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Healthy Home Economist / Archives / Natural Remedies / How to Treat a Tick Bite (ASAP)

How to Treat a Tick Bite (ASAP)

by Sarah Pope / Affiliate Links ✔

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • Conventional Treatment Favors “Wait and See”
  • Tick Bite Remedy (prevents red corona and infection)
  • Steps for External Treatment
  • How Silver Combats Tick Bites
  • Internal Remedy?

How to treat a tick bite to help prevent the typical red corona and give the best chance for avoiding the development of Lyme disease or alpha-gal (meat allergy) syndrome.

tick bite with red corona on woman's arm needing treatment with natural remedy

I’ve written in the past about how to make a DIY tick-repellent spray as well as how to remove tick bites properly and resolve symptoms of Lyme with raw milk.

This natural remedy column completes the circle on how to prevent or treat tick bites in order to avoid the risk of Lyme disease or alpha-gal syndrome, also known as red meat allergy.

While prevention is most important, sometimes a tick bite will occur despite our best efforts to avoid it.

I remember when our oldest son was about a year old, he had a tick burrowed in the top of his head! It probably fell from a tree onto him while he was sitting in his stroller.

It was a very scary situation for new parents, I can tell you!

In that situation, speed of treatment is key.

And, since tick bites often occur while camping or otherwise a distance away from a functional physician’s office, knowing how to quickly treat the bite is very important!

Conventional Treatment Favors “Wait and See”

In fact, the standard conventional treatment recommendation from the CDC is a “wait and see” approach with regard to tick bites.

Going to a doctor is only suggested if “symptoms suggestive of tickborne illness and consult a physician if fever, rash, or other symptoms of concern develop”. (1)

Even then, antibiotics are the favored and primary tool in the toolbag if symptoms occur.

This seems highly misguided to me, reminiscent of the “stay home” covid recommendations of 2020. Unless you had trouble breathing, “don’t go to the ER”. At that point, it was frequently too late!

Wouldn’t a safe, natural prophylaxis treatment for tick bites be a wiser approach?

I think so!

Tick Bite Remedy (prevents red corona and infection)

What is the best way to treat a tick bite naturally?

The use of a potent, broad-spectrum natural antibiotic agent applied as quickly as possible to the bite following removal of the tick is optimal.

The home remedy suggested by Per Melin of Sweden is best used within 24 hours of the bite, ideally more quickly if possible.

In ten years of use, none in Per’s circle of friends and family, including himself, have gotten the typical red corona around a tick bite let alone any tickborne illness symptoms indicating potential Lyme disease or alpha-gal.

While this is anecdotal evidence, it makes sense given how the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria moves within the body after exposure.

Per’s research indicates that B. burgdorferi appears to catch hold of the inner capillary walls within the surface skin after the bite. Then, the bacteria slowly drag themselves closer and closer to the main bloodstream.

Because it does not move very fast (unlike snake venom), there is a window of opportunity to eliminate B. burgdorferi before it is able to access the main bloodstream and then move freely around the body.

Colloidal silver is the perfect remedy choice in this scenario as research has demonstrated the ability of the silver particles to penetrate human skin without reaching systemic circulation. Thus, it is effective against bacteria throughout the dermal layers without any negative organ-affecting consequences. (2)

Steps for External Treatment

Below are the steps to try Per’s remedy for yourself should you find yourself with a tick bite and wish to treat it rather than wait and see if symptoms develop (then it’s too late):

  1. Mark a circle around the tick bite with a nontoxic pen or eyeliner pencil and then remove the tick properly. This is important because it can sometimes be hard to see exactly where the bite was after tick removal.
  2. Use skin-friendly tape to affix an organic cotton pad or ball (2 inches/5 centimeters across) over the tick bite.
  3. Using an eye dropper, carefully saturate the secured cotton wad with colloidal silver.
  4. Let the cotton remain in place for at least 20 minutes and preferably several hours. Re-saturate the cotton as needed with additional colloidal silver to keep it wet.

How Silver Combats Tick Bites

This treatment should prevent the characteristic red corona around the tick bite, which is indicative of B. burgdorferi spread.

In addition, it should calm any allergic reaction that might occur from the bite itself.

