Traveling to South East Asia over CNY? Insect Bite Precautions
Treating and Preventing Insect Bites Naturally
If you’re traveling to warmer climates for the holidays, the downside of an exotic vacation can be those pesky biting and stinging insects. It’s important to be aware of the dangers of bug bites and use repellents (see below for some natural oils to help). Talk to your doctors about potential diseases carried by insects where you will travel and any vaccinations or precautions you should take.
When you’re suffering from insect bites, TCM offers some natural remedies so you can avoid exposing your body to excessive chemicals.
Traditional Chinese Medicine associates insect bites with fire toxins which explains the pain, burning, swelling, itchiness and redness of the skin. You can use these natural treatments to alleviate those symptoms:
- Apply basil leaves to cool down the skin temperature and relieve the irritation. Basil also acts as an antiseptic.
- Apply a combination of essential oils that will act as repellent and will soothe the skin if already bitten. Recommended essential oils are peppermint, tea tree, eucalyptus, lemongrass, lavender and rosemary. These oils are antiseptic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and relieve the inflammation of the skin.
- Apply a topical herbal decoction “Jin Huang San” (金黃散) or Golden Yellow Powder to reduce swelling, expel fire and eliminate toxicity from the body.
Body & Soul offers dermatology and general TCM services, as well as lab work and checkups if you feel you may have picked up something from a bug bite. Get in touch with us, so we can help you stay healthy!