What do you use on a spider bite?

bcabrobin

I was bitten on Monday in my work van 6 times on the arm, those are healed up but one on my thumb as a lump, is red and swelled. Putting on the homemade salve - plaintain, comfrey. wrapped it in plaintain, but I feel I should be doing something else.

I am not sure it was a spider but I killed a white spider, later by the steering wheel, so it got blamed.

Torey

From my training Echinacea is the choice herb to use for spider bites; internally and externally. 7Song suggests a charcoal poultice if it looks like it is infected or needs a drawing agent along with the use of Echinacea. Dr. Jones recommends the following: (taken from TGN Herbal First Aid course): Equal parts each of Echinacea, Plantain, Marshmallow Root, Dandelion Root. Take internally and topically. Alternatively, Dry powders – 1 Tbsp internally every 3-4 hours. Pack the wound with the dry powder. 

maimover

Great information to know! My eldest son was bit by a spider when he was very young and it caused a great deal of discomfort for him.

seeker.nancy - Central Texas

I have used a paste of lavender oil and baking soda with good results. I was bitten three times in the course of a week by small, black, fast spiders of unknown species (not black widow though). I kept waiting for my spidey powers to develop but alas, I think the lavender oil prevented it.

nksunshine27

i use plantain and ground chia seed mixed with a little colloidal silver to make a paste and put on the bit with a band aid. using comfrey on a puncture wound heals it to fast and keeps the infection in there, I think you plantain, comfrey salve is best used for scratches

chimboodle04

I'm another vote for plantain salve - we have found this to work better than any store bought cream.

lmrebert

@bcabrobin make a plantain tea, add ACV and compress area at least 3xday. Water needs to be as hot as you can stand it ... good luck!

silvertipgrizz

@bcabrobin

I used cabbage leaves and made a poltice. It saved me from an er visit and probably sepsis. I used cabbage leaves becasue when I watched Marjory Wildcraft talk about her copper head snake bite and one of her first thoughts was that they didn't have cabbage, so she sent her husband for another herb they had growing, if cabbage was good enough for Marjory and a snake bite it was well worth the try for the red/swelling/pain brown recluse bite (pain from the heat and swelling as I pretty much know when it's a recluse that bit me because it only feels like a pin prick)..that started at my wrist and within 2 days the read heat swelling pain was just above my elbow. The cabbage poltice stopped the process by the first application, and by the time I had applied 3 more applications over the course of about 12 hours, most of the symjptoms had gone and the pain was gone by the 3rd app. I'm going by memory as this has been about maybe 8 months ago now. The signs of the bite were also gone within a few more days. I make it a point to never be without cabbage. I cannot say thank you enough to Marjory for this information. It it's one thing I hate it is going to a doctor/hospital/er!!

silvertipgrizz

If you decide to try cabbage, let me know so I can tell you how I prepared it. I have to run out for something pretty quick but I will watch and post how I did it as soon as I get back just in case. Not complicated just specific for best results.

silvertipgrizz

Here is how I applied my poultice:

I first boiled water and when it boiled I turned the water off, and added devained cabbage leaves, amount according to the size of the bite/injury.

I took the smaller size leaves to cover the wound directly, but first I bit into as much of the leaves as I could without it falling apart. I did this so my enzymes from the mouth/mine lol, would potentiate the effects of the cabbage leaves on the bite, working faster and with greater efficacy.

I then applied those leaves and overlapped accordingly to get great coverage, working as quick as I could so the heat would still benefit the wound as well. Then I covered the leaves with an 'unfolded' diaper that I use for tea towels, clean of course. Then I cut the bottom out of the plastic bags you get at walmart, the ones that come 100 to a box with ties...ie, the cheaper ones lol. I then put the bigger circumference rubber bands on, 2, to hold the whole mess in place. That also helps hold in the heat. NOTE that the rubber bands were big enough to fit around my lower and upper arm without indenting lymph. AS above, it didn't take long at all to ease the symptoms and signs, and lessen the pain, and then to stop the entire assault.

Who wuddah believed cabbage would kick butt of a recluse bite......IT did and in short order considering I was headed for sepsis if I had delayed any longer.

Chris A.

I have used basil essential oil ... it has something in it that neutralizes the venom from spider bites. I have also used it on my sons' dog that got bit by a rattlesnake ... I had him use it alternately through the night with Frankincense and by morning the side of his face that had swelled up from the bite was pretty much back to normal.