Basic First Aid On The Trail: Stinging Plants
How To Treat & Deal With Stinging Plants On The Trail
When trekking through any type of terrain, plant life is a constant threat to comfort and wellbeing. Often times people overlook plant life when they think of animals and insects as the primary concerns. True, animals and insects are capable of pursuit. Plant life is often times much closer to you than many animals and can be overlooked easier than insects. In fact, you may very well have a brush up with a stinging plant and not even know it until hours later.
Preventing Stinging Plants Before They Happen
Hands down the best way to prevent a negative encounter with a stinging plant is to avoid them altogether. This requires an observant person who is knowledgeable about what to look for. A secondary measure, and also a good one if you aren’t very vigilant, is to wear clothing which will cover and protect you from contact. Keep in mind that even though clothing may protect you from contact beneath layers of cloth, needles, oils or other things may cling onto the fabric. Be careful not to contact the outside of the clothing when removing and changing.
Do research on the area you are venturing into. Familiarize yourself with what threat plants look like and where they commonly found.
Treating Stinging Plants Before They Become Worse
On the topic of treating stinging plants, you want to try to identify the plant if possible. This will allow you to understand what you have ahead of you in terms of side effects. When it comes to stinging nettles for example, you can use a piece of tape and apply the sticky side to the area contacted. Pull off the tape to remove some of the thistles, but only use the same piece of tape once. After this, keep an eye on the area for rashes, itchiness or burning sensations.
For poison ivy, you want to wash the area with soap and water as quickly as possible after known contact. This will hopefully remove the oils and plant produced chemicals. With the oils removed, your reaction should be less severe if not stopped. Soothing the area is key to reducing your chances of spreading the rash. When you itch poison ivy rashes you release more oils which spread from your fingers. Application of creams or oils designed to prevent and or treat poison ivy is highly advised. You will want to carry these topical with you if you are venturing into an area known for high poison ivy growth.
In The End
In the end, you have a few choices when it comes to dealing with stinging plants. Initially (and ideally) you want to practice avoidance. This will almost completely mitigate your risks of negative reaction. Wearing appropriate clothing and being observant are ways to accomplish avoidance. Next we have treatment based on identification. If you know what you’ve contacted, you can treat the affected area. Finally we can prevent the spread as much as possible after identification and treatment. Sometimes you can stop the spread, or at least not promote it, but taking smart steps to reduce contact and use topical ointments to your benefit.
As always, if things become out of your control seek professional medical attention immediately! Be safe and stay smart.
