Insect Bite Remedy

Updated: 05/11/2009

EARTH CLINIC'S TOP 3 REMEDIES FOR INSECT BITES:

1. TIGER BALM (the balm used to ease aching muscles)
This is one of our favorite remedies for mosquito bites. We learned about it whilst travelling in Southeast Asia years ago. Very simple: apply a little Tiger Balm to the insect bite. The itchiness will stop within 2 minutes. However, this won't reduce swelling in the area of the bite. You may be able to use another brand of balm for aching muscles so long as it has the same ingredients: camphor and menthol.

2. VITAMIN B12 (prevents mosquito bites)
We also used supplements containing vitamin B12 on this same trip to Southeast Asia.' Very effective at prevention. The mosquitos won't bite you if you don't smell good to them! Most likely it's the odor coming from your skin that keeps them at bay.

B12 AND B6
9/4/2007: Our friend Joe told us recently that you actually want to take both B12 and B6 to prevent mosquito bites. Says Joe, "The B12 makes you sweat more and the B6 puts a scent into your sweat that mosquitoes don't like. I have only been bitten twice in 15 years... And both times happened this summer!"

3. AVOID SUGAR BEFORE YOU VENTURE OUT INTO NATURE
Yep, don't eat sugar if you want to avoid insect bites. "Mmm... sugary blood. Yum Yum!" say those mosquitoes!

ASPIRIN

[YEA]  06/26/2008: Ann from Deer Park, WA writes: "I had multiple mosquito bites and checked earth clinic for relief. Found a remedy of wetting the bites and rubbing in an aspirin. (I also wet the aspirin.) Immediately the burning and itching was gone and the bites healed so much faster than previous episodes. Also,the bites didn't swell anywhere near as much as previous bites. My arm was so full of bites that it was red from the wrist to the elbow. The first time it took two aspirins, but as the bites healed one did the job. The aspirin left a white gritty residue, but that was a very small payment for great relief. Thank you!"

[YEA]  03/27/2008: Roger from Richmond Hill, Ontario writes: "Mosquito bites drive me nuts. I'm one of these people who can't stop from scratching. So, living in Canada, there would be some years where I would end up doing a lot of scratching and scarring. When I read this remedy in the Home Remedy Book and it worked, I told myself that the $30 I paid for the book was worth this one cure. It also works for spider bites. It works better if you deal with the bite(s) as quickly as possible.

Wet the area of the bite with water and rub plain ASA onto the area. Because I'm a scratcher, I do it rather roughly. For spider bites I use two applications about a half hour apart. The itchiness disappears in a few minutes and may reoccur the next day. I just do another application and usually the itch doesn't return."

EC: We wrote Roger back to clarify what ASA is....

03/28/2008: Roger replies: "Just plain aspirin - I use a generic brand - it really works but be generous with the water - my daughter, who is health conscious, uses aspirin on her and her kids - it's saved a lot of hours of sleep."

BAKING POWDER, AMMONIA, MEAT TENDERIZER

[YEA]  06/30/2007: Gary from Claxton, Georgia writes: "The recommended first aid is: wash the sting area with copious amounts of warm soapy water then wash the bite site with household ammonia, scrubbing vigorously with a sponge to get under the skin flap to the poison.

Make a solution of baking powder, meat tenderizer, and ammonia, i.e. 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon meat tenderizer, and 1 cup ammonia. Scrub this solution into the wound.

The ammonia and baking soda return the body's acid/base balance to normal neutralizing most of the effect of the poison injected into the skin by the insect. The meat tenderizer's enzymes help break down the protein aiding the solution in neutralizing the poison.

I keep a pint jar of the solution stored at room temperature. It's very effective."

CAMPFIRE ASHES OR STRONG SOAP

[YEA]  12/14/2008: Donna from Port Huron, MI writes: "We go backpacking in remote areas where we are far from medical help and must deal with problems immediately. One night I woke up to find half my face red and swollen from red ant bites. Ants inject formic acid which causes the pain in nerve endings. If the formic acid is neutralized immediately, the pain is much less. First I applied a baking soda paste from my first aid kit but without much relief. Then I used ashes from the campfire. The relief was rapid and I didn't feel any more pain. We were in Hawaii in Dec where I was bitten by about 50 fire ants...much more painful than any other insect bite I have ever had. We didn't have any baking soda or ashes and I wanted to treat it immediately. In a hotel room, there are few options, but I found the strongest soap that I could and lathered myself for about 20 minutes in the shower. The soap neutralized the acid and the water from the shower diluted the acid. The pain left almost instantly. I attribute the success of this to being treated in less than 2 minutes. Three places that I missed had swellings about 2 1/2" across. I would not have wanted to have 50 welts like that on my body."

