Here are some simple home remedies for minimizing a sting's pain quickly and easily. Be sure to keep an eye out for signs of a more severe reaction so that medical help can be sought immediately if necessary.
Home Remedies From the Cupboard
Activated charcoal. This can help draw out toxins that cause inflammation, swelling, and itching. To make a paste, open up 2 to 3 capsules of charcoal, mix with enough water to make a paste, and apply to the affected area. After 30 minutes, wipe the paste off with a wet cloth.
Baking soda. Itching and swelling can be tamed by applying a paste of 3 teaspoons baking soda to 1 teaspoon water directly to the site. This remedy is especially good for ant bites and bee stings, both of which are acidic in nature. (Baking soda neutralizes acid.)
Meat tenderizer. Meat tenderizers contain the enzymes papain or bromelain that, when applied immediately, degrade the venom and reduce swelling. Use an unseasoned brand, mix a few teaspoons with a few drops of water, and apply the paste to the sting. Time is of the essence with this technique. Once the venom proteins penetrate deep into the skin, it's too late for the tenderizer to reach and degrade them. Carry a bottle filled with the solution with you when you know you're going to be outdoors in areas where bees are likely to be present.
Tea bags. Soak a tea bag in water to use as a poultice. Or when you make hot or iced tea, save the used tea bag in the refrigerator for a few days to use as a poultice. The tannic acid in tea helps decrease the swelling from a sting. Black tea is the most effective. Apply cooled tea bags to bites/stings as needed.
Home Remedies From the Freezer
Ice. Ice or any cold compress does triple first-aid duty by diminishing the itch, reducing inflammation and swelling, and easing the pain of bites/stings. Put crushed ice into a plastic bag (or use a bag of frozen vegetables), wrap it in a towel, and apply to the site for 20 minutes. Do not, however, apply the ice or bag of frozen food directly to the skin -- you may do more damage than good!
Home Remedies From the Pantry
Vinegar. No matter whether it's the white or the apple cider variety, vinegar turns insect sting pain into a thing of the past. Pour it on the affected site, or mix it with baking soda to make a paste that you can apply to the bitten area. Out of vinegar? Try applying straight lemon juice instead.
Home Remedies From the Refrigerator
Garlic. You might not get kissed, but you might not get bitten either if you eat your onions and garlic regularly. Just like humans, stinging insects are attracted or repulsed by odors in their environment. Perhaps it is to your advantage not to smell so sweet. Some people believe that by eating pungent foods such as onions and garlic, the smell of your sweat changes, sending out a signal to insects that you stink. And you do. While this theory hasn't been tested, it can't hurt to add an extra onion on your burger or an extra garlic clove to your salad dressing. (The effect only works with raw garlic or onions so don't cook them -- cooking not only destroys the stink, it also changes the active ingredients.) Just remember to have some mouthwash or gum on hand if you plan to talk to others!
Onion. Get a tissue, a knife, and an onion for this sting remedy. An onion (or garlic clove) contains antibiotic and anti-inflammatory substances that minimize infections and swelling from bites and stings. Slice the onion in half, dab your crying eyes with the tissue, and hold the onion on the bite site for five to ten minutes. Resist the urge to recycle the onion in your sandwich.
Home Remedies From the Silverware Drawer
Knife. Bees and yellow jackets leave evidence behind when they strike: their barbed stinger. It's not a pleasant sight to see this pulsating barb puncturing the skin and releasing venom. Carefully and gently remove the stinger by scraping it off with a knife blade. Don't reach for the tweezers or tongs. Squeezing and grabbing the stinger causes more venom to be pumped into the victim. After removing the stinger, apply a topical antiseptic, such as alcohol or Betadine.
Home Remedies From the Sink
Soap. Some kitchen cures are right under your nose -- take plain old bar soap, for instance. Besides keeping you squeaky clean, soap helps relieve the bite of the ubiquitous mosquito. Wet the skin and gently rub on soap. Rinse well. Be sure to use only nondeodorized, nonperfumed soap. Fancy, smelly soaps may irritate the bite area.
Bees, wasps, hornets -- be gone! Use the home remedies in this article to avoid and treat bites and stings, and focus your time and energy instead on summertime fun.
