By Gretchen Schempp, wellness manager
Summer brings us gorgeous long days of light, warmth and the bounty of everything that blossoms in this weather: beautiful flowers, tasty vegetables and herbs, but also some prickly, itchy and caustic plants and stinging, biting, blood-sucking bugs.
A quick brush against wild parsnip can cause days of painful blistering and even scarring if not treated. You might adventure into poison ivy, poison oak, chiggers, mosquitoes, ticks and those invisible “no-see-ums” that often bite without you knowing. Sunburn, flaring eczema and heat rashes can further make for uncomfortable days when all we really want to do is PLAY!
So, what do we have for after-the-fact care for these maladies? Oh, so many options! Here’s a list of what is in my summer first aid kit and their uses:
Bentonite clay powder or charcoal capsules: Use for making a paste to draw poisons from wild parsnip, poison ivy and oak.
Sovereign Silver First Aid Gel: This one’s great for everything irritating! This naturally antibiotic and scent-free gel is good for everything from rashes, eczema, bites, bumps and pimples to stings, razor burn, sunburn and scars – you name it. This one is great for pets too.
Pranarom Bug Bite Soother: This is a handy little essential oil blend in a pocket-sized roller bottle. Super effective for on the spot treatment of bug bites. Clove reduces the sting and pain quickly and the blend of oils further repels biting pests.
Ssssting Stop: Homeopathic topical specifically for bee stings and bug bites and a favorite of customers for bee stings. It’s citronella-scented to further repel pests.
PRID Drawing Salve: Old-school black salve. This little orange tin might last you many years. This sticky, piney salve is great for drawing slivers embedded in the skin. It’s also effective for drawing cysts to a head with repeated, long-term use.
Lumino diatomaceous earth: This super fine powder is essentially silica. Be aware that breathing in this powder irritates the lungs, so use it with care. I feed this to the dogs as a natural dewormer. When doing so, I mix it with water to negate inhaling the fine powder (for me and the pooches). It can also be used to kill fleas. We sprinkle it about the yard to keep pests down.
Boiron homeopathic remedies: These are the little blue tubes you can find in the three displays along the supplement wall. These highly diluted substances can give relief from all kinds of symptoms without measurable side effects.
Apis mel: It’s best known for giving relief from bee stings.
Ledum palustre: This is my go to for dogs and humans for tick bites, but it’s also great for spider bites and other bug bites. We even used it in a protocol when my dog got bit by a rattlesnake!
Sulphur: This remedy is for skin rashes that worsen from heat and moisture (think heat rashes and/or poison sap exposure). Since wild parsnip blisters activate in heat and water, I find this remedy really helpful when I’ve been exposed to parsnip.
Euphrasis officinalis: This is also known as eyebright. This remedy helps with watery, irritated eyes. Do allergies, dust or smoky air have you tearing up? Try five pellets under the tongue and hopefully you’re on your way to seeing clearly again.
Histaminium hydrochloricum: This is a classic allergy remedy. A histamine reaction from pollen, dust, dander, foods or even medications can be calmed by using this remedy.
This list is certainly not exhaustive of all the great products I can think of. Your Co-op wellness staff remains happy to provide other options and answer questions you may have.