My hubby (around here we call him Pappy) noticed a co-worker limping the other day and asked her what the problem was. She told him she had been bitten in her sleep one night, probably by some kind of insect. The bite (on her foot) seemed to have faded, but after several days the bite site started to swell and form blisters, and was now quite painful. He thought a few minutes, then went out to the grassy area near the break room and found some plantain. He picked a few leaves and told his friend to chew them and put them on the bite site, holding them in place with a Bandaid. She went to the ladies room and did just that. She left the leaves on the bite overnight, and the next day was walking normally and with no pain. The whole site was almost completely healed. Pappy now has a reputation as the plant's witch doctor!
He knows from plantain though, from long experience. He and I have seen many real-life examples of its curing power on dog bites, spider bites, mosquito bites, and bee stings to name a few. I have a couple of beehives, and it comes in really handy when I get the inevitable bee sting.
Here's what plantain looks like, at least in our yard. In addition to the broad-leaf variety shown here, there is also a narrow-leaf type. They both work equally well. And if you don't want to chew the leaves prior to application, you can bruise them with a rolling pin, rock, or any other hard object. OR...
you could go to the doctor, get a shot and/or prescription, treat the bite for days or weeks with a man-made substance that may or may not work and be out tens or even hundreds of dollars. Hmmmm.
Why is it that modern medicine with all it's artificiality is now called Traditional, and the natural stuff that was used effectively for thousands of years is all of a sudden called Alternative medicine??? Another of my pet peeves. Sorry!
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