Chickweed and Lavender Insect Bite Salve

Reader Contribution by Aaron Miller

Years ago in my home state of Missouri, I would sit miserably with insect bites all around my ankles and waist through most of the summer months. Mites, chiggers, spiders, mosquitoes. They would all get me. Not only that but I had an allergy to whatever was in their saliva because the bite would swell and be incredibly painful. One bite could have a swollen purple mound around it the size of a half dollar. But now that I live relatively ‘bite free’ in the Pacific Northwest, the only discomfort that finds me is a summer visit to the family farm.

My last trip was about three years ago and I came home peppered with bites. I wrapped my ankles to keep my pant legs from rubbing against them and driving me insane. On top of this, it would always last a week or more after I got home. This year was our first summer trip to Missouri that my wife and I had our own medicines and salves. I was nervous and excited to try some of our new products.

Preventing Insect Bites Naturally

First thing I did was on the ‘prevention’ side. As most people apply a chemical spray you wouldn’t dare ingest (though 60% of what you put on your skin gets absorbed into your blood stream) or light some smelly candle that does who knows what inside your lungs, I went with essential oils. We didn’t get the Lemon Grass in time to add to what we already had but it was still useful. We had strong scented essential oils that the bugs supposedly couldn’t tolerate like Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Lavender and Rosemary essential oils. I would dab a little around the ‘hot spots’ which tend to be the ankles, knees, and the waist and groin areas. I would apply it once, only in the evenings when the temps were cool enough for the bugs to come out in force. This trip I had five bites total with only two causing me any real irritation. A radical change from the typical vacation to Missouri in summer but now I went on to the second phase; ‘treatment’.

Treating Insect Bites Naturally

Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368