This humble weed that grows in your yard could turn out to be your best friend this summer...
Plantain... Psyllium.... it has many names and many uses but today I would just like to share one use and that is topical.
We were preparing for the arrival of tropical storm Bill... the weather man is predicting 6-9 inches of additional rainfall on a Missouri that is already drowning from continual rain. I was worried about a few of my hives and needed to work with them a bit.
I didn't want to... in fact I would have rather pounded my big toe with a hammer than work those bees. There is nothing crankier than a hive of bees with cabin fever. nothing. And these poor girls had been rained in for days upon days.
I had lifted the lid on a second hive and all was going as expected, they were clinging to my veil and bouncing off my suit but I was safely inside and getting my work done. All that changed though when one little gal realized that my pony tail was hanging out the back of my hood and squeezed into my veil, leaving a pheromone trail, another handful of ladies had no trouble following her on in.
They stung me all over my face and neck. I was far from home and didn't have a mirror so the only thing I could do was leave them and head for the house. By the time I got there all of the sacs had drained every drop of venom into my face.
BTW~ I apologize for the great view of my nasal cavity.. I was born before the selfie generation..
Four hours later, I made it to church looking almost normal... you can still see swelling along my chin line but the stings on my cheeks and neck are completely gone and my lips are almost normal... and again, there is my charming nose...
Plantain is not a substitute for Benadryl especially if you are allergic to bites and stings and I am not a doctor. I can only tell you that it effectively works for my family. We usually try to keep some ground up in vinegar during mosquito season. How great a God we serve that considers and provides for even small matters like bee stings.
