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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I’ve always been allergic to moquito bites. It’s better now than it was when I was a child, but still bad. Once I had a mosquito bite that swelled up to cover the ENTIRE front of my thigh. I wish my parents had known about this remedy! I will be trying it next time I’m bitten.
Great home remedy. I have to try it. I always use lavender essential oil on mosquito bites and it works great too.
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Never heard of the banana peel remedy, thank you so much!
And the other remedies mentioned here are great! who knew? And the plantain weed? Too awesome – thanks for that one!
Remember that Aloe Vera has a characteristic that PULLS INTO the skin whatever you put with it. So Aloe combinations with remedies are more effective however the Aloe could possibly cause retention of the sting toxin you are trying to be rid of.
Another option is Epsom Salts, so cheap and such a relief. I get rid of itchiness when in the shower I rub handfuls of Epsom Salts over the itchy bumps. It was the only relief I found for agonizing chiggers after camping. Not only does a salt draw out toxins, but the Magnesium has a very positive effect. And of course bathing in Epsom Salts heals all kinds of things as it pulls out toxins and feeds the body.
Calamine lotion is an awesome remedy for many things as well – its zinc which our bodies use in all kinds of ways. It may be ugly but wow it works.
As far as avoiding being bitten at all, Avon’s Skin-So-Soft works for many people. I know horse owners that put it on their horses for bug bite protection. I wonder if its the vanilla ingredient? Who knows… SSS works for me and the dog too when we go camping.
Oh and its true, clay is an awesome remedy too for drawing out lots of skin problems. You can use versions you find from the beauty counter, expensive to cheap. The cheapest I’ve ever found is Queen Helene’s Mud Pack Masque with Natural English Clay – a jar for like 5 or 10 bucks I think. Found at Sally’s Beauty Supply or online. I used to sell a very expensive black sea mud mask and found the ‘magical’ effects of a clay mask to be many. Now I buy this simple less expensive stuff.
If we had bites that we couldn’t stop scratching, my mom would put some vinegar on it. There would be a tiny bit of a sting and then the itch would stop.
Thank you thank you!!! My oldest get huge knots the size of apricots with her mosquito bites.. And they always seem to find her :(. Thank you!!!
Peppermint oil dabbed on it works wonders..
I was taught the same as Beverle by my grandma. I usually only applied the hot cloth once, though maybe I’ll try it multiple times if it doesn’t work next time. Then I either let it air dry or pat it dry to avoid any rough motion, which could aggravate the itching sensation again. It’s not perfect but it works great, especially if you don’t have any bananas, apple cider vinegar, or lavendar oil handy! But I will definitely try the banana peel thing, and I’ll tell my dad about it — he always had bad reactions to mosquito bites.
I’ll definitely try that in the spring! Another odd remedy that I’ve successfully used is to use clear tape (think Scotch tape, not packing tape) ASAP on each bite, after wiping with alcohol. Leave it for 30 min or so, and do it twice a day till the bite is totally gone, usually in 36-48 hours.