Like the latest summer blockbuster sequel, this adventure has one more part!
Your hypothetical friends Harriet and Harvey are at it again! But this time, you join them on their outing to be instructive and supply natural first aid if needed.
The adventure this time is an overnight camping trip.
In Arizona, be on guard for all sorts of insects including spiders, plus scorpions and snakes, as well as lions and bears! (No tigers to worry about.)
At the Campsite
At the campsite, Harriet and Harvey get set up.
You warn Harvey that pile of old wood may be harboring Black Widow or other spiders as well as scorpions.
The Black Widow stays in its web waiting for food. It can be identified by a 3/4 inch red hourglass on its black underbelly. Don’t be fooled by the smaller immature ones that are brown with white stripes.
In her short excursion behind the bushes, Harriet found an anthill.
Remembering your instructions, she moves away to avoid a sting, which is their way of defending their home.
Also, she flicks one away that was crawling up her leg, so that it would not get caught in her clothes and sting her.
As Night Falls
As we finish our dinner, we are careful to check the logs on which we sit, and keep our shoes on. Not wishing to become phobic, we nevertheless survey by the light of the campfire to see what wildlife is around.
What was that scurrying across the Sycamore tree?
We take a closer look with a flashlight. It is a scorpion! Scorpions wander to forage, so they may be found anywhere.
It has stopped in its tracks and we note its characteristics to determine what kind it is. It is light yellow and somewhat translucent, almost the color of straw. The tail is of note because the segments seem elongated, and he is resting it on its side behind him.
Looking at the pincers, they are thin and frail looking, seemingly uncharacteristic for such a feared creature. So it is a bark scorpion, out at night foraging for its food!
This is the dangerous variety that has venom which can kill the very young or frail, and certainly cause a lot of local pain as well as systemic pain and nervous system symptoms for the rest of us.
The bark scorpion can be found on many desert trees, but it does not burrow into the wood.
A peculiar thing about a bark scorpion sting is that there may be no swelling at the site, and even the intense pain may leave the site as it radiates throughout the body. That is one fellow we are happy to avoid.
We look around to find a rock scorpion for comparison.
As the temperature drops, scorpions may seek warmth in shoes, clothes, sleeping bags, and other insulated places. It wasn’t until Harriet shook out her sleeping bag before getting in that we were rewarded with a specimen for study.
This scorpion has thick sturdy pincers and the tail with short segments is curled above its head as it stops to look back at us. She was happy to avoid that pain, tingling and numbness of a rock scorpion sting!
In the morning, we repeat the ritual of shaking out things, and this time it is our clothes and shoes before putting them on.
Be Prepared
Avoidance of bugs and scorpions is the first line of defense. If that has failed, bites and stings might be more speedily treated with homeopathic remedies than herbs. Their indications and use are quite different than herbs.
Homeopathic remedies have a symptom picture, which is matched to the symptoms of the person affected. The matching remedy is taken, up to 6 times, until the desired relief is achieved. If the stinging symptoms return, the remedy can be repeated again. If there is no effect, then the remedy is not a proper match and a different one may be indicated.
This is what I would pack along on a trip if I were you. They have common symptom pictures of bites and stings, and can help tremendously.
Of the remedies, Apis, Ledum, Vespa, and Caladium, two are actually made from insects.
Of course, if there is the possibility of anaphylactic shock, be sure to be prepared with epinephrine.
Here are the remedy symptoms pictures to match with Harriet or Harvey’s symptoms.
Apis
• Like from a bee sting
• Heat, redness, stinging pain
• Lots of swelling
• Busy, active
• Stinging pain made better with cold applications
Ledum
• Like from mosquito or flea bites
• Site is purple and puffy
• Site is cold and feels better from cold applications
Vespa
• Like from a wasp sting
• Stinging, burning pain as if pierced by red hot needles
• Redness and swelling
• No recollection of having been bitten
Caladium
• Like mosquito, flea, and fly bites
• Burn and itch intensely
• Nervous and excitable
From the Desert
Beyond homeopathic remedies, Nature provides. There is a saying that wherever there is a danger, nearby in Nature there is the cure.
What Nature provides in the desert is Prickly Pear or Barrel Cactus to use as a drawing poultice. It works for all kinds of bites and stings, as well as for sunburn.
This is the way the Herbalist Peter Bigfoot teaches to make Prickly Pear pads into a poultice.
1. Choose from a healthy cactus the thickest, fattest pad.
2. Rub the spines off the flat sides with a rock while supporting the other side with another rock.
3. Then cut off the outer edges with a knife.
4. When you are sure all spines, large and small, are removed, cut the pad from the cactus.
5. Next, slice it in half.
6. Claw the inner flesh with your fingernails to bring out the juices.
7. Apply it to the bitten or stung area, and tape it down.
8. When it no longer feels cooling, replace it with a fresh pad.
Remember, this can work for sunburn as well, if you don’t have Aloe Vera plants available.
No Mis-adventures!
This summer adventure with Harvey and Harriet was uneventful medically.
If you want on-the-edge-of-your-seat excitement, you will have to get it at the movies!
