With summer in full swing, most people send their free time outdoors doing lots fun filled activities such as gardening, camping, hiking, canoeing, swimming you name it. While being outdoors is fun and enjoyable, it can also be painful and itchy with all the bug bites, bee stings or rashes from touching the wrong plants. So it is very important to make sure you have the proper clothing, foot wear and sprays to avoid the suffering and the pain later. Bites, rashes and stings can cause a lot of discomfort and pain, not to mention severe allergic reactions in some individuals, which may also require medical attention. Here are a simple suggestions to speed up the healing process as well, reducing itching caused by various sources.

1. For Itching And Rashes:

-Make a paste with cosmetic clay and water and add a couple of drops of peppermint oil and then apply directly on the bite or the sting. The peppermint oil has a cooling effect on the skin and will help soothe the itching.

– Toothpaste applied directly on the bite or the sting will also help relieve itching and the swelling.

– Homeopathic remedies such as rhus tox and apis m. are great for itching, swelling and burning. Have some in your emergency first aid kit if you are going to be hiking in an area which has poison ivy or for bee stings.

– If you have been exposed to poison ivy, wash the area thoroughly with tepid water and soap or shampoo, and apply a paste made with cosmetic clay and lavender or peppermint oil.  If a large area had been exposed to poison ivy, you could also do an oatmeal bath with some peppermint or lavender oil to soothe and heal the area for about 20 minutes and then pat your skin dry. The homeopathic remedy Rhus tox –  3 pills under the tongue may be quite helpful as well for the itching.

–Aloe vera gel is also very helpful for reducing itching – as it reduces the histamine release associated with rashes.

2. For Stings and Bites

– First and foremost – remove the stinger with a pair of tweezers or using your fingernail. A bee sting would usually also cause a burning sensation, so rubbing ice over the area would be helpful to relieve the pain as well, localize the toxin. You can apply a couple of drops of undiluted tea tree oil with witch hazel extract as an antiseptic or aloe vera gel on the affected area.

– Aloe vera gel applied directly on the sting or the bite would be helpful in reducing the pain and the inflammation. It will also be helpful for speeding up healing associated with any infection that may come about as a result of the sting or bite as it also has antibacterial and anti- fungal properties.

–  A spray made with Witch hazel extract, Peppermint and Lavender essential oil will also help not only to calm and soothe the inflammation, but also to help heal the area fast – as lavender essential oil is also antimicrobial, and helps with healing inflammation as well.

– You can also use the homeopathic remedy – apis m for bee stings by dissolving three tablets in a teaspoon of water and applying in on the affected area. It may be helpful for the healing the pain and inflammation associated with the sting.

– A cold compress with some ice in a towel over the affected area would be very helpful as well.

By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor.