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Plantain
July 28, 2006
Although fairly busy with house and mouse care we did go the farm today for our weekly work share and vegetable pick-up.
While working I was stung by a bee or something like that. Thanks to another bee sting I got last fall while I was at the farm with my mother-in-law I knew just what to do. I found a plantain leaf (plantain is found almost anywhere grass grows) chewed it up a bit and rubbed it directly onto my skin and the pain immediately went away. I had experienced this once, last fall, but I forgot how effective it was.
Backyard plantain
Plantain has 5 "strings"
When I was done working I mentioned this to Jill, the farmer. She shared a story that happened on the farm. A few years ago an inexperienced farm apprentice cut a major blood vessel in a sheep's tummy while shearing it. The sheep was gushing blood but a couple people gathered lots of plantain, chewed it up and applied it to the wound and the bleeding stopped immediately. As it turns out plantain stops bleeding as well as skin pain from insect stings.
I just wanted to share this in case you are out and about with your kids etc... and someone gets stung. I've used plantain to relieve the kid's insect bites as well although it wasn't effective for long term (more than 3 hours).
2010 Post Update:
More plantain goodness can be found in the following posts from the Bulk Herb Store.
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barbara on July 29, 2006, 8:29 a.m.
Plantain is used as a poultice on all kinds of Skin Ailments. Rub directly on Rashes caused by Stinging Nettle, Poison Ivy--Oak. Used for Bites, Burns, Rashes, Poisonous Spiders, and Snake Bites.
Plantain can also be taken internally, but use with caution this way. (Research the net if you want more info on use of plantain internally.)
Other uses of Plantain are for: bed wetting, bladder, blood poisoning, burns, diarrhea, douche, eyes, fractures, frigidity, hemorrhage, hemorrhoids, hoarseness, itching, kidneys, leucorrhea, lumbago, lungs, menstruation (dec), thrush, tumors, ulcers, vagina, wounds.
I have heard of people using mud for insect bites. As the mud dries, it draws the poison out of the skin into the dried mud.
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Anonymous on May 4, 2009, 2:16 p.m.
I need these simple (not overwhelming) suggestions - thank you!
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Teresa on July 27, 2013, 1:34 p.m.
I am looking at my weed infested yard a whole lot differently right now after seeing this post. All those times as a kid when my nana would make me go out and rid her yard of this "weed"...then put nasty iodine on my cuts and scrapes. I could have avoided the pain and fixed myself with her weed pile! lol
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Amanda on July 28, 2006, 11:20 p.m.
When we where kids.....My Parents always put wet mud on our skin if we where stung by a bee. It also works great to take away the pain and the redness. I was once stung by my eye, and this took it away right away. Could have been much worse.