My friend Kelli’s youngest child is a little girl adopted from China. Kelli and her husband have 3 older children of their own, but since Sarah is their first child from another country, they have occasionally experienced challenges and adjustments based on the inherent cultural and genetic differences.Â
One such challenge is Sarah’s extreme reaction to mosquito bites which apparently is not uncommon for those of Chinese heritage. As such, using an effective natural mosquito repellent is important, but doesn’t always work in every situation.
Living in Florida and being very sensitive to mosquito bites can pose a challenge. Mosquitoes can be a year-round problem particularly if the winter is rather warm as it has been so far this season. Even with spraying by mosquito control, getting nasty bites is a common occurrence.
Telling a young child not to scratch is a losing battle most of the time! Unfortunately, Kelli did not find any of the Western style remedies for mosquito bites to work very well for Sarah.
As a result, just a few mosquito bites could send Sarah to the doctor for examination as they would sometimes get infected from her scratching. Â The picture above is of Sarah’s leg after a recent run-in with a hungry mozzie!
Besides being a busy Mom of four, Kelli is also an Adoption Specialist, so with her international connections, she was able to consult with her Chinese friends about Sarah’s problem with mosquito bites.
Their suggestion?
An old Chinese mosquito bite remedy that is rubbing the bites with the inside of a banana peel!
I asked Kelli to let me know if the banana peel remedy worked the next time Sarah was bitten, and within a few days, Kelli reported back that the banana peel worked! The picture to the right shows Kelli applying the inside of a banana peel to Sarah’s bite. Â The peel is folded over backward which is why the inside of the peel is also facing the camera.
The banana peel not only worked, but it also worked FAST!
Here is Kelli’s email to me about her experience with this mosquito bite remedy:
Well, sure enough Sarah got 2 bites this evening….ÂThey immediately began to swell and the area all around the bite was quite red, of course some of that was from her itching.ÂI applied the banana peel, as advised by my Chinese friends, and within 2 minutes the bite stopped itching. About 5 or 7 minutes later, the site was significantly less red. When I glanced at it again before bed, though I could still see the bite, her skin was no longer red. Best of all, she didn’t seem bothered by it.ÂSince she is so young it is hard for her not to scratch, and I will forward you a picture of a current bite which landed us at the doctor’s office out of fear of infection (we’re in the clear for now). She has been on antibiotics once before from a bug bite getting infected after her scratching it, and I try to avoid antibiotics so was not happy when this recent bite started looking so bad.ÂFrom now on, we will honor this Chinese remedy…I wish I had known this secret years ago!
The most interesting thing about this mosquito bite remedy to me is that it is fairly well known that eating bananas is a surefire way to be a prime mozzie target at sundown. Â While eating bananas seems to attract mosquitoes, rubbing the bites with the inside of the peel heals them!
Does your child have problems with mosquito bites too? Â The next time the mozzies leave their calling card on your child’s skin, skip the ammonia sticks and other chemical-based remedies that will end up in your child’s bloodstream and simply try the inside of a banana peel!
Do you know another mosquito bite remedy that works well too? We’ve often used this homemade herbal salve which is incredible for all types of skin irritations, rashes, and bites. Dabbing witch hazel on bug bites is a remedy that my Grandmother used.
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LAVENDER OIL applied neat works wonders. I’ve always used it on my child. I’ll try the banana skin on eczema, you never know, it may work for that too!!!!! Sorry, don’t know how to put this comment on your blog.
We just learned this while fishing in Minnesota last summer. It’s fun to be near the lake, but deer fly bites are the worst! Applying a dab of toothpaste (the toxic kind, like Crest or Colgate) over the bite will take the itch and pain out immediately. It also reduces the redness and swelling; works well on mosquito bites and bee stings.
Using a paste made of baking soda/water or activated charcoal/water makes a huge difference!
WOW! I wish I would have known about this years ago. My son for some reason reacts every bit as badly and this poor girl does. I’m not sure why, but mosquitoes love to bite his forehead and consequently he’ll look like he has two horns protruding from his precious face. They will swell to the size of a halved ping pong balls. Not kidding…I wish I was. I am so excited to read this and I will definitely be trying this the next time he get’s bitten. Thanks Sarah!!!
A lack of Vit B6 often lis the problem, NEEM oil is excellent for allergic reaction to bites (Sandfly/Midgie & Mossies)
I was looking for these remedies when we went camping last summer because I am allergic to bites and I couldn’t find anything natural/organic that worked well. Hopefully this is my saving grace.
Thanks,
Adrianne
This is so interesting !
I am allergic to mosquito bites, they burn and swell horribly. But putting on apisgel and taking the apis homeopathic granules immediately after being stung will stop the swelling and pain immediately.
The best thing for insect bites is plantain. Just look around for a plant growing nearby. Pick a leaf, tear it up and keep squeezing between your fingers until it gets juicy. Rub the juice on the insect bite or even bee stings or stinging nettles and it will stop it within minutes. You can also pick some and make a tincture to have on hand, but I think it is easier to just pick a fresh leaf and use it. We have used this remedy for years.
Homeopathic Apis also