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First Aid for Puss Caterpillar Stings, Pg. 3: Besides using tape to remove the spines, many reported that poultices would draw out the puss caterpillar venom, and some even stated that when the tape did not seem to work, poultices did. One of the first reports of this kind was sent in by Susan J., of Norfolk, VA: Hi, Jerry. Yesterday I emailed you about being stung by one of these puss caterpillars. I was on my front porch, reached down to pick up my umbrella, and felt a sting on the inside of my hand. When I looked to see what it was I noticed one of these caterpillars crawling on my umbrella. I knew right away it had stung me. I ran into the house and immediately put my hand under cold water. Then I grabbed a piece of ice. While holding the ice in my hand I picked up a jar and went back on the porch to capture the critter that injured my hand, for identification purposes. My hand, like many others have reported, continued to burn with pain. I called poison control and they recommended ice and antihistamines. I tried that, without relief. I went on line, found your website, and tried using tape to get the stingers out. My hand, 5 hours later, still burned as much as before. The tape provided no relief for me... I then called a friend, who is a pediatric nurse, and asked if she had any remedies I hadn't tried. She told me to make a poultice of fresh ginger root and potato and put it on the sting. I purchased fresh ginger root [available at most grocery stores in the produce section], chopped it up along with a piece of fresh potato, put the chopped mixture on my palm with a gauze pad over it and wrapped it with gauze tape [this can be improved upon by using plastic wrap, to prevent the poultice from drying out too quickly]. To secure things in place I placed a rubber glove over my hand and cut the finger tips out for more mobility and comfort. Within an hour the burning sensation started to ease up. With every hour that passed the burning and stinging lessened, instead of increasing as before. The potato and ginger drew out the toxins just as she said they would. Thank heaven, something was finally working! I was pleasantly surprised when I awoke the next morning and my hand was completely normal. I think this was a great remedy for stings and wanted to share it to help anyone from suffering from the pain that this can cause." Susan J., Norfolk Virginia Nearly all of the other poultices described later by readers had a base of raw or cooked potato. The most common addition to the basic potato poultice was raw ginger root. The poultice was held in place with a loose gauze dressing, sometimes covered with a loose plastic wrap. Sting victims reported chopping, shredding, or grating raw or cooked potato, either alone or in combination with raw ginger root (available in most grocery produce aisles). This mixture was pressed against the sting site and loosely wrapped with a gauze bandage. Some added a thin sheet of plastic, as a covering, to prevent the poultice from drying out. Results reported from this procedure were mostly positive. Cessation of pain, swelling, and scarring, was reported in most cases, usually within a few hours: RECENT CASE HISTORIES. NOTE: It is always advisable to consult a licensed medical practitioner before applying a bandage for any purpose. CLICK HERE for an excellent primer on bandaging procedures. For further information on suitable medical interventions for puss caterpillar stings, CLICK HERE. Page Menu: 1 * 2 * 3 * * TERMITE ENCOUNTERS * SNAKE ENCOUNTERS * SNAKE BITE FIRST AID * SNAKE EXCLUSION * SPIDER ENCOUNTERS * SPIDER BITE FIRST AID * SPIDER EXTERMINATION * PUSS CATERPILLAR ENCOUNTERS * PUSS CATERPILLAR FIRST AID * PUSS CATERPILLAR EXTERMINATION * Assembled & Edited by Jerry Cates. Questions? Corrections? Comments? BUG ME RIGHT NOW! ---- Ph: 512-331-1111 ---- E-Mail ---- Privacy ----BugsInTheNews |