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Weeds Take The Sting Out Of Life: A Remarkable Tale Of Herbal Healing!
Last Saturday was an eventful day for our family. I was sitting in the living room chatting with my folks, when I heard the most terrifying screams from my 4-year-old daughter, Dolly, coming from outside. I sprang to my feet and rushed to the door where I met my husband holding our little girl as she cried hysterically.
My husband had been busy constructing a new set of stairs for the deck while Dolly happily played nearby. She accidentally stumbled upon a wasp nest hidden under the deck’s railing. This unfortunate encounter led to a swarm of angry wasps attacking her, resulting in about a dozen stings and a couple of bites.
We brought her inside and did a quick scan to make sure there were no wasps on her or trapped inside her clothing. I then did a close exam of each of the stings. They were already swelling up into angry, red welts. She had several stings clustered on one arm that were causing intense swelling and edema.
In the kitchen herb cabinet, we had a bottle of Venom and Sting tincture with a convenient spray top attached. I sprayed the tincture directly on all of the stings and bites. Moments after I sprayed the venom and sting tincture, she began to calm down and her crying subsided. I asked her “Point to where it hurts so that I can put some herbs on it for you.” She said “It’s feeling better… but I think I need a Band-Aid!” Of course, we all know that in the history of the world, no four-year-old has ever properly recovered from an injury without a Band-Aid! So, of course I had her dad find me the box of Band-Aids. I sent our son, William, to the herb garden with instructions to find the best looking plantain leaf out there.
When William returned with the plantain leaf, I tore off small pieces, mashed them up and placed them on a Band-Aid which I then put over each of the stings. This step probably wasn’t necessary as the tincture was obviously helping, but hey, it couldn’t hurt! Dolly was pretty sure that she needed the Band-Aid, so I decided I may as well give her the added benefit of the fresh plantain leaf.
Plantain contains soothing mucilage which calms irritated tissue. It also has astringent properties that are helpful for drawing venom and toxins from the sting site. Plantain’s diuretic properties assist the kidneys in eliminating toxins from within the body. Another added benefit that plantain provides is a host of anti-inflammatory constituents that seem particularly well-suited to venomous bites and stings. For all of these reasons, plantain is a key player in the Venom and Sting formula.
I also gave Dolly some herbs internally because I was concerned that the numerous stings could lead to an allergic response. I mixed a bit of Histamine Formula and Venom and Sting tinctures with a spoonful of Barlean’s Omega-3 (this is my secret weapon when administering herbs to noncompliant kiddos). Convincing her to take the tincture still proved challenging, but her father came to the rescue, promising her an ice cream cone if she took the herbs. She enthusiastically gulped down the herbal mixture and promptly sent her dad to fetch her well-deserved ice cream!
An hour or so later, I decided to remove the Band-Aids and examine the stings. There was nothing there. I touched each of the spots that had previously been so painful and asked her if it hurt. Her response every time was, “No, it doesn’t hurt”. There was no swelling, no redness, and no pain. I could hardly even see the puncture marks from the stings anymore!
I recently did a video with Dr. Jones on the topic of harvesting plantain (you can find the link to the video at the top of this blog post). We talked about this experience with little Dolly and realized how, in the heat of the moment, it was second nature to grab the herbs to solve the problem. This is a really important point! When you take the time to study herbal medicine, you are laying the groundwork of preparation for when a crisis hits, allowing for a response that is swift and instinctive. In this case, we were able to act very quickly and that made all the difference for Dolly.
If you are ready to dive deeper into the world of herbal medicine, I encourage you to consider enrolling in The HomeGrown Herbalist School of Botanical Medicine. Our program covers the body systems, herbal interventions, and herbal delivery systems. You will be astonished to learn the amazing things that can be done with plants. Equipped with herbal knowledge you will be prepared and able to bless the lives of your family and community when the need arises. If you would like to see the lessons list, follow this link.
Dr. Jones is doing an emergency first response two-day seminar with Dr. Jed Adamson in a few weeks. There will be a ton of information and hands-on techniques taught that could be very beneficial in a crisis. If you have the opportunity to come to this in-person class, I would highly recommend it! I certainly look forward to attending and learning from these two experienced practitioners. Click Here To learn more about the workshop.
Howdy Doc Jones, Plantain is great and I have used it a lot since becoming a fan of yours a few years ago. About two weeks ago one of my blue tick hounds got tired of the wasps drinking at his water bucket and it did not go well for his mouth and face. I picked some plantain from the “weed yard”, ground it in the coffee grinder, added a little brandy, mixed in some bacon grease to ‘fool him’ and get it inside his now frothy mouth. 2-3 of these tasty treatments over the next few hours and the balloon face was 90% better. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
So enjoyed your story Luci. Plantain is definitely my go to plant in the yard. Learning the information presented by Doc Jones in the HomeGrown Herbalist School of Botanical Medicine was one of my favorite journeys in life. I am 72 next month and have learned the healing properties of the “weeds” in my yard. My husband and I have completed the classes, have our certificate, and are going through it all again by “un-marking” what we have completed. I would highly recommend (and do) this school to anyone wanting to learn how to treat injuries when there is no one around to help. What plants are medicinal and what are dangerous. “The plant is the medicine”, let Doc Jones teach you which ones to look for.
Plantain is an amazing herb. I’ve used it many times to soothe wasp or yellow jacket stings, and with each use, I am blown away by how quickly and effectively it works. Thanks for the informative post!
Wish my response was as quick as little Dolly’s. I always go for the plantain when I get a sting. It helps to calm the pain but I still get a long lasting after effect of swelling and itching that can last a week. Any other suggestions would be welcome.
Sounds like there is some lingering allergic activity there as well. Have a look at the herb sin the Histamine Formula
https://homegrownherbalist.net/?s=histamine&post_type=product&title=1&excerpt=1&content=1&categories=1&attributes=1&tags=1&sku=1&orderby=date-DESC&ixwps=1
I’m glad Dolly has such a great and knowledgeable family!
Dr. Jones mentioned that you may have plantain seeds available.
Where might I find them?
Thanks!
As soon as they’re ready, I’ll put them up on the site here:
https://homegrownherbalist.net/product/giant-turkish-broad-leaf-plantain-seed/
It’ll be a few weeks
They’ll be on the website in a few weeks when they’re ready.
https://homegrownherbalist.net/product/giant-turkish-broad-leaf-plantain-seed/