How to Use Dandelion to Treat Bee Stings

Bees are often the villains of the garden because of their painful stings. The actual sting is immediately painful. As the toxic venom seeps into your skin, the pain becomes a burning, itching sensation and inflammation commences. There are some medicinal topical ointments that can be applied to treat bee stings. However, you also can use dandelions as a natural remedy.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Dandelion
• Mortar and pestle (optional)
• Baking soda (optional)
• Tweezers (optional)

1. Get the stinger out of your skin immediately to minimize the amount of venom that enters your skin. Fingernails are usually sufficient for the job, but you may need to use tweezers. Ask for help if the stinger is in a part of your body you can't see or reach, such as your back.
2. Clean the bee sting and the area around it. Bee stings break the skin, and, depending on how gently you remove the stinger, you may have an open cut. To prevent infection, wash with soap and water or wipe with alcohol.
3. Gather dandelions from a patch of grass. The stems and the leaves are the parts you need. You can discard the flowers.
4. Grind up the dandelion stems and leaves into a poultice using a mortar and pestle, if you have one handy. If you don't, chew the dandelion to crush it.
5. Apply the poultice to the bee sting. This remedy helps reduce the inflammation and ease the discomfort of the sting.

Tips & Warnings

• Mix the dandelion poultice with baking soda to make it more effective.
• If your tongue starts to swell, you have difficulty breathing, you break out in a rash, feel nauseous or your vision blurs, call 911. You may have a deadly allergy to bee stings. You need medical attention immediately.
• If you know you have a bee allergy, carry an epinephrine pen at all times, especially when you enter a grassy area. Use it immediately if you get stung. This pen will deliver a potentially lifesaving dose of epinephrine into your body to open up your airway.
• Bees love dandelions and often fly around the flowers. Don't get stung again when you look for dandelions to use on your bee sting.