Silver is highly anti-microbial and kills Lyme and any co-infection bacteria before they are able to migrate in the small blood vessels under the skin to the main bloodstream. (3)

Internal Remedy?

While the externally based remedy above using colloidal silver is likely sufficient to prevent complications if done quickly, you may wish for additional protection via oral supplementation.

While colloidal silver is best for external use only, a concentrated allicin supplement from raw garlic works well for internal purposes.

In fact, concentrated allicin is the most powerful natural antibiotic you can take orally without a prescription. One 180 mg capsule contains the allicin equivalent of eating over a dozen cloves of raw garlic consumed at one time!

According to the dosage chart, insect bites require 2-4 allimax capsules (or 1-2 alliultra capsules) twice per day for up to six weeks.

For children ages 3-12, I use half the adult dose. If a child cannot swallow capsules, 6 drops of allimax liquid (mixed with food) is equivalent to 1 allimax capsule.

I always keep a large bottle on hand in the holistic medicine cabinet as it is helpful for so many things.

References

(1) Lyme Disease Prophylaxis After Tick Bite

(2) In vivo analysis of dermal and systemic absorption of silver nanoparticles through healthy human skin

(3) Seven herbal medicines can kill Lyme disease bacteria in test tube

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Category: Natural Remedies, Skin Health
Sarah Pope

Sarah Pope MGA has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. She is a summa cum laude graduate in Economics from Furman University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

She is the author of three books: Amazon #1 bestseller Get Your Fats Straight, Traditional Remedies for Modern Families, and Living Green in an Artificial World.

Her four eBooks Good Diet…Bad Diet, Real Food Fermentation, Ketonomics, and Ancestrally Inspired Dairy-Free Recipes are available for complimentary download via Healthy Home Plus.

Her mission is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.

Sarah was awarded Activist of the Year in 2010 at the International Wise Traditions Conference, subsequently serving on the Board of Directors of the nutrition nonprofit the Weston A. Price Foundation for seven years.

Her work has been covered by numerous independent and major media including USA Today, ABC, and NBC among many others.

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Reader Interactions

Comments (11)

  1. Michelle Maynard

    May 12, 2025 at 7:33 pm

    Ticks DO NOT drop from trees, they crawl up. It is much more likely a tick crawled onto the baby from an adult.

    Reply
  2. Maggie

    Nov 21, 2023 at 10:30 pm

    Thank you so much for this article. It is good to have these items on hand at all times as a preventative measure especially in an emergency kit!
    Is there a brand of colloidal silver you recommend?
    Is this something that keeps well for a long time?

    Reply
  3. Dawn Twilley

    Nov 1, 2023 at 7:02 am

    Yes a couple doses of homeopathic ledum 200 c is a wonderful safe choice

    Reply
  4. Kirsten Griffiths

    Oct 25, 2023 at 9:32 am

    Alpha gal is not an illness caused by bacteria or virus – it is an allergy caused by the AG in the saliva during a tick bite, which creates future reactions to mammal products because those have alpha gal. AG is a sugar not a protein so AGS is also different than many other “food” allergies.

    Reply
  5. Margie Andrews

    Oct 25, 2023 at 9:00 am

    I am a senior girl (84) and my daughter sent me your name so here I am! Looking forward to receiving lots of good healthy ideas from you.

    Reply
  6. Cori Brownell

    Oct 25, 2023 at 8:39 am

    Oops! Ledum Palustre 200c

    Reply
  7. Cori Brownell

    Oct 25, 2023 at 8:39 am

    Homeopathic remedy Ledum Palisade 200c has worked wonders for us. Joette Calabrese had a great protocol!

    Reply
    • Laurie Paul

      Oct 25, 2023 at 10:33 am

      I agree! My adult daughter had the bullseye and didn’t catch it within those first 24 hrs. Once she showed me we got her on the Ledum protocol and she has never had any negative symptoms. It was probably about 5 yrs ago.

    • Sarah Pope

      Oct 25, 2023 at 12:27 pm

      Thank you for sharing!!

  8. Beverly Stone

    Oct 24, 2023 at 11:28 pm

    Love this! Thank you. I plan to try it next time I have a tick on me.

    Reply
    • Sarah Pope

      Oct 25, 2023 at 8:41 am

      Yes, I thought it was a fantastic proactive approach as well.

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