The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Flaxseed Poultice
Posted by Susan D. (Snohomish, Wa) on 07/28/2018
★★★★★
Brown recluse bites: My husband has had two bites over the years. His grandmother taught me to make a poultice with flaxseed. It draws the poison out. Works for slivers and glass to draw out. Crush the seeds to powder, add just enough water to make a paste. Put in gauze and apply to the area overnight. Do this several times.
Activated Charcoal
Posted by Debbie (St. Louis, Mo) on 12/21/2015
Hi, so glad I found this site. I notice a red itchy bite on my left arm this morning. The area developed a small pinhead size pustule. I first applied, coconut oil mixed with turmeric. To reduce the itching. Did not seem to be helping, then I tried raw honey. Still not better.
Getting more concerned. I had bought a while back a brown recluse spider bite kit. It has the charcoal powder and liquid echinacea, lobelia & plantain mixture. I have been placing the poultices throughout the day.
After reading the reviews of others. Thank you so much. You have put my mind a peace with what I'm doing. I see I am doing the right thing.
I just drank a glass of the activated charcoal as well. For internal detox of the venom.
It seems from what I have read, if I would have went to the ER, they really don't know what to do. Right? They seem surprised at how a simple poultice of activated charcoal and the liquid drop mixture draws out the venom from the bite. So much that the bite heals fine.
So I just keep applying the mixture till it bite is totally gone?
Activated Charcoal
Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 12/22/2015
Yes, that is what we would do in our family. Continue with what you are doing until it is healed. Good job on dealing with it yourself, and thanks for sharing!
Baking Soda
Posted by Jamie (Largo, Fl) on 05/06/2013
★★★★☆
Two days with what I think is a spider bite. I had a dark crater the size of a penny and the swelling the size of a half dollar. Made a thick paste and had it cover the crater and red area. I then used a big adhesive band aid to cover it. After four hours, I looked at it and the selling went down to a quarter. But the crater is no longer a dark color, it's white. Also, it is no longer a crater. Meaning, it filled up no longer be crater. Reapplied baking soda. Waiting to see results later.
Oregano Oil
Posted by Aromatherapy Teacher (Usa) on 05/15/2016
Oregano oil has many broad antibiotic capabilities. Get a medical or therapeutic grade for body use.
However, straight oregano oil can "burn" the skin - especially for sensitive areas, sensitive people, young and senior people. You can prepare the skin for the oregano oil by putting some pure vegetable oil on first. Olive oil from the kitchen is good - or any other available oil from your kitchen. Most massage oils are also good.
THEN apply the oregano oil. Go slow - start with a drop or two to be sure your skin won't react to the oil.
Alternatively, you can mix some oregano oil with the olive or other carrier oil. Then apply it to the site.
Avoid eyes and mucus area of the bodies.
IF you do develop a sensitive or burning skin reaction to the oregano oil, use the olive (or similar) oil on the site to dilute the oregano oil. Essential oils cannot be washed off with water. They must be diluted onsite with a carrier/vegetable oil.
Medical/therapeutic grade lavender oil can be used about anywhere on the body without causing any discomfort - for most people.
If you are new to essential oils, best to test a small area first.
Most people can also comfortably and safely apply essential oils to the BOTTOM of the feet.
Differing schools of aromatherapy have different ideas and teachings on where and how to apply essential oils. Know they are strong plant/spirit medicine and do work. Test which approach works on your body by starting slowly and observing your own reactions.
What works on your biology may or may not work on someone else.
Aspirin
Posted by Grace (Fairview, North Carolina) on 06/16/2009
★★★★★
Yes, we have used aspirin on spider bites and it really helps with the itching. It also seems to speed up healing, maybe due to its vasodilatory and anti-inflammatory effect.
Dried Basil
Posted by Kat (New Brighton, PA) on 12/28/2007
★★★★★
If a spider bite itches, take a pinch, or more of Basil (McCormick, crushed basil) rub it on the bite until the basil is fine as sand, or until the itch is gone. Repeat if necessary. This will also keep the bitten area from swelling. This does work. I have used basil on bitten areas; and I have also used on my mother's arm. thank you.
