One of the challenges of living in the country is living alongside critters that like to bite you. Last week, I woke up with a welt the size of a quarter on the inside of my arm. From previous experience, it appeared to be a spider bite. I could see two little puncture wounds in the center of the welt. They usually go away after a couple of days without treatment but this one seemed to grow bigger and redder each day along with getting rather sore and itchy. On the third day, I decided to put a plantain poultice on it. I found some fresh plantain from the yard, chewed it up and applied it. There was relief within minutes. I decided to leave it on over night. The next morning the welt had gone down and the area seemed to have dried up. I was rather relieved, as I have known people to get rather bad infections from spider bites.
Unfortunately, by the afternoon, the welt returned and was sore again. I decided to use baking soda this time. I made a paste by adding a little water to the baking soda and applied it for 20 minutes. The welt went down again and the itching and soreness was gone. I am grateful to say – baking soda did the trick! What I had was just a red patch left on my arm, which faded in a couple of days.
The reason why I tried plantain and baking soda for my spider bite was because; the venom from the spider was causing a reaction in my body. I needed to draw the venom out so my body could heal. Plantain and baking soda are known for their strong abilities to draw venom out. I am very grateful that this easy remedy worked.
All information is shared for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition.
For me, there is no doubt about it; Maine is indeed the way life should be. After returning from a glorious laid back vacation in Maine, I think I figured out how they do it ~ Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)! The roadsides and fields are covered with it, very similar to the abundant growth of Queen Anne’s Lace along the roadside of New York. I can honestly say I have never seen so much wild Valerian in my life. It was everywhere. It blooms from June through September (just in time for tourist season) and fills the air with a sweet intoxicating aroma (unlike the stinky sock smell of its roots) that will relax the beast in any strung out soul. This wonderful herb helps soothe tension while bringing a sense of calm and liberation from anxiety along with summoning a healing restful night. Yes indeed, that is the way life should be ~ relaxed and mellow.