[YEA]  05/11/2009: Nsmith from Douglasville, Ga replies: "SOAP, ANY BAR OF SOAP, This is a remedy my greatgrand mother used on us for generations. Take a bar of soap barely wet the tip of it. Massage rub it in circles into the insect bites until the soap starts drying up or feels like a sticky film. That part is very important to do, 5 mins instant relief. Very soothing and no itching."

COCONUT OIL

[YEA]  08/26/2008: Kylie from Whitianga, New Zealand writes: "I've been using coconut oil on my skin & hair for approx 5 months now thanks to all the posts I've read on earthclinic. Taking a couple of teaspoons a day certainly makes your skin soft from the inside out. While up in the Pacific Islands on holiday a couple of weeks ago, I sought out locally made coconut oil and due to daily sun exposure, applied it to my skin each night. I was surprised to find that the mosquitos - which have always bitten me in the past - would hover around me but not land on my oiled skin. I didn't have to use insect repellent once for the whole two weeks I was in Tonga. The local oil was quite smelly (rancid smelling and everyone told me NOT to eat it) and different to the imported oil we get in NZ, so not sure if this makes the difference. I'll certainly be trying this as a mosquito remedy here in the summer."

DISHWASHING DETERGENT, GARLIC, APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

[YEA]  03/29/2008: Joyce from Joelton, Tn writes: "Hi Tracy,

I have a couple of suggestions for your mosquito problems. I have read (but haven't checked out) that using a shallow white dish, fill it with water, add a few drops of Joy liquid dishwashing detergent. The one giving that hint said it kills the mosquitos, usually within 10 - 12 feet of getting a drink from it. Makes you wonder how safe it is to eat from dishes washed in it, doesn't it?

Another great bug repellant that doesn't kill them, cook with lots of garlic, it makes you less tasty to mosquitoes, ticks and chiggers.This does work- I went from averaging 15 to 25 tick bites per day to none at all last year. I have started filling empty gel caps with garlic powder and taking 2 or 3 of them each day, however your kids probably won't like them that way but probably won't object to garlic cooked in the food.

Another one that works for my family - Put about 1-2 cups ACV to the kids bathwater each day, or even rub them down with straight ACV (careful around the eyes as even the fumes can make them burn) and let them dry off before dressing and going outside. This even works against those dratted brown flies in Florida (August) that look like our black house flies but are brown and love to bite you. This only works as long as the vinegar is on - if they play in water, or otherwise wash the vinegar off, you'll have to reapply the vinegar."

EARTH CLINIC'S REMEDIES

[NAY]  06/29/2008: Deirdre from Atlanta, GA writes: "Well, I don't know why, but this summer the Vitamin B-6 and B-12 are not working to prevent mosquito bites! I have been taking the supplements for the past week and have gotten a bunch of mosquito bites when I walk outside. Last summer I didn't get any bites when I took the supplements. I had my husband test the supplements and he too got eaten alive one night. Tiger Balm is still the best remedy in my opinion to remove the itch from bites.

One great side effect from the supplements however, is that they appear to be a great natural deodorant!  No baking soda necessary on the armpits when taking these 2 vits. Hopefully others will try them and let me know if they agree on the b/o."

GARLIC

[YEA]  08/04/2008: Robbie from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico writes: "This is going to sound hideous... and it is, but it does the trick.

When ever I have a cold I have a number of remedies I use.

In Scotland we have a thing called a hot toddy which is basically whiskey, cloves, honey and lemon made into a tea.

However, my other remedy (and this is the disgusting one) I have used and it works... is blend some garlic cloves and water into a blender. Then gulp down some of the brew at night. I normally just try to drink the whole thing. I don't really bother with measurements, Just play about till you find something that works for you. It's the garlic your eating, the water just helps it go own. Plus it's broken up and therefore absorbed into the body quicker and easier.

I also do the same as a mosquito repellent. Blend the garlic and water together and pour through a siv. The pulp I place in plant pots on my pation and the water garlic solution I place in a squeezy bottle and go around spraying my windows and door frames. All blood eating creatures hate garlic.

You can also use Listerine which surprisingly mosqutios hate for some reason. I use a combination of the two."

IODINE

[YEA]  11/02/2008: Susan from Northern, IL writes: "When I get bites, they swell and itch horribly. After trying lots of tricks over my lifetime, I just discovered that iodine works great. I have the kind w/o additives, but storebought would be OK for this purpose. Recently tried this on bites I'd scratched open, and it took the itch away quickly. Didn't scar as bad as usual, also."

