Natural remedies for bee stings

[tillie]

Today Mother Earth has an article on natural remedies for bee stings - here is the applicable paragraph:

"With the stinger removed, there are a variety of options to soothe the pain and swelling (all of these should be applied directly to the wound):

• Mix baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and water, adjusting until it makes a paste. Apply and leave it on the skin for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Apply a fresh slice of garlic or onion. These alliums also work internally, so they can be eaten as well.
• Calendula flower and plantain leaf are two effective plant remedies for bee stings. Again, rub the flower or leaf directly on the skin.

"

Since we often talk of bee stings, I thought you'd be interested.

Linda T in Atlanta

 

[annette]

I can tell you the baking soda works so well. Got stung by a wasp 2 weeks ago. The pain was unbelievable until I placed the baking soda paste on the sting. Instantly, the pain was gone.

Haven't tried the other things. Thanks, though, for the good information.

Have a great weekend. By the way, what did you decide about requeening??? (different topic, so I will watch for the answer later)

Annette

[deantn]

Read the article from Mother and have seen before but still worth reading.
I've found the best cure for any sting is to put bleach on them, had a neighbor in MS when lived there and he told me this after I was stung on the eye lid and it didn't even swell after a cotton swab dipped in bleach was put on it. Keep a little bleeach in tool kit for bees but hardly eveer use it now. 

[Michael Bush]

I still don't think anything beats plantain:
http://www.bushfarms.com/images/Plantain.jpg

[Bee1]

and the plaintain grows right in our yards too!  I used it when I was stung earlier this year....  What I read was to chew the plaintain and make a paste of saliva and plaintain to put on the sting..... It worked good enough for me that I would do it again.

Bee1

[papabear]

For the bleach you can use a bleach pin. Thats what i use. It works well.

[BeeJay]

Allright folks Apple cider vinegar is the way to go for me :) And it also helps with heartburn, jelly fish sting and HEMORRHOIDS! the list is too long but ACV is the cure for many things.

[Casimir]

Apple cider vinegar is also great for sunburns. I will have to try it for stings.

[KONASDAD]

Plantain is awesome for bites and stings.

[abates99]

Tobacco.  I grew up around the old folks who used tobacco on stings and so now I do it and it workes well.  Chewing tobacco or snuff or even a cigarette or cigar but it must be wet (most people use saliva) it seems to absorb the toxin because if you leave it on for a while the skin will start to wrinkle underneath it.

[genesbees]

Read the article from Mother and have seen before but still worth reading.
I've found the best cure for any sting is to put bleach on them, had a neighbor in MS when lived there and he told me this after I was stung on the eye lid and it didn't even swell after a cotton swab dipped in bleach was put on it. Keep a little bleeach in tool kit for bees but hardly eveer use it now. 

You have to be a little careful with bleach.  I met a woman the other day who put bleach on a sting on her back and ended up with a pretty nasty bleach burn, it was worse than the sting.

[thomast55]

Allright folks Apple cider vinegar is the way to go for me :) And it also helps with heartburn, jelly fish sting and HEMORRHOIDS! the list is too long but ACV is the cure for many things.

  So do you drink it or rub it on the H-Roids ?

[Cindi]

Hmmm....this bleach thing sounds to me like it is rather dangerous, especially when using it around the eyes.  Not something that I would fool around with.

Baking soda and water.  Isn't that basically what calamine lotion is?  (with a pink colour to it?)  ;)  When I was a child, calamine lotion was a very common household remedy for mosquito bites, chicken pox or whatever.  When my grandson had chicken pox about a year ago, he looked like a pink dotted leopard he had to many poxes, yes, I used calamine lotion.

I agree with Michael Bush.  Plantain, why bother with other things, plaintain is 100% effective, I know this first hand with so many kids around here that step on the poor little girls and get a whollop on the bottom of their foot.  it works.  Plantain for me.  Have a wonderful day, best of this life.  Cindi

[Bennettoid]

Eit

Allright folks Apple cider vinegar is the way to go for me :) And it also helps with heartburn, jelly fish sting and HEMORRHOIDS! the list is too long but ACV is the cure for many things.

  So do you drink it or rub it on the H-Roids ?

Either way, there has got to be a huge pucker factor.

[Michael Bush]

>Tobacco.

If I don't have plantain handy, that's my second choice, but since I don't smoke or chew, the plantain is usually handier.  I'm Lakota, so of course there is always tobacco for offereings and such but that's usually in the house.  The plantain still works better.

[Cindi]

Walkin' in the chickenyard.  These birds don't like to eat certain greens, those being those that can cause a rash or pain to us, the human, for example, stinging nettle.  It really hurts when your tender calf is hit. Plantain is an instant remedy.  Sometimes the taste of plantain is very nice other times horrible, regardless, this is a great remedy.  This is a beautiful life, live it.  Cindi