Activated Charcoal for Brown Recluse Spider Bites
review by Ask a Healer
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Activated Charcoal - Good For More Than Gas and Bloating! I got bitten by something, probably a spider. At first, it was just a red circular area with a white bump in the middle. Then, it began to get bigger and the middle looked as if it were trying to ulcerate. I think it may have been a brown recluse spider bite but I didn't see a spider so I'm not sure about that. In any case, it was looking quite serious. As soon as I saw it, I used everything I could think of... tea tree oil, frankensence oil, a combination of basil, lavender and other oils, aloe vera, vitamin E, Master Mineral Supplement, ASEA, PRID. I even used a medicinal fungal cream. I think the aggressive response to the bite helped keep it from ulcerating but it still wasn't healing after two weeks. Activated Charcoal to the Rescue!
About Athlete's Foot
Then, I read about activated charcoal for brown recluse spider bites. Of course, I knew about the drawing properties of activated charcoal. I also knew it was terrific for relieving gas and bloating. I used to keep it in my holistic first aid kit at all times but somewhere along the way, I forgot to replenish so I was out of it.
Activated Charcoal proved a bit harder to find than I thought. CVS had it but it was quite expensive. The local health food store had it but also, quite expensive. I finally found some at Walmart, in a product called Charco, for intestinal gas.
I applied the charcoal twice and also took two tablets internally. It probably wasn't ten minutes after I applied the charcoal to the bite that I felt itching, tingling and nerve ending sensations. Amazing. The entire area had felt entirely numb since the bite. Also, I felt pain where there had been none before. I assumed this was due to nerve endings becoming live again in the area. The difference, the very next day, was noticable. The redness was less, the puckering around the indented area also reduced.
I highly recommend keeping this simple holistic remedy in your first aid kit. Activated Charcoal draws out toxins and can be helpful in emergency situations as well as just for situations such as mine. See a doctor if bites do not heal. This remedy is not suggested as replacement for any needed medical care. Brown recluse spider bites can cause serious damage and even destroy tissue to the point of limbs needing to be amputated. Don't take such a bite lightly. Though most brown recluse spider bites are easy to determine because the skin turns black, this isn't always the case. Sometimes, there is a red circular area with white bump in the middle, just like what I experienced.
Health Care Disclaimer: The bite of the brown recluse spider may cause tissue damage, sometimes extreme. Immediate and aggressive action is best. See a doctor. Follow up if the wound gets worse. Until you can get to a doctor, activated charcoal may well help keep the poison from spreading so I highly recommend having it in your first aid kit at all times.