JOE-PYE WEED

[YEA]  09/05/2007: Sal from East Haven, CT writes: "After 2 days of itching above my ankle, from a multiple mosquito bite cluster, in which I found relief for only brief periods using aloe vera and jewelweed, I got another eruption while mountain biking. Spotting some Joe Pye weed by the side of the trail, I decided to experiment. I plucked the flowering pink head and crushed it to confirm the vanilla-like fragrance and rubbed it on the bite cluster and rode off. Within minutes the itching stopped, never to return."

LISTERINE

[YEA]  04/02/2008: Shirley (shirley@dyalit.com) from Missouri writes: "A simple mosquito repellant 'Get a large bottle of Listerine, pour into a 4-ounce spray bottle and use around areas outside. It works great and it’s safe. It kills them instantly and will last a couple of days. Spray around food tables, play areas, standing water, anywhere you will be working or playing outside. Spray around door & window frames. Don’t spray directly onto wood doors but do spray the frame around the door. This would also be a good thing to add to survival kits."

MUD, GARLIC OR CHARCOAL

[YEA]  03/06/2008: Michelle from Lamora, Mexico writes: "Mud has always worked for ant, bee, etc. bites. We have lots of pesky insects where I live and applying a bit of mud on the bite takes the poison out and helps the sting to go away and helps the bite to heal faster. also cut garlic clove in half and applying it directly to the bite helps as good as mud. also we use charcoal. take some internally and rub it on the bite.

Ya we've had a lot of experience"

OREGANO OIL

[YEA]  09/06/2007: Jake from Chicago, Il. writes: "In the Illinois countryside we've never had mosquitos like we've had this summer after 8 or 9 straight days and nights of downpours with little let-up. I invariably have more than a few bites now each time I visit my orchard and garden. The only thing that saves me, although tea tree oil is pretty good too, is wild oregano oil diluted in olive oil - one or two drops per tsp., both seem to work well.  Rub it on the mosquito bites or the painful wasp or bee bite and the itch or pain is immediately gone. 

I refer to one painful wasp or bee bite that cut short my visit to my orchard and sent me back to the house - the oregano took care of the spreading red of the toxin immediately .  The next day there was nothing but a small mark and I had no further pain or itch. I started with the oregano oil for a dark skin patch on my shin and two boil-like cysts that were on my skin for some time.  Rubbing hard sometimes to the point of making it bleed, twice a day, and in about 10 days to two weeks the raised dark patch on my shin gave way to pink new skin, the eruption on my upper leg completely disapeared  and now finally the eruption on the back of my neck about three inches from my ear is just about gone."

OVER THE COUNTER

[YEA]  10/31/2008: Francesca from Kihei, Hawaii, Maui writes: "I get welts from mosquito bites, and have found the BEST remedy for me has been Johnson and Johnson First Aid Cream! It comes in a white plastic tube. The itch goes away in seconds, and the swelling in a few minutes. Just rub a small amount right onto the bite, and massage it a little. This cream has been hard to find, so I buy several tubes of it when I do find it."

PEPPERMINT OIL

[YEA]  07/16/2008: Donna from Janesville, WI writes: "I had heard that Pure Peppermint Oil stops bug bits from itching. Well, it did, but guess what?! It also took off my nail polish!! WOW! I was in utter shock! How cool is that! Ok, I'll try and calm down now~ much love donna"

TEA TREE OIL

[YEA]  01/03/2009: Kathleen from Brisbane, Australia writes: "Living in Australia, tea tree is readily available at supermarkets etc, and is great for taking away the itch from flea, mosquito, midgee bites (and lots more). It works by 1. taking away the itch - anaesthetic; 2. healing the infected area (antiseptic), and repels the other bugs hat might come near you.

I dip a cotton bud into the oil (100%, or even the dilluted version) and rub it onto the bite, sometimes I reapply it, and before you know it - its gone!"

TIGER BALM

[YEA]  04/28/2008: Michelle from Pasadena, CA writes: "For some reason, in the past 2 or 3 years, i've had 3 bad cases of allergic reactions to insect or arachnid bites, though i've never been able to pinpoint exactly what's been biting me. The doc's said take allergy meds, but nothing seems to work (i've got about 3 tubes of cream in my cabinet) and the ITCHING!!!! The itching is the worst part of it all. I woke up 8 times last night scratching my leg, and i knew if i could just get the itching to stop, the bite would heal much faster and i wouldn't be causing all this swelling and put myself at an impetigo risk. I've used Tiger Balm for sore muscles before, but never for bites. I'm now sitting here cool as a cucumber, tingly, and ITCH FREE for the first time!!! I can throw out those tubes of cream and keep an all natural multitasker, my cabinet, and my legs thak you."

