Mosquito Bites – Natural Remedies

It has been hot and rainy here, which made for the perfect conditions for mosquitoes. The other day, I was working in my yard and of course I forgot to use any kind of insect repellent before I went outside. Needless to say, I ended up with a lot of mosquito bites. Not wanting to miss this golden opportunity to see what worked and what didn't work, I tried several different natural remedies to stop the itch and swelling from mosquito bites.

Why a mosquito bite swells and itches is because when a mosquito bites, venom from the mosquito is injected into your skin which causes pain and sometimes triggers an allergic reaction. How bad the bite swells and itches depends on your sensitivity to the insect venom or how many bites you have.

Of course the best way to treat mosquito bites is prevention. Always use some kind of insect repellant when outdoors to keep from having this problem in the first place. But, if you end up forgetting, like I did, here are few things that you can try to stop the itch and swelling:

• The first thing that you need to do is wash the bite area with soap and water. If you see a stinger, scrape, or brush off the stinger with a straight edged object. Don't try to pull the stinger out, as this may release more venom.
• Plantain – I tried this and it worked very well. To use, make a fresh leaf poultice. Pick a leaf, chew it well and put it on the bite. The pain, heat, itching, and swelling, will disappear fast.
• Baking soda – This one works well also. To use, make a past of baking soda and water and apply over the bite area. I put a band-aid over the top of the mixture to keep the paste in place.
• Vinegar – Apply a small amount directly to the bump.
• Ice – Apply ice directly to the bite.
• Dry Bar of Soap – Rub a bar of dry unscented soap directly on the bite.
• Lemons or Limes – Apply a small amount of the juice directly to the bite.
• Banana peel – rub the inside of a banana peel over the bite. I tried this one and it surprisingly worked pretty well.
• Crushed Dandelion leaves – Apply fresh crushed leaves every hour. This didn't work for me.
• Salt Paste – Mix salt and water together to form a paste and apply to the bite. I tried this and it didn't seem to do anything for me.
• Onion – Place a fresh slice of onion on the bite for several minutes until the itching goes away.
• Toothpaste – Rub a small amount onto the bite. Allow to dry and leave for as long as desired. I tried this and it didn't do a thing at all to help me, but it did leave my foot smelling minty fresh. <lol> (Please don't ask me how I know that one. <ROFLOL>)
• Cucumber – Apply the skin of a cucumber over the bite.
• Honey – Using a small amount of honey, apply directly to the bite. Honey has anti-microbial properties so it will help to prevent infections.
• Rubbing Alcohol – Using a cotton ball, lightly rub alcohol over the bite. I tried this and it helped somewhat but it did need to reapplied often. What I finally did was to soak the cotton ball in the alcohol and placed it onto of the bite. Then I held the cotton ball in place using medical tape.

I hope that one of the above will help you the next time you are bite by a mosquito. If after trying to stop the itch and swelling yourself without any relief, or if the symptoms get worse, contact your doctor to see what treatment would be best for you.

Thanks for reading and visiting my blog. :-)

Disclaimer: (Legal stuff my lawyer said I should include in this section of my blog.) I am not a doctor or a member of the medical community. The content of this post is solely from my own personal research and use and the information provided here has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This post is intended for educational purposes only and not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any condition or disease. Be sure to consult with a medical professional regarding the treatment of any condition or medical symptom you may experience.