By MARIE EYE
After waking up one morning with an itchy ankle, I looked down and saw two distinct red fang marks about one-sixteenth of an inch apart. I nonchalantly assumed aspider had gotten me during the night.
Then it became very itchy. Two days passed and it became even more itchy! When I looked next, yellow blisters had formed and the whole bite area had become bright red. Black 
tissue started to appear in the center of the wound — dead cells, called necrosis.
At that point, the itch was out of control and I could feel an annoying sting in the deeper tissues.
Concerned, I started researching. In this area, only a few spiders can cause that kind of skin damage, including the brown recluse and the wolf spider. Wolf spiders are very unlikely to end up in your bed at night because they are mostly garden spiders. Brown recluses, onthe other hand, tend to roam in search of food and can accidentally end up in bedsheets or a shoe.
Because of our climate, they are rare; however, due to this year’s warm winter, it would not be a stretch to assume their population has grown. All the indications were there, so I researched what to do based on this assumption.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends staying calm. That’s a start. It then advises identifying the type of spider if it is possible to do so safely. In my case, it was not possible. The CDC then recommends washing the bite area with soap and water and doing a simple first aid technique called the RICE method (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation), with specific instructions to not attempt to remove venom. Of course, the CDC also advises seeking professional medical attention immediately.
It all seemed like sound advice, but I wanted to know more. I wanted to stop the progression of the venom before it did too much damage. It soon became clear that modern medicine does not have an answer.
There is no known antidote for the brown recluse bite in America, and those bitten must simply let the venom take its course, watching the area closely and keeping the wound clean to prevent secondary infection.
I called a friend, a specialist in herbal remedies, who told me to use the plantain weed. I followed my friend’s instructions. I made a poultice — chew a leaf, apply the chewed leaf to the bite and bandage it. It is supposed to work by pulling the poison out of the wound, so the sooner you use it the better.
Miracle! In less than a minute, the itch and the sting disappeared and I was left with a peaceful and refreshing sensation on my ankle. I spent the next three days chewing plantain and applying it to the bite.
It didn’t take all the darkened cells out immediately but it definitely removed the swelling and drained the blisters. I can proudly say now, 11 days later, that it is completely healed and no skin is missing.
The plant works because it contains the iridoid glycoside aucubin, a powerful antitoxin. Its components include vitamin C and salicylic acid, one of the main active ingredients of aspirin.
It is also an antibacterial, an expectorant and vermicide (kills parasitic intestinal worms). And all that time, I have walked on plantain weeds without even paying attention.
Marie Eye offers a variety of personal healing solutions for mind, body and soul, including weight loss, meal planning, physical training, mentoring, meditation and other services.
