5 plants that soothe insect bites

Insects abound in summer. Although sometimes they bother us, the truth is that play an essential role in the cycle of life on Earth. Without them, many plants would not even flourish. They attract them to themselves to be pollinated.

At the same time, they promote chemical mechanisms to drive them away when appropriate, through volatile particles that saturate the environment. That is why they can be the ones that help us keep them away.

5 natural remedies for insect bites

It’s worth it know insect preferences to prevent in time. The mosquito abounds near standing water. The bee, where there are flowers, in meadows and gardens, and the wasp, in open spaces. The tick hides in riverbanks and bushes. And the less common red ant only stings to defend itself.

When faced with the threat of a bite, the first thing to do is prevent by wearing a cap and light clothing that they cover arms and legs when visiting their favorite places, and at night, protective nets. In turn, plants provide simple remedies to drive them away or cure their bites.

1. Mauve to deflate

It has been traditionally used to cure skin conditions and especially bites. Flowers and leaves, with mucilages and tannins, are anti-inflammatory and healing.

Used: To reduce inflammation and eliminate itching in bites from all kinds of flying insects that manifest with swelling, redness, numbness or a certain tingling.

How to use: with the decoction (about 50 g of dry plant per liter of water) wash the area or soak some compresses and leave them on the bite for a few minutes; in poultices of leaves, combined with powdered linseed and heated in a water bath; and the juice of the fresh plant, poured over the bite.

2. Antiallergic elecampane

Of the elecampane, a robust plant with large yellow flower heads, are used with medicinal purposes the rhizome and the root.

Used: in case of allergic reaction by sting. It helps to eliminate hives and pimples and to heal the wound if it becomes infected. It acts as a natural antihistamine, relieving lung congestion, coughing attacks, rhinitis and conjunctivitis.

How to use: internally, the decoction (about 25 g per liter of water), preferably combined with plants that improve the flavor, such as fennel; in tincture, 30 drops a day, with lemon juice; and the decoction externally in warm compresses, to apply on the affected area.

3. Cloves, repellent

Flower buds are used from the clavero, a tropical tree native to the Philippines and the Moluccas islands. Are rich in essential oil and contain mucilages and sterols.

Used: its fragrance offers an alternative to synthetic repellents against flies, mosquitoes, ants and aphids. Reduces inflammation and disinfects wasp and horsefly stings and promotes healing.

How to use: a few drops of essential oil are poured on clothing or, very diluted in vegetable oil, on the skin; The cloves soaked in alcohol are applied in a massage, or some compresses are soaked in the decoction. They are also used as a repellent diffuser, stuck in an apple or a cork.

4. Plantain for wasp stings

This inconspicuous plant, which often appears along roadsides and grasslands, is considered a treasure in herbalists. Its flowers are harvested. It is expectorant, antiallergic and healing.

Used: It is a good ally for those allergic to wasp, bee or horsefly stings. Fights the symptoms of the reaction and restores the mucosa.

How to use: internally, the infusion is made with a tablespoon per cup, better if combined with marshmallow, helichrysum and green anise; externally, the infusion of 15 g of plantain with red clay, to form a thick paste and apply a 2 mm layer on the bite.

5. Aloe regenerator

The pulp of the aloe contains a viscous liquid rich in mucilages, of great dermoprotective power. It is enough to make a small incision in the leaf to obtain it.

Used: among its many benefits, it restores the epithelium and favors its regeneration after the bite.

How to use: applying the fresh pulp directly on the affected area, either in the form of a gel or in a liquid extract.