Leech Bites, Honey stops the itching

[Hairs]

Honey(doesn't matter what brand or type), Stops leech bites itching, Stingoes, Stop Itch didn't work for me.
A couple of weeks ago, we had a day out exploring the Tabbimobile State forest(Northern NSW), a good day out. When we stopped for lunch I found a couple of leeches on my ankles, nothing unusual in this country to find leeches. As usual I pull them off me and didn't think anymore of it, a little itchy, but that's all.
Two weeks later, last Friday arvo while having a couple of beers waiting for Friday night Footy to start I didn't feel the best, Thinking I was coming down with the wog( Or as Fysh calls it, The Man Flu) I go to bed early, and slept like a log until 6am.
One of the leech bites on my ankle was as hard as a rock(about the size of a kids marble) and driving me crazy from being itchy. 
So I went Googling, found the odd site that suggested to put honey on the itch under a BandAid.
Well the itching stopped within a couple of minutes. Seriously, it stopped that quick.
I had an allergic reaction to the leech, never had that happen before. Anyway, I developed a rash on my ankle and up my leg, My Inguinal - Nodes in the groin became swollen and rock hard,  48 hours after putting the honey on, the rash disappeared as did the lump where the leech had bitten me and my Lymph nodes had returned to normal,(The leech bite area has turned purple and the skin appears to be dead)
Just thought I would share this with you guys & gals that honey stopped the itching, don't know if it benefited with the reaction to the poison, but it gave relief for the itching.
I will be putting a little container of Honey in our FirstAid kit.
 

[McGirr]

Great remedy. Thanks.

Mark

[Compass]

Thanks for the tip Hairs.  Honey has long been recognized for its antiseptic and healing properties but I wouldn't have given it a thought for itching. I have now included a small container of honey in my first aid kit.
Eric

[Riguez]

A good tip Hairs thanks. If you've got no honey, a dab of toothpaste might work also - I use it on mozzie, sand fly and Tick bites (never had a reaction to a leach bite so can't verify its effectiveness there). Works well on others though. A friend who worked as a nurse in some poor arsed african countries with no medical supplies put me onto it.

[Chippy76]

My Grandfather was a beekeeper and swore by honey and all of its healing properties. He had an ulcer on his leg at one stage that persisted for around 9 months and several courses of Antibiotics, the nurses had dressed it and coated it with all manner of Antibac/antiseptic ointments, creams , powders.   The old fella got sick of it and one day ripped it all off, washed the ulcer, and coated it in honey, he placed a bandage over it and WITHIN A WEEK the wound had started to heal.
I still use honey to treat all manner of ailments, it is truly an amazing thing.

Cheers Chippy

[Bird]

if 1/2 my leg was turnin purple, I think I'd head to the quack!

[Hairs]

Went to chiropractor yesterday, Robert is a jack of all trades 
Ex Army, Ex Copper, written papers on neck and back injuries in sport, he'd heard of the honey that they use for medical purposes, but never though about everyday run of mill honey.
The retired nurse next says, "oh you didn't know about using honey for stings & bites?"
Well I do now 

Hey Lost, it's only, LOL about the size of a five cent piece now with a little hole in the middle.
It's not itchy, sore or swollen. 
Might try it next time one of the kids gets a an ant bite or Bee sting.
Can't do an harm I guess.
 

[Tim - Stratford]

My Inguinal - Nodes in the groin became swollen and rock hard,

OK, I'll ask....where do I get those leeches from???   

...and are they little blue ones??? 

[Hairs]

...and are they little blue ones??? 

 

[britts]

Ground pepper will stop the bleeding from leech bites, sounds like the tucker box just became the first aid kit.

[alnjan]

have known of honey for bee stings for years now, didn't think to use it on leech bites or similiar.  we use brown vinegar for jumping ant bites and other stings.  going to try the honey for the next leech, which should be the next time we step outside....the little suckers are even starting to crawl under the doors to get to us now.

oh and another thing i've noticed....i scotchguard my hiking boots and joggers - even my ugg boots - leeches avoid my feet for a long time after i've sprayed it on.  so double the benefit - waterproofed footwear and no leeches.

jan
xxxx

[Mace]

From:

http://www.naturaltherapypages.com.au/article/Natural_Antiseptics

Honey
Honey is a natural antiseptic and there are several studies on how honey has been used to treat wounds.  Applying honey to wounds helps to prevent infections, as it contains antimicrobial agents that kill the bacteria in and around the wound.  Many types of bacteria cannot survive in honey so the wound heals, swelling eases, and the tissues can regrow.  Honey is also great for treating ulcers and burns.  When treating diarrhea, honey promotes the rehydration of the body and more quickly clears the diarrhea and any vomiting and stomach upsets.


A peice of Bracken Fern Root broken in half also works well with ant stings.  Rub the white flesh/liquid of the root against the sting.

[Swaggie]

Its funny you know ive never had an itch from leeches...

But while up in Butcher Country coming out of Freds Drop in late Feb...My rear wheel got hooked up on a rocky section...We had the windows down it was warm,mate gets out to see what wrong.While i was still in the drivers seat with Hilux idling i felt a sting on my right shoulder,then another so when i put my left arm over my right shoulder till kill what was biting me i looked out the drivers side window and there were hundreds of European Wasps trying to get in the vehicle..In the hurry of it all i stalled the vehicle (in  low) while trying to get rid of all these bloody wasps trying to get a piece of me (aggressive mothers).I managed to put up the electric window but i must have hit the switch wrong it came straight back down,i managed to get it back up again but they where still flying around the cabin,I was killing them with my hands,i managed to watch one near my rear vision mirror and then bang the bastard stung me on the tip of my nose.My mate hops back in stating the rock was a European wasp nest..He looks behind me in the rear seat window and there all trying to get out as well..(Telling me to only open an inch) trying not to let more in....

