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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thanks for this – I’ve actually been to the emergency room for mosquito bites so I am happy to know about this. Who knew.
I always use Vicks on mosquito bites. Usually just one application will take away the itchiness, on the odd occasion I may have to reapply a day or two later. We’re in NZ so maybe our mozzies are a bit different, but it works really well for us. I do wonder tho if anything that seals the bite from the air for long enough is what does the trick as I have even had reasonable success using toothpaste.
My youngest of 4 years gets them all the time and scratches till they turn into sores what can you use when they are sores he has 4 on his face at the moment?
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THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!! I took a trip to the carribean and got bitten more than 30 times all over. The itch, pain, and swelling (im allergic to mosquito bites) was atrocious. I was unable to sleep. Discoloration was all over me. I tried the apple cider vinger as suggested by other on this site. It didn’t work. I tried the Epson salt. This made the itch worse, only two things worked: a cold compress and the banana peel. Last night was the first night in almost two weeks that I was able to sleep most of the night with limited itch. So THANKS! I have definitely booked , ark this site and shared it with others.
Please keep up the good work 8-).
Poor Sarah! I’m of East Asian descent and find that some mosquito bites leave me with pus, swelling, and later, scarring. I try to stay away from toxic bug sprays, so I concocted a natural mix: 1 part Desert Essence tea tree oil and lavender mix essential oil, 2 parts glycerin, and 4 parts distilled water. I mix this in a glass dropper bottle and only need about 10-15 drops to cover exposed arms and legs. You only need a small amount, the scent keeps mosquitoes away! If you feel greasy from the glycerin, you’re using too much. Best of luck to little Sarah.
I also have a post on natural remedies for mosquito bites and I did not include the banana. I will try it out next time I get bit and add it to my list and give you credit. http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/natural-home-remedies-for-mosquito-bites/
Great article and and a very helpful Web site.
I just found your via Pinterest post…THANK GOD!!! I have about 10 bites on my feet from an outdoor dinner last night and they are driving me insane!!! I’ve been slathering Vaporub on my feet all day but it wears off pretty fast. I react really bad to bites so my feet were starting to swell…But I peeled my last banana and rubbed a piece all over my feet and ahhhh, relief finally! I’m putting the rest of the peel in the fridge in case I wake up in the middle of the night in a frenzy! Anyway, I just HAD to say THANKS!!!
Thanks! I was just wondering how long I was suppose to keep the baking soda on for? All of this information really helped I think I might be allergic to mosquitos and I have been googling forever and this really helped!