Salt
Posted by Tammy (Wellston, Oklahoma) on 11/09/2006
★★★★★
Salt cures Spider/Insect bites, poison ivy. Last year I had a spider bite on my inner thigh. At first it was just a small red bump, but then it grew into what looked like a ring worm. A week later it was the size of a tennis ball and the center of it was a infection white and itchyyyy as poison ivy. I showed it to my family in India via web cam, she knew immediately what to do. Said just wet it, pour table salt on it and let it sit for at least 20 min. After about one minute it began to burn some, nothing unbearable, although i only let it stand for about 5 min as I'm a big baby. It WORKED!! Dried it up in a matter of days. Since then, I have done this remedy for a number different insect bites, even have done on poison ivy and same result. A few days of doing this once at night cleared it. You can literally feel the salt drawing out the poisons.
Activated Charcoal
Posted by Julie (Lakeland, Florida) on 02/18/2013
★★★★★
Thank you for the advice about the activated charcoal! I got bit by a brown recluse and started using it at about 30 hrs in. My bite was starting to turn black and was almost the size of a baseball. After just one patch, it was smaller and turning pink again. A couple days of that and it is almost flesh tone with no wound! It was the only thing that seemed to work and I think it saved me from what would have been a horrible situation!
Baking Soda and Echinacea
Posted by Stephanie (Georgia) on 05/04/2017
★★★★★
Spider Bites:
Baking soda poultice made with baking soda and just a few drops of water. Apply as soon as you see the bite, don't wait to see if its gonna be a nasty one, the sooner you draw out the toxins the better. I also mix in equal parts of cayenne pepper, it kills any bacteria and stops infection (optional).
Also take 3 500mg echinacea capsules, then one capsules every hour for the first day as you see improvement you can start to back off the dose to 3 caps twice a day making sure to always take a dose before bed.
This worked miracles on brown recluse bite. I will now make sure I always have plenty of echinacea on hand!
Flaxseed Poultice
Posted by Melinda (Bothell, Wa) on 07/09/2016
★★★★★
A spider bite on my elbow swelled up to about softball size and hurt a lot. A flaxseed poultice brought the pain levels and swelling down about 75% within 45 minutes. Since then I always keep flaxseed in the refrigerator, as it has drawing properties whether used on a splinter, a boil, or a venomous bite. Grind the flaxseed (a blender does a great job), add just a few drops of bath temperature tap water, make a paste and apply. Cover with plastic wrap and then cloth, or just use a regular adhesive bandage.
Baking Soda and Charcoal
Posted by Islandmeg (Modesto, Ca ) on 03/14/2014
Aloha everyone,
I recently was bitten was a Black Widow spider and was lucky enough to find this site. What a mess they make.
I had cellulitus and the poison was spreading up my foot, heading toward my ankle. It was skin splitting sore and swollen. Also very itchy. I decided to try the baking soda and charcoal. Wow.
I was bitten on Saturday night. By Sunday night, I was a bit worried, watching the toxin spreading. I drew on my foot with a marker pen, so I could chart it's progress - just in case.
On Monday, it wasn't settling down. I found this site and made up a batch of baking soda and water. Just mixing it in with a little water to make a toothpaste like consistency. I smoothed it all over my foot and left it on there until it had dried up and was caking off. That took a lot of the itch out straight away.
When it would play up again, I'd then put some anti-histamine cream on and an ice pack. About every two hours on the Monday, I did the baking soda routine again. Each time it took out a bit more itch, a bit more pain.
I also tried one batch with some charcoal mixed in but this was stingy and I my foot stung afterwards. I had to wash it, so I just kept to the baking soda. And took the activated Charcoal (2 capsules) a couple of times a day, around food.
When I woke up on Tues, my foot had improved by about 30 to 40%. The toxin had also stopped spreading.
On Tues I did the same routine but wasn't having to do it as often. I was going about 3 to 4 hours between baking soda poultices. My friend rushed around here on Tues night, prepared to bodily take me to hospital if necessary. (She's an allopathic trauma nurse) And was floored when she saw how much it had gone down. She'd seen it on the Sunday night. (Now a keen Earthclinic phone. I put it on her phone for her. :-) ) Although, I did take some Bactrim antibiotics she had (Sulfurmeth) as well.