To cut a longer story short he ended up with 2 bites to my 14  :'( all up my back,shoulders etc ect..lucky no one was allergic especially the remoteness too..These bites were itchy for nearly 2 weeks driving me mad..Tried a few things but no go...never thought to use honey though.Hopefully there wont be a next time.

[Hairs]

Sorry Swaggie I'm trying to pick myself off the floor after reading that.

I hate the buggars too, we have Paper Wasps here. Usually don't see them on trees or fence lines when mowing.
The neighbours get a kick out seeing me do a wild dance as I jump off the mower and start running around swearing and screaming like a Banshee.
Might just have to try honey on their stings as well.

[Roo]

Yup, honey is a ripper on toast but will also help with infections. Nurses use it for bed sores. I had a persistent fungal infection under my big toenail that resisted everything until i got the pot of gold onto it. My butcher put me onto it, he had a bucket of raw Manuka honey that he used on his horses for any cuts or sores around their hooves...worked for me too. For best results, raw honey wins hands down including on your toast.... but that Manuka stuff is awful, cuts only for it

[Chippy76]

RE Manuka honey.
Makuka honey is honey produced (soley) from the blossom of Leptospermum scoparium (or tea tree) chiefly produced in NZ and Australia. It has been hailed as having amazing healing properties.

All RAW honey has strong antibacterial properties. Although Manuka honey has gained more popularity as a "medi honey" the jury is still out regarding its potency over other forms of honey. Its popularity is most likely from good marketing. The important thing to remember is to use RAW honey, that is honey that has not passed through heat treatment or ultra-filtration as part of the the production process. Some (more popular) brands of  honey are heated before bottling to aid in the bottling process, to minimise and bacterial tranference, and to gain an acceptable "in bottle" appearance. This heat treatment can be enough to the destroy vital antibacterial ingredients of honey.  If possible buy locally product, small batch honey. The benefits of this are two fold. 1) you support the "local bloke" 2) the health benefits are likely to by much grater than the store bought mass produced honey.

Honey is an amazing product, and (believe it or not) a very complex thing to understand.

Cheers Chippy

(beekeeper and lover of all things bees and honey.... )

[Patr80l]

Hi Hairs, your problem with the leech bite coming a couple of weeks later, with spreading redness, necrosis and swollen glands, sounds like an infection, possibly associated with some foreign material in the wound.   Any break in the skin can get infected (i.e. bacteria).   Toxic/poisonous effects or allergic reactions tend to be immediate.   I thought leeches did their best to be undetected so are pain( and itch?) free.    Honey can be good for localised wound care but I would have thrown in an oral antibiotic (cos I can).   In this I agree with Lost; the spread beyond the bite site should prompt a trip to the doctor (not the chiro!  )
Dr Patr80l.
ps you can bee allergic to honey!

[Hairs]

From what I've read, I agree Patr80l, the bite wound would of had some kind of infection for the reaction of the swollen gland and bite mark becoming red, sore itchy and for the rash to appear, just five days later, 
Ya silly buggars, the Chiro visit was well after the leech had latched on and wasn't the reason for the visit 
That weekend I had three leeches on my ankles, only one bite caused a problem, It's just one of them things I guess.
My Father was allergic to bee stings. Near killed him a couple of times.

Toxic/poisonous effects or allergic reactions tend to be immediate.   
Dr Patr80l.

Yeah, five days later has me stumped and only one out of the three bites.
In hindsight, we all should of sprayed our legs with Bushmans or like.
 

[Nomad]

If possible buy locally product, small batch honey. The benefits of this are two fold. 1) you support the "local bloke" 2) the health benefits are likely to by much grater than the store bought mass produced honey.

Honey is an amazing product, and (believe it or not) a very complex thing to understand.

Cheers Chippy

(beekeeper and lover of all things bees and honey.... )

I just bought 3 kilos of honey from a bloke down the road for the ripe price of $15.
It doesn't look as glossy as the store bought stuff but the taste is beautiful.

Cheers
Nomad.

[Hairs]

I just bought 3 kilos of honey from a bloke down the road for the ripe price of $15.
It doesn't look as glossy as the store bought stuff but the taste is beautiful.

Cheers
Nomad.

Couple of years ago, we had a Swarm of bees turn up in one of the shrubs next to the carport.

Called the local Bee bloke, he was over the moon to take them off our hands.
He gave us a few big jars of honey, the honey was collected from his hives in a Blackbutt Forest. It was the nicest honey I have ever tasted.

[Chippy76]

OMG that makes me sooooo jealous! I found a swarm down near Casino last christmas, but had not box to put them in ....

Cheers Chippy

[Hairs]

Hey Chippy,
It was brilliant to watch him get then all into a box.
Never watched such a thing before. he explained the different noises they make and what they were up to and what they would do next.
I was like a kid at show N tell at school.
Awesome stuff.
 

[Chippy76]

I just bought 3 kilos of honey from a bloke down the road for the ripe price of $15.
It doesn't look as glossy as the store bought stuff but the taste is beautiful.

Cheers
Nomad.

mate that is a good price!

cheers chippy 

[D4D]

I put some Manuka honey in black tea when I have a sore throat or cold, works well or could be a placebo effect. In fact I am having some right now

Why is is you can't take honey across borders?

[Roo]

Why is is you can't take honey across borders?

Really? I imagine only raw honey would have restrictions although you could argue once a jar is open it could be any product in there so all honey may be contraband if in an unsealed container, and it would be to prevent spread of diseases.