VINEGAR FOR BITING FLIES

[YEA]  04/09/2008: Karen from Minneapolis, Minnesota writes: "1/4 Vinegar 3/4 Water Spray Bottle Stopped Biting Flies on me and my Dog. We live on a lake and have lots of flies and mosquitos. This worked great. Good for my skin and my dog didn't have any fleas. Seemed to work on all pesty bugs. Great for horses too although it works better on a rag. Horses don't like the spray bottle noise. I use also when outdoors i.e.golfing."

VITAMIN C

[YEA]  12/14/2008: Donna from Port Huron, MI writes: "We do backpacking in remote areas in northern Michigan where mosquitoes and black flies can make a trip unbearable. I read about taking Vitamin B6 to prevent bites, tried it and found it completely successful. But one time when backpacking with our daughter, I had forgotten the B6 but was taking Vitamin C up to my bowel tolerance level for a specific medical problem. So my blood and cells were full of Vitamin C. I noticed that my daughter's legs were covered with mosquitoes and black flies and in a few minutes, each bite would swell up and become red. I was surrounded by flies and mosquitoes but either I was not bitten (I did not feel anything) or I did not have any reaction. I think that the mosquitoes do not like the high acid content of the blood (I was taking the acidic form of Vitamin C). In addition, when cell and tissue fluid are saturated with Vitamin C, edemas will be removed by the body very quickly. I think this probably is why bites either do not swell or do not last very long if people are taking Vitamin C."

[YEA]  05/29/2008: WT (teester9484 - at - hot - mail dotcom) from Spartanburg, sc writes: "Vitamin C for Insect Bites and Allergies: I had a spider bite once that swelled on my forearm like a half-egg under the skin. I took 3-4G of ascorbic acid, the cheap Vitamin C from Sams club, about once every hour and a half or so.  By dark the swelling was down to maybe 10%. I continued overnight and all day the next day.  During that time, while in the yard working, I felt something on my arm. I looked down to see a "fireant" biting feverishly the back of my hand. I assumed there must be something wrong with him as I didn't feel any burning. Another one bit me later with the same results. I only noticed a feeling like something was crawling on me.  The wounds never swelled, turned red or itched! It must have been the massive doses of C circulating in my blood.

I estimated I consumed about 40 grams of C over a 24hr period. Normally that much C will give you severe diarrhea and gas! I had neither.

I also take it for severe allergy flareups with great and quick relief, though only last for 2-4 hours, depending on the intensity of the allergen."

WHITE VINEGAR AND MUD MASK

[YEA]  09/04/2008: Maatka from Chicago, IL writes: "White vinegar and my mineral Mud mask did the trick for us. I was awaken at 2am by my 5 year old crying and in pain from several mosquito bits on her finger that that swollen to twice the size. It was itching and burning and I immediately check earthclinic for a remedy. First I applied the vinegar with a cotton ball waited until it dried and then coated and covered the area with some mineral mud I had left over from a beauty treatment, it worked like a charm and now only 20 min later she's fast asleep. Thanks earthclinic, now I can get some rest, at least until the next midnight emergency lol. One more thing, next time I'll apply the white vinegar Immediately after the insect bits takes place, as it takes away the itching almost instantly."

WHITE VINEGAR FOR ANT BITES

[YEA]  12/12/2007: LORA from CONROE, TX writes: "WHITE VINEGAR FOR ANT BITES. I AM ALLERGIC TO ANT BITES AND SWELL ALMOST IMMEDIATELY.  I PUT WHITE VINEGAR ON THEM AND IT TAKES THE SWELLING AND ITCHING RIGHT OUT."

[YEA]  07/29/2008: Julie from Las Vegas, Nevada replies: "Another thing that can work really fast for ant bites is benzoyl peroxide (Clearasil or similar products). Just dab on, and repeat later-usually works within a day or two; will take the itching away fast. Also works for spider bites, and other types of skin bumps."

[YEA]  08/19/2008: Aileen from Victoria, Texas replies: "I agree with Ann, white vinegar for ant bites works wonderfully. I am allergic to ant bites too and also mosquito bites and everytime I get bit I apply white vinegar or apple cider vinegar immediately. I can feel the relief right away. I have used shaving cream, calamine lotion and hidrocortisone but the vinegar seems to neutralize the venom right away and the itching and swelling is gone faster."