Mosquitoes are pests that many people deal with for much of the year. The females not only suck blood, they may also transmit parasites and diseases as they pump in substances to prevent blood from clotting. At the very least, the bites cause often intense itching. Luckily, there are many home remedies for relieving the itch of a mosquito bite. Some of these may be surprising while others are commonly known.

Honey

Covering the bite with honey and wrapping with cloth will often bring almost immediate relief. The honey also has antibacterial properties, though it won't do much about parasites that have been transmitted. Still, there is some evidence that the honey also lets the body repair itself more quickly, so the itch doesn't linger.

Curled dock

This well known plant, normally thought of as a weed is great for counteracting acid based substances. It has long been used to ease the pain of bee stings and the burning of stinging nettles. Crush a dock leaf and rub it over the bite for relief. Since dock grows when the mosquitoes are at their worst, it is usually not difficult to find fresh leaves to use.

Clay mud

Many may not know it, but American Indians of many tribes and for centuries used clay mud to treat mosquito bites, both to relieve the itch, and to lessen the length of time they are a bother. The clay draws out the poisons. The downside is that not all areas have clay mud. The upside is that mixed pottery clay will work.

Baking soda and water

This is one of the best-known remedies for mosquito bite itches. Mixing a little water with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), just enough to make a paste, is then placed on the bites. The soda counteracts the acid in the coagulant, leading to relief. If there are numerous bites, a person can also add a half-cup of baking soda to bathwater, and soak. This also works for other irritating bites, and even rashes from poison ivy, oak, and sumac.

Garlic

Garlic juice can be an effective relief for mosquito bites, in more than one way. The entire plant is antibacterial, it allows the body to mend itself, and it can even helps prevent the bites to begin with. You read that right; garlic can help prevent mosquito bites. Outdoorsmen have for many years eaten raw garlic the day prior to a trek in the outdoors, to drop the number of mosquitoes biting them. Even cooked garlic will work, but raw garlic is better.

As the late Euell Gibbons said in one of his books, "Garlic will repel mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, chiggers...and friends."

Chickweed

Chickweed is another common plant that can provide quick and cooling relief to mosquito bite itch. Crush the plants and rub the juices over the affected areas.

These are by no means the only natural remedies for treating the itch of mosquito bites. The remedies can be found almost everywhere, and in many cases they will be either free for the picking, or already on hand. The preparations are easy, and usually the relief is quick. Home remedies for mosquito bite itch are so easy to come by that at times, it is a wonder why people would actually go to a store and buy them.

Learn more about this author, Rex Trulove.
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