The holidays are a time for relaxing, swimming, adventuring and socialising. Often, we are so excited to start our holiday that we forget about all of the accidents and situations that are bound to happen at some point! Here are some natural home remedies and hacks that can be used during the holidays for those mosquito bites, blue bottle stings, sunburns and those self-inflicted digestive and liver struggles.
Speak to a professional Homeopath before the holidays to get a few ‘first aid’ remedies that can be used in these situations.
Bites
Point of view - you are sitting outside by the braai, enjoying the cool summer evening but the mosquitoes are in full force and you end up with multiple, itchy bumps all over your legs, even after using copious amounts of peaceful sleep.
Here are some helpful, natural home remedies to try:
1. Tea tree oil: A good, pure essential oil like tea tree or lavender applied to the area will help with swelling and pain and also has anti-bacterial properties to keep the area clean. Make sure to dilute the oils in a small amount of water first.
2. Basil: Rubbing some basil leaves onto the area creates a cooling and soothing effect on the bites to help with itching.
3. Honey: Dab a small amount of honey onto the bite to reduce irritation and swelling. Honey also has anti-bacterial properties to keep the area clean from infection.
4. Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice can numb and soothe the itching and also has anti-bacterial properties.
Homeopathy also offers some natural, quick acting remedies that can help with all sorts of bites. Some remedies include:
· Calendula tincture: Dilute and apply calendula to the bites which will help to heal the area and reduce inflammation. It also sterilises the area, keeping it clean. A Homeopath could also prepare a calendula cream for you to use.
· Ledum: This remedy helps to draw out the toxins in bites and is also useful in cases of puncture wounds such as a thorn in the foot, for example.
· Apis: This remedy is great for a bite that produces a lot of swelling and redness. It is also useful where there is burning and itching of the bites.
· Hypericum: This remedy is a good pain reliever, especially where the nerves are affected. This can be used after a spider or snake bite, but you should immediately get to your nearest hospital for anti-venoms.
Stings
The ocean is a beautiful place that should be respected and looked after at all times. As much as most of us love swimming all day in the ocean, I’m sure that we have all had some encounter with a blue bottle and its long, stinging tentacles. Or we are sitting relaxing, having a refreshing drink of Coca-Cola (that we only have once in a while because we are healthy and conscious of the sugar we put into our bodies) and along comes a friendly bee that we swat away and in turn, it comes back to sting us.
Here are some useful tips for beestings:
1. If the sting is still in your skin, do not tweeze it out because this will release more toxins, scrape it off with your nail.
2. If you produce lots of welts or hives that look like red, swollen, patches on the skin that aren’t the bite site, you may have an allergy and should seek medical assistance to avoid complications.
3. Baking soda: Make a paste with baking soda and water or lemon juice and apply to the area, this alkalises the venom and can help with the itching and pain. The same thing applies with apple cider vinegar.
4. Honey: interestingly, honey can be used on the area as described under ‘bites’ in the same way to help with the swelling and itch.
5. Lavender oil: a great anti-inflammatory oil that will soothe the area but should be diluted first.
Here are some useful tips for blue bottle stings:
1. Carefully remove tentacles and rinse the area well with seawater, not fresh water.
2. Use hot water (as hot as you can manage) and apply to the area, this has been proven to work better than cold water or vinegar.
3. In South Africa, you can often find a plant species near the sand dunes at a beach called Carpobrotus edulis, that looks similar to a succulent aloe plant with pink or yellow flowers. Break a leaf off and apply that to the area for a quick soothing and anti-inflammatory reaction.
Homeopathy can use the same remedies and tinctures as those mentioned for ‘bites’ for stings as well. One important herb to add is Urtica urens, which works wonders for burns and stings and will ease the pain and reduce the swelling by the next day!
Sunburn
We all know the South African sun and we know that skin cancer is real, but sunburn happens! Prevention is always better than cure so wear a hat, use sunscreen and be aware of the time of day and how long you have been out in the sun for. Vitamin D is very important but precautions should still be taken to prevent damage.
Here are some home remedies for sunburn:
1. Soak in a warm bath: This will burn at first but it will allow your body to fight against the damage and you will experience a cooling effect once out of the bath. Try not to use soaps as they can dry the skin out more. Rather use a natural bath oil.
2. Oats: Add oatmeal (crushed oats) into your bath as they soothe the skin by adding moisture and can help with inflammation.
3. Aloe vera: Yes, it works. Especially fresh and raw. If you don’t have any then find a good organic aloe vera to hydrate the skin, allow the cells to repair and fight infection.
4. Coconut oil: A great hydrator and has anti-bacterial properties. Look for a cold-pressed, organic coconut oil. It can be kept in the fridge and applied cold.
5. Tea bags: An old tea bag (green tea or black tea) has tannins that reduces inflammation. You can apply the damp tea bag onto the area or soak a cloth into cold tea and apply that.
6. Drink LOTS of water: Keep your body hydrated to avoid peeling, eat juicy fruits and decrease alcohol consumption.
Again, Calendula and Urtica tinctures are your best herbal tinctures to use for the skin to help with inflammation, burning and damage. Homeopathy also has lovely remedies that can be used to help the body heal damaged skin and should be used if blistering has occurred.
Digestive system and the liver
Oh boy, do we eat and drink and be merry in the holidays. We work hard during the year to stay fit and healthy, but when it comes to the holidays we certainly let loose. Overindulgence in all forms can be really uncomfortable and ruin our mood. Rich foods, lots of dessert, alcohol binges mixed all together with dehydration can really set your liver and digestive system into a downward spiral. Or maybe we have travelled to a new area or country and are trying all sorts of foods that send us straight to the toilet for a few days.
Here are some useful tips for the digestive system:
1. Drink plenty of water: we know this.
2. Eat fresh fruit: hydrating plus fibre is going to help keep that system healthy and working regularly. Fresh fruit juices are a good way to go, especially with beetroot in them.
3. Try not to change your routine: Stick to your normal eating times as much as possible or break your meals up into smaller more regular meals throughout the day.
4. Milk thistle & Taraxicum: If you know you are going to end up drinking a lot that day or over a certain period then take supplements to help your liver function well and deal with what you are putting into it. This will also help with hangovers!
Homeopathic remedies such as Nux vom, Lycopodium and Arsenicum are great with overindulgence and digestive issues and can also help cleanse the liver after too much alcohol. You can also look at:
· Chamomile tea: Helps to relieve cramping and pain in the digestive tract. Have it at night as it may make you sleepy too.
· Peppermint: Calms the digestive system and relieves cramping.
· Activated charcoal: In the case of diarrhea this can be really helpful. Remember to replace electrolytes you may have lost and slowly introduce solids such as grated apple or youghurt to ease your system back to normal again.
References:
McLaughlin, C. 12 Natural bee sting remedies. https://www.finegardening.com/article/12-natural-bee-sting-remedies
Chung, L. 2019. Forget ice packs, we’ve been treating bluebottle stings all wrong. https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/the-blue-tide-avoid-being-stung-by-bluebottles-20190201-p50v3v.html
The North Coast Courier, 2018. How to: treat a blue bottle sting. https://northcoastcourier.co.za/122968/bluebottles-mysterious-ocean-dwellers-2/
Hrustic, A. 2021. 17 Home Remedies for Sunburn That Will Heal Your Skin Fast, According to Dermatologists. https://www.prevention.com/beauty/a20513758/natural-sunburn-cures/