kisselburg, lives over in Culberson, NC.

He also healed my son of 2 Brown Recluse spider bites, when all "professional help" had failed. My son was on 2 of the highest dose, most expensive antibiotics and was begging me to make them cut his leg off.

Mr. Kisselberg's mother was given this "cure" by a Cherokee Indian and they refer to it as 7 Bark. Mr. Kisselberg himself was healed with it, when as a young boy he chopped wood too close to his leg and chopped through his knee. Being poor, they couldn't afford a doctor. His knee was gangrenous and they moved his bed to the front porch outside. A Cherokee Indian came by, communicated with his mother asking what was wrong. She explained and showed him the wound. He came back an hour or so later and gave her the cure to use.

I am a Pagan and a healer and have learned vauable information from Mr. Kisselburg, a truly great man.


Multiple Remedies
Posted by Carmen (Hiwasse, AR) on 06/24/2009
★★★★★

I was bitten by a brown recluse on Sat. May 30th. It is now June 24th. I went to the Doctor with in 24 hours. They have me Levaquin for the anitbiotic and a pain killer. Then told me to come back the next day for them to lance the blister.

I chose not to go to the same doctor...but went back to a doctor whom had previously treated a bite from the brown recluse years earlier. He said not to lance the blister..and said he would not be giving me the steroid shot he gave me previously. I had been bitten years earlier on the back by a brown recluse which took 5 months to heal.

Well this time I decided to take the matter into my own hands and found this website. I have been using a mixture of antibacterial salve and baking soda... also used activated chacoal. I have switched between the two and mixed the olive leaf extract with the baking soda. I can say I am almost to the point of no longer having dead tissue..and starting the complete healing process. It has still been a painful process however...I truly believe with out the information the wound would've been deeper and taken months longer to heal...and it was in very soft tissue..the belt line.

Multiple Remedies
Posted by Gean (Salina, KS) on 06/24/2009

Jim Humble, who developed MMS (Miracle Mineral Supplement), says that for brown recluse bites, apply desitin and a band-aid. It de-activates the poison. I have never been bitten by a brown recluse, but I would absolutely love to know if someone has tried this and if it works. I have family who has been bitten (before I knew about the desitin cure) and it's very horrible.


Hydrogen Peroxide, Honey, Witch Hazel
Posted by Jackie (Lawrencevile, GA) on 06/15/2009
★★★★★

Yesterday, I notice my 3yr old son scratching his leg, so I got close to check his leg, I saw a odd insect bite. It didn't look like a mosquito bite, it was about 2 inch, dark red, swollen & firm all around & it was peeling in the center. I show my husband & told me it was a spider bite. He recognizes it because he's had them before. I never seen a spider bite in my life because I lived in FL before moving up here & these things don't come up as often as they do here in GA. So I used hydrogen peroxide to clean the infection, after that I smeared some honey on it & left it to sit. After several hour I notice the swelling going down. I took him a bath before bed time & I dabbed witch hazel on it. Today, I check to see it's progress & I was relieved to see the result. The redness of the bite was fading, it shrunk & he wasn't scratching it anymore. Thank goodness for home remedies!

EC: Everyone should also look at images of MRSA boils to make sure they don't confuse spider bites for these boils!

Here's the google link : http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=MRSA+boils&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2&aq=f&oq=



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