When I woke up Wed, my foot was probably about 100% improved. I had lost all the itchiness and most of the soreness. Slightly tight and tender to the touch, but nothing like it was. I thought my skin was going to pop. The toxin line was receding too. I only did 3 baking soda poultices.
Today is Thur and I've only done one baking soda poultice today, no ice or anti-histamine cream. I woke up and you can see the original toxin line but otherwise, barely any discoloration in the foot. I will continue to poultice it, internal charcoal and the antibiotics, which are probably only kicking in tonight anyway. :-)
In short - wow. I'm sold. Thank you all so much.
Baking Soda
Posted by Traci (Galveston, Texas ) on 08/03/2015
I have a spider bite on my arm but it never looked like a pimple at all. Looks like a small bite and was itching and now looks like a big red ring with white center that itches like crazy at times. Nothing is working will baking soda paste help? Need to get this itch gone.can't sleep for the past few days.
Baking Soda
Posted by Missharvey73 (Seattle, Wa) on 09/19/2013
This sounds like a recluse bite. I lost 65% of my thumb... Go to the DR!!
Baking Soda
Posted by Jessica (Oakland, Ca) on 11/20/2011
★★★★★
I used the baking soda paste method on my spider bite and it helped to ease the swelling and it helped cool it down a little. I also iced it in between using the baking soda, which eased the discomfort. An over the counter pain killer also helped ease the pain.
Tea Bag
Posted by Sarah (Dallas, Tx) on 09/05/2011
★★★★★
I got some bites on my hands and feet from walking and sitting in dead grass at night and I live in Texas. From the internet descriptions, I think my bites are also from wolf spiders. Awesome little creatures, but they cannot tell us from the bugs they are hunting. The mother spiders carry their babies on their backs for awhile, like opossums and scorpions do, and also, they hunt nocturnally. Anyway, they are worse than mosquito bites, because half of the top of my foot was swollen and itching so bad I could hardly study. So I put a green tea bag (only kind I have right now) in boiling water for a minute, then put it, still hot, on my foot. It felt SO good! And the itching stopped right away. Tea leaves are pretty amazing.
Baking Soda
Posted by Jon (Lakeland, Florida) on 10/15/2008
★★★★★
I used a paste of baking soda on a spider bite on my leg and in two days the bite turned from black to red and faded away in little more than a week. It works!
Potatoes
Posted by Lynn (Windsor, Canada) on 06/30/2008
Hi again. My 4 spider bites are much improved. Did try salt on potato slices on 2 bites and plain potato slices on the other two. No difference in results. Have since cleaned bite wounds and redid all sites of blisters for overnight. It is amazing...great results. This is day 9 since getting biten and the bites are now healing and show no sign of still having venom. I'm sure the Dr's antibiotic has warded off any other type of infection also. I am so relieved! After 2 1/2 days of doing the potato slices (first for a few hours and then 2 nights of leaving them on) to see amazing results and healing I am thrilled. Hope this helps someone else.
Baking Soda or Butter
Posted by Wooly (Joshua Tree, CA) on 01/29/2008
★★★★★
Use Baking Soda/butter as a Poultice/remedy for Brown Spider Bite. I was a teenager riding my horse and a spider got in my long hair, when i went to take a shower, I was bit by a brown recluse spider. For two weeks my father put this poultice (size of a large patch) on me and it was the only relief I had. Who knows what would have happened without the baking soda. I hope this saves someone else's life. God Bless
EC: We emailed Wooly for more details
Salt
Posted by CLH (PDL, United States) on 07/24/2007
★★★★★
I was bit by a brown recluse, when I sat down on him, caught the spider, Went to doc day after bit, black area had started forming. doc gave me antibiotic shot and said to watch it over the weekend and he would check it on Monday, I looked at your site and started doing the home remedies. I soaked it in very hot water with epsom salt and sea salt, lots of the salt every day; I put triple antibiotic ointment, once a day.
I took fresh cut garlic and taped it to the black area, every day and also, taped a green banana peel to the black area every couple days.
