HERB - Herbal Insect Bite Lotion

[Christine A Seelye-King]

Ok, here is the best Herbal remedy recipie I have ever personally tested.
 It is from "Growing and Using the Healing Herbs"  by Gaea and Shandor
Weiss, from Rodale Press.  
	
	"Bee Sting and Insect Bite Lotion
For those times that the bugs get to you, here is a lotion to apply: In a
large bowl, combine 2 pints of rubbing alcohol with 1 ounce dried
echinacea root, 1 ounce dried plantain leaves, 1/2 ounce yellow dock
root, and 1 bulb of chopped or pressed, peeled garlic.  Cover the bowl
with a plate or plastic wrap and let the mixture stand in a dark place
for one week, shaking it daily.  Strain and pour the mixture into a dark
or opaque bottle.  Apply it as a wash and / or a small poultice, using a
piece of cotton gauze."

( I use an opaque gallon milk jug to make this, it is neater and easier
to shake that way.  We have also recently heard that a German scientist
is advising against using rubbing alcohol on skin, so PGA might be
substitued, but I have no corroborating evidence of this. )
I can't emphasize how wonderful this stuff is.  We have had two different
cases of Brown Recluse Spider bites to deal with, and this has been the
difference between loosing massive amounts of tissue and a small, pink
scar.   (My Lord was one of these cases.  He was bitten just below one
cheek right over his sciatic nerve.  The doctors said, "come back every
other day and we will debride the necrotic tissue" [scrape off the dead
stuff].  As we were concerned about the location and his being able to
walk, I started applying the above lotion twice daily, and in 2 weeks he
had nothing left but a small, pink scar, which is totally gone now. 
Brown Recluse bites inject a digestive enzyme, which kills off the tissue
so the spider can suck it out.  My lord's mother developed a hole big
enough to put two fists into in her leg before the cause was diagnosed
and dealt with.  Needless to say, we weren't anxious to kid around with
it.)  The lotion is also very effective on any stinging type of insect
bite, mosquito, fire ant, bee, wasp, etc.  I made this for Christmas  3
years ago and gave it to friends, and last year had to make a new batch
because everyone wanted more!  I travel with it in my Pharmacopea, in a
small pump-spray bottle.  It comes in very handy at events.  There is
another recipie for an Herbal Insect Repellant with it, which we have
found to be useless.  You never know until you try it, I guess.  

Mistress Christianna MacGrain, OP, Meridies

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