Went back to doc on that Monday. He said it looked bad but not as bad as he expected it to look, he wanted a surgeon to look at it. Could not see surgeon for a week. I kept doing the remedy above, then one day a whole thick layer of skin let loose of the black area but black area was still there, kept doing remedy till I went to surgeon, I told the surgeon what I was doing he laughed and said keep doing it because it was working and that he would not have to do surgery if it kept getting better, but not to pick at the black area let it fall out on its on, kept doing the remedy till the black area fell out about a week later.
Aspirin
Posted by Everett (Kitts Hill, OH) on 10/21/2006
★★★★★
I HAVE USED AN ASPIRIN SOAKED IN A LITTLE WATER TO MAKE A PASTE AND PUT IT ON A SPIDER BITE. YOU KNOW THEY ITCH PRETTY BAD, AND THE ITCHING STOPPED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. HALF AN HOUR OR SO. I HAVE NOT TRIED IT ON BROWN RECLUSE AS I HAVE NOT BEEN BITTEN BY ONE OF THEM.
Activated Charcoal
Posted by Elizabeth (Woodbury, TN) on 09/29/2006
★★★★★
We've used activated charcoal many times in our family and friends for the brown recluse spider bite. Even a couple of doctors here were amazed at what it did! We would make up a paste and change the first day about every 2 hours and then the next day just a few times and would keep watching it. Usually the bite was shrunk and just a little scab after a few days. Usually we would also drink some so that we would have any poison from the bite eliminated from our system.
EC: Read more charcoal cures here.
Activated Charcoal
Posted by Dave (Fountain Inn, Sc) on 09/30/2011
Charcoal is good to draw out poison but try Echinacea.
I found a book written by an MD published around 1920 on an Herbal web site: Case studies on snake bites, spiker and other insect bites. Echinacea was the cure. I've experiemented on useage and have found it to be the best thing I have ever come across for almost instant relief and CURE for insect bites. On a mosquito bite, for instance, apply topically with five drops. Apply again in five to ten minutes. Itch and irritation gone.
Another anacdotal: My wife and I had friends over to our house for supper and they brought their 12 year old son. He had a large red bite on his neck... Much larger than a mosquito bite. He kept scratching and rubbing it. His mother said she had thought it was just an insect bite but now was believing a spider was most probable.
I asked permission to use echinacea to treat the wound. I held a poultice of twenty drops on the bite for five minutes and then the boy held it for another ten minutes. I gave him a fresh poultice with another twenty drops when they left and watched him with poultice on his neck as they drove away. That was on a Thursday night as I recall. Sunday at Church, I saw him and the bite redness was gone. You could barely tell anything had been wrong with his neck.'
For snake bites the book I mentioned above discussed the method that the author asserts is good for even the most dangerous North American snakes. He kept repeating that he could only comment on the case studies out of North America because that was the only case studies he had access to. He did not know if echinacea would work on bites of snakes outside America. He had a lot of examples from Texas because that is where he practiced. (The writer was an MD.)
For snake bites, apply an echinacea poultice of forty drops directly to bite, replacing every hour. Also once an hour put five drops of echinacea in water and have victim drink. Have victim drink five drops evey hour for ten hours. Apparently too much echinacea over time consumed internally might create problems and that MD was aware of that but in none of his examples did any side effect come about from the echinacea taken in those quanties for a ten hour period. (He is giving case studies of poisionous snakes and poisionous spiders.)
Now obviously I am not recommending treatment of a snake bite in lieu of seeking immediate medical treatment at an emergency room. But I'd sure take echinacea with me on a wilderness trip. Or I'd use it on my way to an emergency room.
Activated Charcoal
Posted by Jeanne (Portland, Or) on 08/31/2012
I found this website and remedy treatments after I was bit on my thigh by a hobo last month. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the people who posted! We made a paste from activated charcoal, echinacea drops and plantain. I applied that every 4 hours for the first two days and then twice a day for a couple of weeks after. I had 3 boils from the bite and only one popped (naturally) which has left a small hole. Otherwise the other 2 boils healed naturally. I used ice packs (not heat, as advised), kept my leg elevated and avoided strenuous activity for the first week. I feel fortunate because I noticed the bite within a few hours after it happened so caught it early. We have since, caught multiple hobos in our yard using glue traps. Thanks again, everyone, for sharing!
